When to plant Pigeon pea in Algeria

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Pigeon pea

Pigeon pea (red gram) is a hardy, woody bush bean that sends a taproot two metres deep, so it keeps growing and podding long after other crops burn off in the dry.

Pigeon pea in Algeria, rain-fed and with irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant (establish) 21 Jan 2027 – 10 Jun 2027 opens in 16 weeks
Expected harvest about 2.0 t/ha
Bearing cycle 90–300 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle.

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 rainfall outlook for Algeria is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 10 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Algeria

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 96%
The lie of the land 96%

For pigeon pea in Algeria, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 96%. 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 2026/27 season in Algeria

When the rains are expectedOctober 2026 to March 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 323 mm in a typical farming district
Across its districtsFrom about 8 mm in the driest of 1541 districts to about 1,546 mm in the wettest
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 323 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.0 °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 supportsenough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth
Ground this covers3 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
76% too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 30 mm
16% too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 30 mm
3% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 161 growing days · about 360 mm · October to March

last updated 19 September 2026 · from all 1541 areas within it

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 10% of yield here.

What pigeon pea needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sand, sandy loam, loam, clay loam or clay soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.0 and 7.0
Spacing 75 cm between rows, 30 cm between plants
Feed it most with phosphorus and sulphur

What it takes to grow pigeon pea in Algeria

Planting materialAbout 75,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 120 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 24 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 50 kg per hectare
In the shopsA basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. Skip the nitrogen top dressing; inoculated seed does that job.

These are the nutrients a pigeon pea 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

Soil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Pigeon pea with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Algeria 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.

Or check your field first

Pigeon pea 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 pigeon pea grow well in Algeria?

Algeria rates as favourable for pigeon pea.

When should I plant pigeon pea in Algeria?

Typically 21 Jan 2027 to 10 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Algeria, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in Algeria

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.