Divisi
When to plant Pumpkin in Kerkebet
Anseba, Eritrea
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 | 7 Dec 2026 – 16 Dec 2026 opens in 10 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 35.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 7 Mar 2027 to 15 Apr 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 7 Dec 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Kerkebet leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.
Planting after 16 Dec 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Kerkebet
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For pumpkin in Kerkebet, 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 season in Kerkebet
| Rain in a typical year | About 151 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — make sure water can drain off the field. |
| What that supports | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 1 October 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 Kerkebet
| Planting material | About 2,500 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 88 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 42 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 140 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 Kerkebet 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.
Pumpkin 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 pumpkin grow well in Kerkebet?
Kerkebet rates as favourable for pumpkin.
When should I plant pumpkin in Kerkebet?
Typically 7 Dec 2026 to 16 Dec 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Kerkebet, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.