When to plant Maize in Habero

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Maize

Anseba, Eritrea

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 Habero, rain-fed and with irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 open now
Expected harvest about 8.9 t/ha
Harvest From 21 May 2026 to 21 May 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 1 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Habero is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 1 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Habero

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

For maize in Habero, 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 season in Habero

Rain in a typical yearAbout 227 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 227 mm falling roughly when it always does
What that supportstoo dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
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% too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 300 mm · July to September
23% too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 370 mm · June to September

last updated 16 September 2026

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 Habero

Planting materialAbout 53,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 142 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 71 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 53 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 — manageableSoil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Maize with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Habero 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

Maize 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 maize grow well in Habero?

Habero rates as favourable for maize.

When should I plant maize in Habero?

Typically 21 Jan 2026 to 1 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

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

Keep going

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