When to plant Chilli in Kore

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Chilli

South Ethiopia, Ethiopia

Known here as qariya

Hot pepper — chilli, mhiripiri, pilipili kali, barkono, ata eiye — is the small, fiery Capsicum grown for the burn in its fruit.

Chilli in Kore, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 2 Mar 2027 – 22 Mar 2027 opens in 22 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 6.3 t/ha about 25.0 t/ha
Harvest From 30 Jul 2027 to 18 Oct 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 150–210 days after planting
Work it takes 110–232 days per hectare, by hand
Rain meets its needs 63%

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 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Kore 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 22 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Kore

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 96%
The lie of the land 45%

For chilli in Kore, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. You cannot flatten it, but you can farm it: plant along the contour rather than up and down, ridge or tie ridges to hold water on the slope, and expect shallower rooting than the crop would manage on flat ground.

The 2026 season in Kore

Rainy seasonsTwo each year — two chances to plant
When the rains are expectedAugust 2026 to December 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 788 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — 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 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 one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 41% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
41% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 190 growing days · about 730 mm · August to December
15% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 222 growing days · about 800 mm · August to December
12% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 176 growing days · about 620 mm · August to December
10% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 290 growing days · about 1,030 mm · February to December

last updated 16 September 2026

Limited water holds back about 40% of yield here.

What chilli needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam or loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.5
Spacing 75 cm between rows, 45 cm between plants
Feed it most with potassium and calcium

What it takes to grow chilli in Kore

Planting materialAbout 42,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 22 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 5 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 32 kg per hectare
In the shopsA 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 work110–232 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a chilli 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 — manageableNot enough water in seasonSoil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Chilli with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Kore 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

Where to sell Chilli nearby

Chilli 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 chilli grow well in Kore?

Kore rates as favourable for chilli.

When should I plant chilli in Kore?

Typically 2 Mar 2027 to 22 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Kore, 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 Kore

Keep going

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