When to plant Lablab in Nyali

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Lablab

These figures also cover Tanga Urban, where the engine returns the same answer.

Mombasa, Kenya

Known here as njahi · fiwi

Lablab (also called hyacinth bean or dolichos; njahi in Swahili) is one of the toughest beans a smallholder can grow.

Lablab in Nyali, rain-fed and with irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 26 Feb 2027 – 28 May 2027 opens in 21 weeks
Expected harvest about 2.0 t/ha
Harvest From 6 Jun 2027 to 25 Oct 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-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 11 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Nyali 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 28 May 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Nyali

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

For lablab in Nyali, 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 2026 season in Nyali

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedMarch 2026 to December 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,158 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — October, 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 +1.0 °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 the largest that farms — about 75% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
75% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 284 growing days · about 1,070 mm · March to December
25% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 292 growing days · about 1,140 mm · March to December

last updated 30 September 2026

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% 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 Nyali

Nitrogen (N)About 74 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 18 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 26 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 work75–156 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableLimited rooting depth

Grow Lablab with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Nyali 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

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 Nyali?

Nyali rates as favourable for lablab.

When should I plant lablab in Nyali?

Typically 26 Feb 2027 to 28 May 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Nyali, 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 Nyali

Keep going

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