Divisi
When to plant Pumpkin in Hassi Messaoud
Ouargla, Algeria
Pumpkin and butternut are warm-season trailing vines of the squash family — Cucurbita moschata, the tough, heat- and disease-hardy squash bred for hot, humid Africa.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 8 Oct 2026 – 10 Feb 2027 opens in 1 week |
| Expected harvest | about 32.1 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 6 Jan 2027 to 10 Jun 2027, depending on the planting date |
| Ready to harvest | 90–120 days after planting |
| Work it takes | 68–138 days per hectare, by hand |
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 Hassi Messaoud is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 10 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Hassi Messaoud
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For pumpkin in Hassi Messaoud, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.
The season in Hassi Messaoud
| Rain in a typical year | About 31 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 31 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 | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 18 September 2026
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
What pumpkin 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 |
| Rain it needs | About 600–1,600 mm across the season |
| Spacing | 180 cm between rows, 150 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen and potassium |
What it takes to grow pumpkin in Hassi Messaoud
| Planting material | About 2,500 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 80 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 39 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 128 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. |
| Hand work | 68–138 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a pumpkin 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 Pumpkin with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Hassi Messaoud 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 pumpkin grow well in Hassi Messaoud?
Hassi Messaoud rates as favourable for pumpkin.
When should I plant pumpkin in Hassi Messaoud?
Typically 8 Oct 2026 to 10 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Hassi Messaoud, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.