Divisi
When to plant Maize in Tafraout
Medea, Algeria
C4 annual grass, wind- and cross-pollinated — buy hybrid seed fresh each season and isolate seed crops / sweetcorn from field maize by ~200 m.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 11 Apr 2027 – 30 Jun 2027 opens in 27 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 7.8 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 9 Aug 2027 to 17 Nov 2027, depending on the planting date |
| Ready to harvest | 120–140 days after planting |
| Work it takes | 82–165 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 21 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Tafraout is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 30 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Tafraout
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For maize in Tafraout, 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 Tafraout
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to April 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 462 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 462 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| 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 50% of this area. |
| 50% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 192 growing days · about 460 mm · October to April |
|---|---|
| 29% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 190 growing days · about 460 mm · October to April |
| 14% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 170 growing days · about 480 mm · October to April |
| 7% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 170 growing days · about 420 mm · October to April |
last updated 18 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 20% of yield here.
What maize needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.5 |
| Spacing | 75 cm between rows, 25 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | sulphur, zinc and magnesium |
What it takes to grow maize in Tafraout
| Planting material | About 53,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 125 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 62 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 47 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 | 82–165 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a maize 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 Maize with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Tafraout 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.
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 maize grow well in Tafraout?
Tafraout rates as favourable for maize.
When should I plant maize in Tafraout?
Typically 11 Apr 2027 to 30 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Tafraout, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
