When to plant Lettuce in Windhoek West

Khomas, Namibia

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 Windhoek West, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure	Rain-fed	With irrigation
Fit	Moderate
When to plant	8 Feb 2027 – 28 Feb 2027 opens in 19 weeks	2 Mar 2027 – 29 Aug 2027
Expected harvest	about 9.7 t/ha	about 22.2 t/ha
Harvest	From 25 Mar 2027 to 14 May 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	53%

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 18 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

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

What decides this in Windhoek West

Rain and temperature	96%
The soil	76%
The lie of the land	60%

For lettuce in Windhoek West, 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 Windhoek West

Rainy seasons	One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expected	January 2026 to April 2026
Rain in a typical year	About 372 mm
This season's rain	Leaning dry — January and February 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 +2.1 °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 short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers	3 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 one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 89 growing days · about 380 mm · January to April
21%	enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 90 growing days · about 390 mm · December to April
4%	enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 104 growing days · about 400 mm · December to April

last updated 17 September 2026

Limited water holds back about 50% 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 Windhoek West

Nitrogen (N)	About 24 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)	About 10 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)	About 48 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableNot enough water in seasonSoil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Lettuce with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Windhoek West 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

How to grow Lettuce, step by step Land preparation to harvest — every task, in order

Frequently asked questions

Will lettuce grow well in Windhoek West?

Windhoek West rates as moderate for lettuce.

When should I plant lettuce in Windhoek West?

Typically 8 Feb 2027 to 28 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Windhoek West, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.