Divisi
When to plant Sweet potato in Kalulushi
Copperbelt, Zambia
Known here as mbatata
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 | 19 Oct 2026 – 18 Dec 2026 opens in 3 weeks | 9 Aug 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 25.0 t/ha | about 35.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 17 Jan 2027 to 17 May 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-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 8 Nov 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Kalulushi is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 18 Dec 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Kalulushi
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For sweet potato in Kalulushi, 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 2026/27 season in Kalulushi
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to April 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,171 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 1,171 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.3 °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 | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 96% of this area. |
| 96% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 184 growing days · about 1,180 mm · October to April |
|---|---|
| 4% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 183 growing days · about 1,190 mm · October to April |
last updated 16 September 2026
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
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 Kalulushi
| Planting material | About 33,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 100 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 38 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 200 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 Kalulushi 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.
Where to sell Sweet potato nearby
Sweet 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 Kalulushi?
Kalulushi rates as favourable for sweet potato.
When should I plant sweet potato in Kalulushi?
Typically 19 Oct 2026 to 18 Dec 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Kalulushi, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
