When to plant Lettuce in Ijara

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Lettuce

Garissa, Kenya

Known here as saladi · letusi

Lettuce is a fast, leafy salad crop grown for its crisp, tender leaves — and because people eat it raw, you must grow it clean.

Lettuce in Ijara, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Moderate
When to plant 6 May 2027 – 26 May 2027 opens in 31 weeks 10 Jun 2027 – 20 Jul 2027
Expected harvest about 5.9 t/ha about 13.6 t/ha
Harvest From 20 Jun 2027 to 9 Aug 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 6 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Ijara 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 26 May 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Ijara

Rain and temperature 45%
The soil 96%
The lie of the land 96%

For lettuce in Ijara, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 45%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.

The 2027 season in Ijara

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedApril 2027 to July 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 510 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — make sure water can drain off the field.
What that supportsenough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 76% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
76% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 112 growing days · about 580 mm · April to July
11% too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 430 mm
7% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 190 growing days · about 720 mm · March to July
4% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 170 growing days · about 620 mm · March to July

last updated 30 September 2026

Temperature holds back about 75% 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 Ijara

Nitrogen (N)About 15 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 6 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 30 kg per hectare
In the shopsA 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 work40–80 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableSoil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Lettuce with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Ijara 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

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 Ijara?

Ijara rates as moderate for lettuce.

When should I plant lettuce in Ijara?

Typically 6 May 2027 to 26 May 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Ijara, 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 Ijara

Keep going

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