When to plant Irish potato in Kore

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Irish potato

South Ethiopia, Ethiopia

Known here as dinich

The Irish potato (mbatatisi, ikirayi, viazi mviringo) is a cool-weather crop grown for the tubers that swell underground — it is not a grain, and it is not the same plant as sweet potato.

Irish potato in Kore, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 4 Mar 2027 – 24 Mar 2027 opens in 22 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 28.4 t/ha about 45.0 t/ha
Harvest From 13 May 2027 to 1 Aug 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 70–130 days after planting
Work it takes 110–185 days per hectare, by hand
Rain meets its needs 82%

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 24 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 24 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 96%

For irish potato in Kore, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 96%. 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 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 20% of yield here.

What irish potato needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained loam or sandy loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.0 and 6.5
Spacing 75 cm between rows, 28 cm between plants
Feed it most with potassium and magnesium

What it takes to grow irish potato in Kore

Planting materialAbout 47,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 94 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 28 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 165 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 work110–185 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a irish potato 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 below the crop's optimum

Grow Irish potato 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 Irish potato nearby

Irish potato 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 irish potato grow well in Kore?

Kore rates as favourable for irish potato.

When should I plant irish potato in Kore?

Typically 4 Mar 2027 to 24 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.