Divisi
When to plant Onion in Kenieba
Kayes, Mali
Known here as oignon
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 | 6 Jun 2027 – 26 Jul 2027 opens in 35 weeks | 10 Jun 2026 – 28 Oct 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 18.6 t/ha | about 32.7 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 4 Sep 2027 to 23 Nov 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 6 Jul 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Kenieba is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 26 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Kenieba
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For onion in Kenieba, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 60%. 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 Kenieba
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | May 2027 to October 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 854 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 854 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| 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 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 55% of this area. |
| 55% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 149 growing days · about 900 mm · May to October |
|---|---|
| 45% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 185 growing days · about 980 mm · May to November |
last updated 30 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 Kenieba
| Planting material | About 500,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 33 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 7 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 37 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 Kenieba 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 Kenieba?
Kenieba rates as favourable for onion.
When should I plant onion in Kenieba?
Typically 6 Jun 2027 to 26 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Kenieba, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
