Divisi
When to plant Onion in Derashe
South Ethiopia, 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 | 22 Feb 2027 – 11 Apr 2027 opens in 21 weeks | 10 Feb 2026 – 17 Nov 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 18.8 t/ha | about 45.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 23 May 2027 to 9 Aug 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 26 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Derashe is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 11 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Derashe
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For onion in Derashe, 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 2027 season in Derashe
| Rainy seasons | Two each year — two chances to plant |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | August 2027 to December 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 592 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 592 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| 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 | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 26% of this area. |
| 26% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 175 growing days · about 600 mm · August to December |
|---|---|
| 18% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 308 growing days · about 1,150 mm · February to December |
| 18% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 204 growing days · about 710 mm · August to December |
| 10% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 291 growing days · about 970 mm · February to December |
last updated 16 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 35% 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 Derashe
| Planting material | About 500,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 34 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 7 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 38 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 Derashe 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 Derashe?
Derashe rates as favourable for onion.
When should I plant onion in Derashe?
Typically 22 Feb 2027 to 11 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Derashe, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
