Divisi
When to plant Sesame in Uthungulu
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Known here as sesam · sesamsaad
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.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 28 Oct 2026 – 27 Dec 2026 opens in 4 weeks | 29 Aug 2026 – 7 Dec 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.1 t/ha | same |
| Harvest | From 26 Jan 2027 to 6 May 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 meets its needs | 98% | |
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 7 Dec 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Uthungulu 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 27 Dec 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Uthungulu
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For sesame in Uthungulu, 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 Uthungulu
| When the rains are expected | January 2026 to December 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,130 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, October, 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 +0.9 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 50% of this area. |
| 50% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 365 growing days · about 980 mm · August to August |
|---|---|
| 27% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 242 growing days · about 800 mm · September to May |
| 15% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 272 growing days · about 900 mm · August to August |
| 4% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 365 growing days · about 1,150 mm · January to December |
last updated 17 September 2026
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
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 Uthungulu
| 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 Uthungulu 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.
Sesame 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 sesame grow well in Uthungulu?
Uthungulu rates as favourable for sesame.
When should I plant sesame in Uthungulu?
Typically 28 Oct 2026 to 27 Dec 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Uthungulu, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
