Divisi
When to plant Lettuce in Lobamba Lomdzala
Manzini, Eswatini
Lettuce is a fast, leafy salad crop grown for its crisp, tender leaves — and because people eat it raw, you must grow it clean.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 23 Feb 2027 – 21 Mar 2027 opens in 21 weeks | 11 Apr 2027 – 9 Aug 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 10.8 t/ha | about 29.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 9 Apr 2027 to 4 Jun 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 45–75 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 40–80 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 89% | |
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 8 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Lobamba Lomdzala 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 21 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Lobamba Lomdzala
| Rain and temperature | 76% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For lettuce in Lobamba Lomdzala, 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 2026/27 season in Lobamba Lomdzala
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to May 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 909 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, October, 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 +1.5 °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, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 60% of this area. |
| 60% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 234 growing days · about 930 mm · September to May |
|---|---|
| 20% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 231 growing days · about 900 mm · September to May |
| 10% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 224 growing days · about 880 mm · September to April |
| 10% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 222 growing days · about 870 mm · September to April |
last updated 17 September 2026
Temperature holds back about 40% of yield here.
What lettuce needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.8 |
| Spacing | 38 cm between rows, 30 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, potassium and calcium |
What it takes to grow lettuce in Lobamba Lomdzala
| Nitrogen (N) | About 27 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 11 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 54 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 | 40–80 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a lettuce 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 Lettuce with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Lobamba Lomdzala 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.
Lettuce 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 lettuce grow well in Lobamba Lomdzala?
Lobamba Lomdzala rates as favourable for lettuce.
When should I plant lettuce in Lobamba Lomdzala?
Typically 23 Feb 2027 to 21 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Lobamba Lomdzala, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
