When to plant Chilli in Windhoek West

Khomas, Namibia

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

Chilli in Windhoek West, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure	Rain-fed	With irrigation
Fit	Moderate
When to plant	21 Dec 2026 – 31 Dec 2026 opens in 12 weeks	9 Aug 2026 – 7 Dec 2026
Expected harvest	about 3.7 t/ha	about 15.8 t/ha
Harvest	From 20 May 2027 to 29 Jul 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	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 21 Dec 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

No seasonal forecast reaches Windhoek West yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.

Planting after 31 Dec 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Windhoek West

Rain and temperature	96%
The soil	76%
The lie of the land	45%

For chilli in Windhoek West, 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 Windhoek West

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 372 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 +2.1 °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	3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 75% of this area.

Agro-ecological zones covering this area
75%	enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 89 growing days · about 380 mm · January to April
21%	enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 90 growing days · about 390 mm · December to April
4%	enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 104 growing days · about 400 mm · December to April

last updated 17 September 2026

Limited water holds back about 60% 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 Windhoek West

Planting material	About 42,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)	About 13 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)	About 3 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)	About 18 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	110–232 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 outside the crop's range

Grow Chilli with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Windhoek West 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

Chilli in nearby districts

How to grow Chilli, step by step Land preparation to harvest — every task, in order

Frequently asked questions

Will chilli grow well in Windhoek West?

Windhoek West rates as moderate for chilli.

When should I plant chilli in Windhoek West?

Typically 21 Dec 2026 to 31 Dec 2026, typical season.

Is this exact for my own field?

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