Divisi
When to plant Pumpkin in Cadale
Middle Shabelle, Somalia
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 | 16 Sep 2026 – 6 Oct 2026 open now | 21 May 2027 – 30 Jun 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 12.5–15.2 t/ha | about 35.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 15 Dec 2026 to 3 Feb 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 meets its needs | 63% | |
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 26 Sep 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Cadale yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 6 Oct 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Cadale
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For pumpkin in Cadale, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 Cadale
| Rain in a typical year | About 341 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 | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 95% of this area. |
| 95% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 350 mm · October to November |
|---|---|
| 4% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 300 mm |
last updated 16 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 40% 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 Cadale
| Planting material | About 2,500 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 38 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 18 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 61 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 Cadale 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 Cadale?
Cadale rates as favourable for pumpkin.
When should I plant pumpkin in Cadale?
Typically 16 Sep 2026 to 6 Oct 2026, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Cadale, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
