Divisi
When to plant Onion in Area 1
Contested, Ethiopia
Known here as shinkurt
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.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 11 Jun 2027 – 1 Jul 2027 opens in 36 weeks | 21 May 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 21.0 t/ha | about 36.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 9 Sep 2027 to 29 Oct 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–120 days after planting | |
| Rain meets its needs | 92% | |
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 21 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Area 1 leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.
Planting after 1 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Area 1
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For onion in Area 1, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 88%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.
The 2027 season in Area 1
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | June 2027 to October 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 561 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — October look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.4 °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 short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 89% of this area. |
| 89% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 130 growing days · about 590 mm · June to October |
|---|---|
| 9% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 154 growing days · about 810 mm · May to October |
last updated 16 September 2026
Temperature holds back about 25% of yield here.
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 Area 1
| Planting material | About 500,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 38 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 7 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 42 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.
What to watch for
Grow Onion with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Area 1 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.
Onion 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 onion grow well in Area 1?
Area 1 rates as favourable for onion.
When should I plant onion in Area 1?
Typically 11 Jun 2027 to 1 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Area 1, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
