When to plant Sweet potato in Micheweni
Kaskazini Pemba, United Republic of Tanzania
Known here as kiazi kitamu · viazi vitamu
Sweet potato is a trailing vine you grow from vine cuttings (slips), not from seed and not by planting the root.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 21 May 2027 – 10 Jun 2027 opens in 33 weeks | same |
| Expected harvest | about 19.8 t/ha | about 35.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 19 Aug 2027 to 7 Nov 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–150 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 70–148 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 84% | |
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 outlook for Micheweni 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 10 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Micheweni
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For sweet potato in Micheweni, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 96%. 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 2026 season in Micheweni
| When the rains are expected | January 2026 to January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,512 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — make sure water can drain off the field. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.2 °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 all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 68% of this area. |
| 68% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 351 growing days · about 1,510 mm · December to December |
|---|---|
| 32% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 335 growing days · about 1,420 mm · September to August |
last updated 16 September 2026
What sweet potato needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy, sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.0 and 6.5 |
| Rain it needs | About 750–1,000 mm across the season |
| Spacing | 100 cm between rows, 30 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium and nitrogen |
What it takes to grow sweet potato in Micheweni
| Planting material | About 33,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 79 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 30 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 158 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 | 70–148 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a sweet potato 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 potato with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Micheweni 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.
Or check your field firstSweet potato 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 potato grow well in Micheweni?
Micheweni rates as favourable for sweet potato.
When should I plant sweet potato in Micheweni?
Typically 21 May 2027 to 10 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Micheweni, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.