Divisi
When to plant Onion in Kipipiri
Nyandarua, Kenya
Known here as kitunguu
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 | 21 Jan 2027 – 2 Mar 2027 opens in 16 weeks | 20 Jul 2026 – 10 Feb 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 22.5 t/ha | about 45.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 21 Apr 2027 to 30 Jun 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–120 days after planting | |
| Rain meets its needs | 85% | |
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 outlook for Kipipiri 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 2 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Kipipiri
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For onion in Kipipiri, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 Kipipiri
| When the rains are expected | March 2026 to January 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 871 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — January, October, November and December 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 +1.2 °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 | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 52% of this area. |
| 52% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 365 growing days · about 1,020 mm · December to December |
|---|---|
| 14% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 365 growing days · about 1,380 mm · January to December |
| 9% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; cold for much of the year, with a short planting season 365 growing days · about 1,440 mm · January to December |
| 9% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 293 growing days · about 720 mm · March to December |
last updated 30 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 Kipipiri
| Planting material | About 500,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 40 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 8 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 45 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 Kipipiri 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.
Where to sell Onion nearby
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 Kipipiri?
Kipipiri rates as favourable for onion.
When should I plant onion in Kipipiri?
Typically 21 Jan 2027 to 2 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Kipipiri, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
