Divisi
When to plant Pigeon pea in Sierra Leone
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.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 31 Jan 2027 – 10 Jul 2027 opens in 18 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.9 t/ha | same |
| 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 31 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Sierra Leone is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 10 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Sierra Leone
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For pigeon pea in Sierra Leone, 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 2026 season in Sierra Leone
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | April 2026 to December 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 2,598 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 1,925 mm in the driest of 16 districts to about 3,372 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 2,598 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.8 °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 full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 35% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 286 growing days · about 2,680 mm · March to December |
|---|---|
| 33% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 259 growing days · about 2,820 mm · April to December |
| 30% | 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 2,510 mm · February to December |
last updated 18 September 2026 · from all 16 areas within it
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% 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 Sierra Leone
| Planting material | About 75,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 114 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 23 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 48 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 Sierra Leone 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.
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 Sierra Leone?
Sierra Leone rates as favourable for pigeon pea.
When should I plant pigeon pea in Sierra Leone?
Typically 31 Jan 2027 to 10 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Sierra Leone, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
