Divisi
When to plant Sweet pepper in Kinango
Kwale, Kenya
Known here as pilipili hoho
Sweet pepper (bell pepper, capsicum) is a warm-season vegetable grown for its thick-walled, mild, juicy fruit — the kind you slice into relish, stew and salad.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 28 Apr 2027 – 24 May 2027 opens in 30 weeks | 11 Apr 2027 – 20 Jul 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 19.5 t/ha | about 37.1 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 26 Aug 2027 to 20 Nov 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 120–180 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 100–210 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 86% | |
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 28 Apr 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Kinango 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 24 May 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Kinango
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 76% |
For sweet pepper in Kinango, 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 2026/27 season in Kinango
| Rainy seasons | Two each year — two chances to plant |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to January 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 714 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — January, 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 +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 one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 63% of this area. |
| 63% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 215 growing days · about 690 mm · February to June |
|---|---|
| 18% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 289 growing days · about 890 mm · March to December |
| 14% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 243 growing days · about 770 mm · March to December |
| 5% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 325 growing days · about 1,100 mm · March to January |
last updated 30 September 2026
What sweet pepper needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 60 cm between rows, 40 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium, nitrogen and calcium |
What it takes to grow sweet pepper in Kinango
| Planting material | About 38,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 39 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 12 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 68 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 | 100–210 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a sweet pepper 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 Sweet pepper with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Kinango 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.
Sweet pepper 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 sweet pepper grow well in Kinango?
Kinango rates as favourable for sweet pepper.
When should I plant sweet pepper in Kinango?
Typically 28 Apr 2027 to 24 May 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Kinango, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
