Divisi
When to plant Niger seed in Elgeyo-Marakwet
Kenya
Niger seed — noug — is a tall, upright plant with bright yellow, daisy-like flowers, grown for the small black, oily seeds that are pressed into sweet, light noug cooking oil.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 21 Jan 2027 – 2 Mar 2027 opens in 16 weeks | 30 Jun 2026 – 2 Mar 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 0.8 t/ha | same |
| Harvest | From 21 Apr 2027 to 30 Jul 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–150 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 64–134 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 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Elgeyo-Marakwet is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 2 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Elgeyo-Marakwet
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 88% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For niger seed in Elgeyo-Marakwet, 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 2026/27 season in Elgeyo-Marakwet
| When the rains are expected | February 2026 to January 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,173 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 800 mm in the driest of 4 districts to about 1,351 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 1,173 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.2 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 6 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 47% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 348 growing days · about 1,260 mm · February to January |
|---|---|
| 17% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 331 growing days · about 1,180 mm · February to January |
| 10% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 263 growing days · about 820 mm · March to December |
| 8% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 166 growing days · about 670 mm · March to September |
| 6% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 274 growing days · about 950 mm · March to December |
| 3% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 284 growing days · about 940 mm · March to December |
last updated 16 September 2026 · from all 4 areas within it
Sloping ground holds back about 20% of yield here.
What niger seed needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | clay, clay loam or loam |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.0 |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur |
What it takes to grow niger seed in Elgeyo-Marakwet
| Nitrogen (N) | About 30 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 11 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 12 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 | 64–134 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a niger seed 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 Niger seed with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Elgeyo-Marakwet 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.
Niger seed 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 niger seed grow well in Elgeyo-Marakwet?
Elgeyo-Marakwet rates as favourable for niger seed.
When should I plant niger seed in Elgeyo-Marakwet?
Typically 21 Jan 2027 to 2 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Elgeyo-Marakwet, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
