Divisi
When to plant Swiss chard in Benin
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 | 6 Jun 2027 – 26 Jun 2027 opens in 36 weeks | same |
| Expected harvest | about 22.5 t/ha | about 19.3 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 4 Oct 2027 to 23 Dec 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-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 16 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Benin yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 26 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Benin
| Rain and temperature | 76% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For swiss chard in Benin, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 76%. 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 2027 season in Benin
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | March 2027 to November 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 900 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 686 mm in the driest of 77 districts to about 1,183 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — September and October look short of rain. Plant at the early end of the window, favour quicker and more drought-tolerant crops, and keep moisture in the soil: mulch, and weed early. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.6 °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 one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 70% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 233 growing days · about 1,050 mm · April to November |
|---|---|
| 27% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 169 growing days · about 920 mm · May to October |
last updated 30 September 2026 · from all 77 areas within it
Temperature holds back about 30% 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 Benin
| Planting material | About 200,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 79 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 28 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 135 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 Benin 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 Benin?
Benin rates as favourable for swiss chard.
When should I plant swiss chard in Benin?
Typically 6 Jun 2027 to 26 Jun 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Benin, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
