Divisi
When to plant Cowpea in Mamants'o
Mafeteng, Lesotho
Cowpea (nyemba, kunde, niébé, black-eyed pea) is a tough, drought-beating legume for warm country.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 19 Nov 2026 – 9 Dec 2026 opens in 7 weeks | 28 Oct 2026 – 7 Dec 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.0 t/ha | about 2.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 18 Jan 2027 to 8 Apr 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 meets its needs | 55% | |
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 29 Nov 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Mamants'o yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 9 Dec 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Mamants'o
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For cowpea in Mamants'o, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 2026/27 season in Mamants'o
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | November 2026 to May 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 634 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, November and December look short of rain. Plant at the early end of the window, favour quicker and more drought-tolerant crops, and keep moisture in the soil: mulch, and weed early. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +2.0 °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 supports | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 93% of this area. |
| 93% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 155 growing days · about 620 mm · November to May |
|---|---|
| 7% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 155 growing days · about 600 mm · November to May |
last updated 16 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 45% 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 Mamants'o
| Planting material | About 90,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 60 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 12 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 22 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A 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 work | 50–105 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
Grow Cowpea with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Mamants'o 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.
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 Mamants'o?
Mamants'o rates as favourable for cowpea.
When should I plant cowpea in Mamants'o?
Typically 19 Nov 2026 to 9 Dec 2026, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Mamants'o, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
