Divisi
When to plant Niger seed in Thaba-Tseka
Lesotho
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 | 26 Dec 2026 – 15 Jan 2027 opens in 12 weeks | 18 Sep 2026 – 27 Dec 2026 |
| Expected harvest | 0.5–0.6 t/ha | same |
| Harvest | From 26 Mar 2027 to 14 Jun 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 meets its needs | 74% | |
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 15 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Thaba-Tseka 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 15 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Thaba-Tseka
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For niger seed in Thaba-Tseka, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. 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 Thaba-Tseka
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to May 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 763 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 620 mm in the driest of 6 districts to about 800 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, November and December 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 +1.6 °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, cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 85% | enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 233 growing days · about 700 mm · September to May |
|---|---|
| 12% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 150 growing days · about 540 mm · November to April |
last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 6 areas within it
Sloping ground holds back about 35% 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 Thaba-Tseka
| Nitrogen (N) | About 18 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 7 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 8 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 Thaba-Tseka 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 Thaba-Tseka?
Thaba-Tseka rates as favourable for niger seed.
When should I plant niger seed in Thaba-Tseka?
Typically 26 Dec 2026 to 15 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Thaba-Tseka, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
