When to plant Maize in Kwami

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Maize

Gombe, Nigeria

Known here as masara · àgbàdo · ọka

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 Kwami, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 17 May 2027 – 16 Jul 2027 opens in 33 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 6.5 t/ha about 9.3 t/ha
Harvest From 14 Sep 2027 to 3 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 27 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Kwami 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 16 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Kwami

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 88%

For maize in Kwami, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.

The 2027 season in Kwami

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedMay 2027 to October 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 795 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — October look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself.
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.3 °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 short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this coversOne kind of ground throughout.

last updated 16 September 2026

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% 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 Kwami

Planting materialAbout 53,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 104 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 52 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 39 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 — manageable

Grow Maize with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Kwami 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

Where to sell Maize nearby

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 Kwami?

Kwami rates as favourable for maize.

When should I plant maize in Kwami?

Typically 17 May 2027 to 16 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Kwami, 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 Kwami

Keep going

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