Divisi
When to plant Teff in Free State
South Africa
Teff (Eragrostis tef) is a fine, tufted grass that carries the smallest grain of any cereal in the world — seed almost as fine as dust.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 6 Feb 2027 – 16 Feb 2027 opens in 18 weeks | 29 Aug 2026 – 18 Sep 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.5 t/ha | about 3.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 7 Apr 2027 to 16 Jun 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 60–120 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 88–174 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 59% | |
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 6 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Free State yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 16 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Free State
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For teff in Free State, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 2026/27 season in Free State
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to April 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 669 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 438 mm in the driest of 5 districts to about 669 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — October, November and December 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 +1.7 °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, cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date |
| Ground this covers | 5 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 38% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 440 mm |
|---|---|
| 24% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 91 growing days · about 520 mm · November to April |
| 12% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 138 growing days · about 550 mm · December to May |
| 12% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 191 growing days · about 630 mm · October to May |
| 11% | enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 211 growing days · about 660 mm · October to May |
last updated 18 September 2026 · from all 5 areas within it
Limited water holds back about 50% of yield here.
What teff needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | sandy loam, loam, clay loam or clay |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.2 and 5.8 |
| Feed it most with | phosphorus, nitrogen, zinc, sulphur and boron |
What it takes to grow teff in Free State
| Planting material | About 3,000,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 45 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 15 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 38 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 | 88–174 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a teff 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 Teff with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Free State 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.
Teff 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 teff grow well in Free State?
Free State rates as favourable for teff.
When should I plant teff in Free State?
Typically 6 Feb 2027 to 16 Feb 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Free State, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
