Divisi
When to plant Pumpkin in Ambalavao
Haute Matsiatra, Madagascar
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.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 7 Nov 2026 – 5 Feb 2027 opens in 5 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 23.2 t/ha | about 32.4 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 5 Feb 2027 to 5 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 6 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Ambalavao leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 5 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Ambalavao
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For pumpkin in Ambalavao, 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 2026/27 season in Ambalavao
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | November 2026 to April 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 950 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February and December look short of rain. Plant at the early end of the window, favour quicker and more drought-tolerant crops, and keep moisture in the soil: mulch, and weed early. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.6 °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 short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 44% of this area. |
| 44% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 171 growing days · about 930 mm · November to April |
|---|---|
| 40% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 183 growing days · about 1,010 mm · October to April |
| 9% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 321 growing days · about 1,360 mm · October to September |
| 3% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 281 growing days · about 1,260 mm · October to August |
last updated 17 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 Ambalavao
| Planting material | About 2,500 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 58 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 28 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 93 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 Ambalavao 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 Ambalavao?
Ambalavao rates as favourable for pumpkin.
When should I plant pumpkin in Ambalavao?
Typically 7 Nov 2026 to 5 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Ambalavao, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
