Divisi
When to plant Garlic in Uthukela
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Known here as knoffel
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 | 19 Sep 2027 – 28 Sep 2027 opens in 50 weeks | 2 Mar 2027 – 9 Aug 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 2.6 t/ha | about 16.7 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 17 Jan 2028 to 25 Apr 2028, 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 | 51% | |
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 Sep 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Uthukela yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 28 Sep 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Uthukela
| Rain and temperature | 76% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For garlic in Uthukela, 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 2026/27 season in Uthukela
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to April 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 720 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, October, 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 +1.6 °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, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 73% of this area. |
| 73% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 212 growing days · about 750 mm · October to April |
|---|---|
| 18% | enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 244 growing days · about 890 mm · September to June |
| 5% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 274 growing days · about 950 mm · September to June |
last updated 2 October 2026
Limited water holds back about 50% 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 Uthukela
| Nitrogen (N) | About 26 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 10 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 26 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 Uthukela 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 Uthukela?
Uthukela rates as moderate for garlic.
When should I plant garlic in Uthukela?
Typically 19 Sep 2027 to 28 Sep 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Uthukela, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
