When to plant Maize in Kasese

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Maize

Western, Uganda

Known here as kasooli · mahindi

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 Kasese, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 9 Aug 2026 – 18 Sep 2026 closed for this season 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 6.1 t/ha about 5.4 t/ha
Harvest From 7 Dec 2026 to 5 Feb 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 9 Aug 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

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

Planting after 18 Sep 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Kasese

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

For maize in Kasese, 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 2025 season in Kasese

When the rains are expectedJanuary 2025 to January 2025
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,274 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 1,274 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.1 °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 supportsenough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 27% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
27% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 335 growing days · about 1,000 mm · February to January
20% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 259 growing days · about 760 mm · August to January
14% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 365 growing days · about 1,330 mm · January to December
14% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 278 growing days · about 810 mm · July to January

last updated 17 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 Kasese

Planting materialAbout 53,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 98 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 49 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 37 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 Kasese 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 Kasese?

Kasese rates as favourable for maize.

When should I plant maize in Kasese?

Typically 9 Aug 2026 to 18 Sep 2026, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Kasese, 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 Kasese

Keep going

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