Divisi
When to plant Garlic in Gobabis
These figures also cover Kalahari, where the engine returns the same answer.
Omaheke, Namibia
Garlic (Allium sativum) is grown for its compound bulb — the head that splits into the cloves you cook with.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Moderate | |
| When to plant | 14 Jan 2027 – 23 Jan 2027 opens in 15 weeks | 2 Mar 2027 – 21 May 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 2.2 t/ha | about 16.7 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 14 May 2027 to 21 Aug 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 120–210 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 123–248 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 42% | |
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 14 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Gobabis yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 23 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Gobabis
| Rain and temperature | 76% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For garlic in Gobabis, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 76%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.
The 2026 season in Gobabis
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | January 2026 to April 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 367 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January and February 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 +2.3 °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 all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 5% of this area. |
| 89% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 330 mm |
|---|---|
| 5% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 80 growing days · about 360 mm · January to March |
| 3% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 370 mm |
| 3% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 82 growing days · about 380 mm · January to April |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 60% of yield here.
What garlic needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.5 and 7.5 |
| Spacing | 30 cm between rows, 10 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | sulphur, nitrogen and potassium |
What it takes to grow garlic in Gobabis
| Nitrogen (N) | About 22 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 9 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. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established. |
| Hand work | 123–248 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a garlic 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 Garlic with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Gobabis 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.
Garlic 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 garlic grow well in Gobabis?
Gobabis rates as moderate for garlic.
When should I plant garlic in Gobabis?
Typically 14 Jan 2027 to 23 Jan 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Gobabis, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
