Divisi
When to plant Maize in Namtumbo
Ruvuma, United Republic of Tanzania
Known here as 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.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 1 Nov 2026 – 19 Feb 2027 opens in 5 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 6.5 t/ha | about 9.3 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 1 Mar 2027 to 9 Jul 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 10 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Namtumbo leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 19 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Namtumbo
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For maize in Namtumbo, 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 2026/27 season in Namtumbo
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | November 2026 to June 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,142 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January and February look short of rain. Plant at the early end of the window, favour quicker and more drought-tolerant crops, and keep moisture in the soil: mulch, and weed early. |
| This season's heat | Hotter 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 supports | enough rain for one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | One 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 Namtumbo
| Planting material | About 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 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 Namtumbo 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.
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 Namtumbo?
Namtumbo rates as favourable for maize.
When should I plant maize in Namtumbo?
Typically 1 Nov 2026 to 19 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Namtumbo, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
