Divisi
When to plant Lablab in CENTRAL
Botswana
Lablab (also called hyacinth bean or dolichos; njahi in Swahili) is one of the toughest beans a smallholder can grow.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 12 Dec 2026 – 22 Dec 2026 opens in 10 weeks | 27 Dec 2026 – 21 May 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 1.4–1.6 t/ha | about 1.9 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 22 Mar 2027 to 21 May 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 100–150 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 75–156 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 76% | |
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 22 Dec 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for CENTRAL 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 Dec 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in CENTRAL
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For lablab in CENTRAL, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. 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 2026/27 season in CENTRAL
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | November 2026 to March 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 430 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 390 mm in the driest of 5 districts to about 468 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, 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 +2.3 °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 | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 52% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 105 growing days · about 430 mm · November to March |
|---|---|
| 45% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 340 mm · December to March |
last updated 18 September 2026 · from all 5 areas within it
Limited water holds back about 25% of yield here.
What lablab needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sand, sandy loam, loam, clay loam or clay soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.0 and 7.5 |
| Spacing | 75 cm between rows, 30 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | phosphorus |
What it takes to grow lablab in CENTRAL
| Nitrogen (N) | About 52 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 13 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. Skip the nitrogen top dressing; inoculated seed does that job. |
| Hand work | 75–156 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a lablab 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 Lablab with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes CENTRAL 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.
Lablab 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 lablab grow well in CENTRAL?
CENTRAL rates as favourable for lablab.
When should I plant lablab in CENTRAL?
Typically 12 Dec 2026 to 22 Dec 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across CENTRAL, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
