Divisi
When to plant Lablab in Sierra Leone
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 | 17 Mar 2027 – 13 Sep 2027 opens in 24 weeks | 2 Mar 2026 – 27 Dec 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.8 t/ha | same |
| Harvest | From 25 Jun 2027 to 10 Feb 2028, 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 29 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Sierra Leone is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 13 Sep 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Sierra Leone
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For lablab in Sierra Leone, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 60%. 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 Sierra Leone
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | April 2026 to December 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 2,598 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 1,925 mm in the driest of 16 districts to about 3,372 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 2,598 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.8 °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 full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 35% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 286 growing days · about 2,680 mm · March to December |
|---|---|
| 33% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 259 growing days · about 2,820 mm · April to December |
| 30% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 308 growing days · about 2,510 mm · February to December |
last updated 18 September 2026 · from all 16 areas within it
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 Sierra Leone
| Nitrogen (N) | About 67 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 16 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 23 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 Sierra Leone 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 Sierra Leone?
Sierra Leone rates as favourable for lablab.
When should I plant lablab in Sierra Leone?
Typically 17 Mar 2027 to 13 Sep 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Sierra Leone, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
