Divisi
When to plant Sweet pepper in Mandera West
Mandera, 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.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 11 Apr 2027 – 30 Jun 2027 opens in 27 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 33.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 9 Aug 2027 to 27 Dec 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-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 1 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Mandera West 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 30 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Mandera West
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For sweet pepper in Mandera West, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 88%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.
The season in Mandera West
| Rain in a typical year | About 322 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — make sure water can drain off the field. |
| What that supports | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | One kind of ground throughout. |
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 Mandera West
| Planting material | About 38,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 66 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 20 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 116 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 Mandera West 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 sweet pepper grow well in Mandera West?
Mandera West rates as favourable for sweet pepper.
When should I plant sweet pepper in Mandera West?
Typically 11 Apr 2027 to 30 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Mandera West, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.