Divisi
When to plant Cucumber in Icolo e Bengo
Luanda, Angola
Known here as pepino
Cucumber is a fast, thirsty climbing vine grown for its crisp young fruit — picked small and often, before the seeds inside go hard.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 21 Oct 2026 – 26 Nov 2026 opens in 3 weeks | 11 Apr 2026 – 17 Nov 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 23.2 t/ha | about 35.8 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 5 Dec 2026 to 4 Feb 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 45–70 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 120–247 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 2 Nov 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Icolo e Bengo is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 26 Nov 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Icolo e Bengo
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For cucumber in Icolo e Bengo, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.
The 2026/27 season in Icolo e Bengo
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to June 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 852 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 852 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter 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 supports | enough rain for one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 16 September 2026
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
What cucumber needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.8 |
| Rain it needs | About 1,000–1,200 mm across the season |
| Spacing | 150 cm between rows, 40 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen and potassium |
What it takes to grow cucumber in Icolo e Bengo
| Nitrogen (N) | About 42 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 23 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 70 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established. |
| Hand work | 120–247 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a cucumber 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 Cucumber with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Icolo e Bengo 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.
Cucumber 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 cucumber grow well in Icolo e Bengo?
Icolo e Bengo rates as favourable for cucumber.
When should I plant cucumber in Icolo e Bengo?
Typically 21 Oct 2026 to 26 Nov 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Icolo e Bengo, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
