When to plant Green gram in Congo

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Green gram

Green gram (also called mung bean or ndengu) is a fast, warm-weather bean that goes from seed to harvest in just 60–90 days — quick enough to dodge a dry spell and to slot in after your maize, sorghum or millet.

Green gram in Congo, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 31 Jan 2026 – 22 Sep 2026 closed for this season 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 1.5 t/ha same
Harvest From 1 Apr 2026 to 21 Dec 2026, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 60–90 days after planting
Work it takes 60–124 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 31 Jan 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Congo leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.

Planting after 22 Sep 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Congo

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 88%
The lie of the land 88%

For green gram in Congo, the soil is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 2025/26 season in Congo

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedSeptember 2025 to July 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,390 mm in a typical farming district
Across its districtsFrom about 1,299 mm in the driest of 89 districts to about 1,894 mm in the wettest
This season's rainLeaning dry — January, September, 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 heatHotter than usual — about +1.2 °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 supportsenough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers2 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
88% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 322 growing days · about 1,410 mm · August to July
11% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 296 growing days · about 1,400 mm · September to July

last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 89 areas within it

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.

What green gram needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained loam or sandy loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.5
Spacing 37 cm between rows, 10 cm between plants
Feed it most with phosphorus

What it takes to grow green gram in Congo

Nitrogen (N)About 60 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 15 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 27 kg per hectare
In the shopsA 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 work60–124 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a green gram 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableSoil pH outside the crop's rangeCorrect soil pH (lime)

Grow Green gram with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Congo 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.

Or check your field first

Green gram 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 green gram grow well in Congo?

Congo rates as favourable for green gram.

When should I plant green gram in Congo?

Typically 31 Jan 2026 to 22 Sep 2026, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Congo, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in Congo

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.