Divisi
When to plant Swiss chard in Inekar
Ménaka, Mali
Known here as bette · blette
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 | 17 Nov 2026 – 26 Nov 2026 opens in 7 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 24.1 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 17 Mar 2027 to 25 May 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 17 Nov 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Inekar yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 26 Nov 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Inekar
| Rain and temperature | 60% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For swiss chard in Inekar, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 60%. 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 season in Inekar
| Rain in a typical year | About 99 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 99 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| What that supports | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, 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 97% of this area. |
| 97% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 140 mm |
|---|---|
| 3% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 100 mm |
last updated 30 September 2026
Temperature holds back about 50% 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 Inekar
| Planting material | About 200,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 84 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 30 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 145 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 Inekar 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 Inekar?
Inekar rates as favourable for swiss chard.
When should I plant swiss chard in Inekar?
Typically 17 Nov 2026 to 26 Nov 2026, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Inekar, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.