When to plant Kale in Bukama

Haut-Lomami, République démocratique du Congo

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 Bukama, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure	Rain-fed	With irrigation
Fit	Favourable
When to plant	24 Sep 2026 – 12 Jan 2027 open now	22 Mar 2027 – 10 Jun 2027
Expected harvest	about 29.0 t/ha	about 41.8 t/ha
Harvest	From 22 Jan 2027 to 11 Jul 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 2 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Bukama 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 12 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Bukama

Rain and temperature	96%
The soil	76%
The lie of the land	60%

For kale in Bukama, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 60%. 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 2026/27 season in Bukama

Rainy seasons	One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expected	October 2026 to May 2027
Rain in a typical year	About 861 mm
This season's rain	Leaning wet — January, February, October, 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 heat	Hotter than usual — about +1.1 °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 full main crop, 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 97% of this area.

Agro-ecological zones covering this area
97%	enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 224 growing days · about 910 mm · October to May
3%	enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 239 growing days · about 1,170 mm · October to May

last updated 30 September 2026

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 Bukama

Planting material	About 60,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)	About 130 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)	About 29 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)	About 174 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	100–222 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 Bukama 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

Kale in nearby districts

How to grow Kale, step by step Land preparation to harvest — every task, in order

Frequently asked questions

Will kale grow well in Bukama?

Bukama rates as favourable for kale.

When should I plant kale in Bukama?

Typically 24 Sep 2026 to 12 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

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