When to plant Cowpea in Mbadjini Est

Save as PDF

Cowpea

Grande Comore (Ngazidja), Comores

Cowpea (nyemba, kunde, niébé, black-eyed pea) is a tough, drought-beating legume for warm country.

Cowpea in Mbadjini Est, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 28 Oct 2026 – 6 Jun 2027 opens in 4 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 1.2 t/ha same
Harvest From 27 Dec 2026 to 4 Oct 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 60–120 days after planting
Work it takes 50–105 days per hectare, by hand

Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.

If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 4 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Mbadjini Est is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 6 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Mbadjini Est

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 96%
The lie of the land 45%

For cowpea in Mbadjini Est, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. You cannot flatten it, but you can farm it: plant along the contour rather than up and down, ridge or tie ridges to hold water on the slope, and expect shallower rooting than the crop would manage on flat ground.

The 2026 season in Mbadjini Est

When the rains are expectedSeptember 2026 to September 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 2,098 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 2,098 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +0.7 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can.
What that supportsenough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 67% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
67% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 362 growing days · about 2,110 mm · September to September
20% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 348 growing days · about 1,880 mm · September to September
13% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 356 growing days · about 2,070 mm · September to September

last updated 17 September 2026

Sloping ground holds back about 35% of yield here.

What cowpea needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sand, sandy loam or loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.5
Spacing 75 cm between rows, 25 cm between plants
Feed it most with phosphorus and potassium

What it takes to grow cowpea in Mbadjini Est

Planting materialAbout 90,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 72 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 14 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 26 kg per hectare
In the shopsA basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. Skip the nitrogen top dressing; inoculated seed does that job.
Hand work50–105 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a cowpea crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.

What to watch for

Pest/disease risk — manageableSoil pH below the crop's optimumSteep slope

Grow Cowpea with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Mbadjini Est as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.

Or check your field first

Cowpea in nearby districts

This calendar moves

Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.

Frequently asked questions

Will cowpea grow well in Mbadjini Est?

Mbadjini Est rates as favourable for cowpea.

When should I plant cowpea in Mbadjini Est?

Typically 28 Oct 2026 to 6 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Mbadjini Est, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in Mbadjini Est

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.