Divisi
When to plant Lemon in Mt. Elgon
Bungoma, Kenya
Known here as limau · ndimu
The lemon (Citrus limon) is a citrus tree, not a yearly crop — you plant it once and it can crop for decades, flowering and fruiting almost all year round.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 21 Jan 2026 – 7 Dec 2026 open now | 1 Jan 2026 – 31 Dec 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 22.2 t/ha | same |
| Work it takes | 102–218 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 2 Mar 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Mt. Elgon is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 7 Dec 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Mt. Elgon
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For lemon in Mt. Elgon, 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 Mt. Elgon
| When the rains are expected | January 2026 to January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,475 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 1,475 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.9 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 40% of this area. |
| 40% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 365 growing days · about 1,520 mm · January to January |
|---|---|
| 36% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 344 growing days · about 1,460 mm · February to January |
| 7% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; cold for much of the year, with a short planting season 365 growing days · about 1,510 mm · January to December |
| 7% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 365 growing days · about 1,470 mm · January to December |
last updated 30 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 15% of yield here.
What lemon needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained loam or sandy loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 650 cm between rows, 650 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, zinc and boron |
What it takes to grow lemon in Mt. Elgon
| Planting material | About 240 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 44 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 9 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 56 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 | 102–218 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a lemon 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 Lemon with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Mt. Elgon 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.
Lemon 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 lemon grow well in Mt. Elgon?
Mt. Elgon rates as favourable for lemon.
When should I plant lemon in Mt. Elgon?
Typically 21 Jan 2026 to 7 Dec 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Mt. Elgon, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
