Divisi
When to plant Tea in Area 3
Contested, Ethiopia
Tea (Camellia sinensis) is an evergreen highland bush you grow not for one harvest but as a living plucking table — a flat-topped hedge, kept pruned to about waist height, that pushes out soft new shoots again and again for a whole generation.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant (establish) | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 open now |
| Expected harvest | about 3.7 t/ha |
| Work it takes | 213–430 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 outlook for Area 3 leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.
Planting after 1 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Area 3
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 30% |
For tea in Area 3, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 30%. 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 2027 season in Area 3
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | June 2027 to October 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 747 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — October look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.4 °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 short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 55% of this area. |
| 55% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 100 growing days · about 750 mm · June to September |
|---|---|
| 26% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 104 growing days · about 740 mm · June to September |
| 18% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 98 growing days · about 720 mm · June to September |
last updated 16 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 25% of yield here.
What tea needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 4.5 and 5.5 |
| Spacing | 120 cm between rows, 60 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, potassium and zinc |
What it takes to grow tea in Area 3
| Planting material | About 12,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 185 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 28 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 92 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 | 213–430 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a tea 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 Tea with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Area 3 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 tea grow well in Area 3?
Area 3 rates as favourable for tea.
When should I plant tea in Area 3?
Typically 21 Jan 2026 to 1 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Area 3, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
