Divisi
When to plant Sweet pepper in Pixley ka Seme
Nothern Cape, South Africa
Known here as soetrissie
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 | 9 Aug 2027 – 18 Aug 2027 opens in 45 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 35.6 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 7 Dec 2027 to 14 Feb 2028, 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 9 Aug 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Pixley ka Seme is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 18 Aug 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Pixley ka Seme
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For sweet pepper in Pixley ka Seme, 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 season in Pixley ka Seme
| Rain in a typical year | About 286 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 286 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| What that supports | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 89% of this area. |
| 89% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 260 mm |
|---|---|
| 8% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date no rain-fed season · about 340 mm |
| 3% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 370 mm |
last updated 17 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 Pixley ka Seme
| Planting material | About 38,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 71 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 21 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 125 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 Pixley ka Seme 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 Pixley ka Seme?
Pixley ka Seme rates as favourable for sweet pepper.
When should I plant sweet pepper in Pixley ka Seme?
Typically 9 Aug 2027 to 18 Aug 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Pixley ka Seme, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.