Divisi
When to plant Sesame in Salah Bouchaour
Skikda, Algeria
Sesame — also called simsim or benniseed — is a tough, upright oilseed that grows from knee to shoulder height and gives a seed that is about half oil.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 1 May 2027 – 21 May 2027 opens in 30 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 1.1 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 30 Jul 2027 to 28 Sep 2027, depending on the planting date |
| Ready to harvest | 90–130 days after planting |
| Work it takes | 65–129 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 21 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Salah Bouchaour 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 21 May 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Salah Bouchaour
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 76% |
For sesame in Salah Bouchaour, 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 Salah Bouchaour
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to May 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 681 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, November 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 +1.1 °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, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 85% of this area. |
| 85% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 235 growing days · about 680 mm · September to May |
|---|---|
| 15% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 233 growing days · about 700 mm · September to May |
last updated 18 September 2026
What sesame needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.5 |
| Rain it needs | About 300–600 mm across the season |
| Spacing | 37 cm between rows, 7 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, phosphorus and boron |
What it takes to grow sesame in Salah Bouchaour
| Planting material | About 265,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 61 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 16 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 55 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 | 65–129 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a sesame 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 Sesame with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Salah Bouchaour 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.
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 sesame grow well in Salah Bouchaour?
Salah Bouchaour rates as favourable for sesame.
When should I plant sesame in Salah Bouchaour?
Typically 1 May 2027 to 21 May 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Salah Bouchaour, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
