Divisi
When to plant Swiss chard in El Guelbelkebir
Medea, Algeria
Swiss chard — muriwo, mchicha, silverbeet, spinach beet — is the dependable 'spinach' of African markets and home gardens, though it is not true spinach.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 25 Sep 2026 – 15 Oct 2026 open now | 21 Jan 2027 – 2 Mar 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 23.0–25.3 t/ha | about 50.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 23 Jan 2027 to 13 Apr 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 120–180 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 73–145 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 82% | |
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 5 Oct 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for El Guelbelkebir is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 15 Oct 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in El Guelbelkebir
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For swiss chard in El Guelbelkebir, 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 2026/27 season in El Guelbelkebir
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to April 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 475 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 475 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.5 °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, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 93% of this area. |
| 93% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 199 growing days · about 500 mm · October to April |
|---|---|
| 7% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 175 growing days · about 440 mm · October to April |
last updated 18 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 20% of yield here.
What swiss chard needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.8 |
| Rain it needs | About 600–1,500 mm across the season |
| Spacing | 50 cm between rows, 27 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, potassium and boron |
What it takes to grow swiss chard in El Guelbelkebir
| Planting material | About 200,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 86 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 31 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 148 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 | 73–145 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a swiss chard 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 Swiss chard with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes El Guelbelkebir 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.
Swiss chard 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 swiss chard grow well in El Guelbelkebir?
El Guelbelkebir rates as favourable for swiss chard.
When should I plant swiss chard in El Guelbelkebir?
Typically 25 Sep 2026 to 15 Oct 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across El Guelbelkebir, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
