Divisi
When to plant Swiss chard in Maadi
Cairo, Egypt
Swiss chard — muriwo, mchicha, silverbeet, spinach beet — is the dependable 'spinach' of African markets and home gardens, though it is not true spinach.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 8 Oct 2026 – 21 Jan 2027 opens in 1 week |
| Expected harvest | about 39.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 5 Feb 2027 to 20 Jul 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 1 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Maadi is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 21 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Maadi
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For swiss chard in Maadi, 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 Maadi
| Rain in a typical year | About 22 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 22 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 | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 67% of this area. |
| 67% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 20 mm |
|---|---|
| 33% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 20 mm |
last updated 18 September 2026
Sloping ground 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 Maadi
| Planting material | About 200,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 136 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 49 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 234 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 Maadi 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 swiss chard grow well in Maadi?
Maadi rates as favourable for swiss chard.
When should I plant swiss chard in Maadi?
Typically 8 Oct 2026 to 21 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Maadi, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.