Divisi
When to plant Onion in Al Darb al-Ahmar
Cairo, Egypt
Onion is a cool-season vegetable you grow for its bulb — the swollen base of the leaves — but across sub-Saharan Africa it is most often grown as an irrigated hot dry-season crop, and it stands real heat (up to about 42 °C) as long as the water never stops.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 29 Aug 2026 – 22 Mar 2027 open now |
| Expected harvest | about 42.6 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 27 Nov 2026 to 20 Jul 2027, depending on the planting date |
| Ready to harvest | 90–120 days after planting |
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 1 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Al Darb al-Ahmar is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 22 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Al Darb al-Ahmar
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 76% |
For onion in Al Darb al-Ahmar, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 76%. 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 season in Al Darb al-Ahmar
| Rain in a typical year | About 24 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 24 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| What that supports | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | This area is smaller than the climate grid can resolve, so it reads as one kind of ground. |
last updated 18 September 2026
What onion needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.0 |
| Spacing | 20 cm between rows, 7 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, potassium and sulphur |
What it takes to grow onion in Al Darb al-Ahmar
| Planting material | About 500,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 77 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 15 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 85 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. |
These are the nutrients a onion 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.
Grow Onion with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Al Darb al-Ahmar 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.
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 onion grow well in Al Darb al-Ahmar?
Al Darb al-Ahmar rates as favourable for onion.
When should I plant onion in Al Darb al-Ahmar?
Typically 29 Aug 2026 to 22 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Al Darb al-Ahmar, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.