When to plant Maize in Harbil

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Maize

Setif, 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.

Maize in Harbil, rain-fed and with irrigation
Fit Moderate
When to plant 11 Apr 2027 – 20 Jul 2027 opens in 27 weeks
Expected harvest about 3.4 t/ha
Harvest From 9 Aug 2027 to 7 Dec 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 Harbil is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 20 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Harbil

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 30%

For maize in Harbil, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 30%. 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 Harbil

When the rains are expectedOctober 2026 to May 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 541 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 541 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.4 °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 supportsenough rain for one full main crop, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth
Ground this covers2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 73% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
73% enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 216 growing days · about 560 mm · October to May
27% enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 222 growing days · about 580 mm · September to May

last updated 18 September 2026

Sloping ground holds back about 65% 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 Harbil

Planting materialAbout 53,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 54 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 27 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 20 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 work82–165 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableSteep slope

Grow Maize with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Harbil 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

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 Harbil?

Harbil rates as moderate for maize.

When should I plant maize in Harbil?

Typically 11 Apr 2027 to 20 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Harbil, 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 Harbil

Keep going

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