Divisi
When to plant Pigeon pea in Sharm el-Sheikh
South Sinai, Egypt
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.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant (establish) | 2 Mar 2027 – 21 May 2027 opens in 22 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 1.0 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 22 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Sharm el-Sheikh is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 21 May 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Sharm el-Sheikh
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 18% |
For pigeon pea in Sharm el-Sheikh, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 18%. 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 season in Sharm el-Sheikh
| Rain in a typical year | About 6 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 6 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| What that supports | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 85% of this area. |
| 85% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 10 mm |
|---|---|
| 11% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season |
| 4% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 30 mm |
last updated 18 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 55% 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 Sharm el-Sheikh
| Planting material | About 75,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 60 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 12 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 25 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A 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
Grow Pigeon pea with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Sharm el-Sheikh 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.
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 Sharm el-Sheikh?
Sharm el-Sheikh rates as favourable for pigeon pea.
When should I plant pigeon pea in Sharm el-Sheikh?
Typically 2 Mar 2027 to 21 May 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Sharm el-Sheikh, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.