Divisi
When to plant Cucumber in Starehe
Nairobi, Kenya
Known here as tango
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 | 4 Mar 2027 – 18 Apr 2027 opens in 22 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 23.1–23.2 t/ha | about 37.1 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 18 Apr 2027 to 27 Jun 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 19 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Starehe leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.
Planting after 18 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Starehe
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For cucumber in Starehe, 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 season in Starehe
| Rainy seasons | Two each year — two chances to plant |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | February 2026 to June 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 820 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — January, February, October, November and December look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.0 °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 full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 30 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 Starehe
| 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 Starehe 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 Starehe?
Starehe rates as favourable for cucumber.
When should I plant cucumber in Starehe?
Typically 4 Mar 2027 to 18 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Starehe, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
