When to plant Kale in Endebess

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Kale

Trans Nzoia, Kenya

Known here as sukuma wiki

Rape, covo and kale are the everyday leafy greens of the African plot — the relish in the pot most nights.

Kale in Endebess, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 15 Mar 2027 – 19 May 2027 opens in 24 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest 31.7–33.2 t/ha about 47.4 t/ha
Harvest From 13 Jul 2027 to 15 Nov 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 120–180 days after planting
Work it takes 100–222 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 Apr 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Endebess 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 19 May 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Endebess

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 96%
The lie of the land 76%

For kale in Endebess, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 76%. 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 Endebess

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedMarch 2026 to December 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,120 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — November and December look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself.
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.5 °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 supportsenough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 32% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
32% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 294 growing days · about 1,120 mm · March to December
28% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 306 growing days · about 1,220 mm · February to December
28% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 355 growing days · about 1,380 mm · February to January
6% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; cold for much of the year, with a short planting season 365 growing days · about 1,500 mm · January to December

last updated 30 September 2026

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.

What kale needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.8
Spacing 45 cm between rows, 45 cm between plants
Feed it most with nitrogen, potassium, calcium, sulphur, boron and molybdenum

What it takes to grow kale in Endebess

Planting materialAbout 60,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 149 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 33 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 199 kg per hectare
In the shopsA 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 work100–222 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a kale 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

Pest/disease risk — manageable

Grow Kale with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Endebess 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.

Or check your field first

Where to sell Kale nearby

Kale 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 kale grow well in Endebess?

Endebess rates as favourable for kale.

When should I plant kale in Endebess?

Typically 15 Mar 2027 to 19 May 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Endebess, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in Endebess

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.