Divisi
When to plant Teff in Vhembe
Limpopo, 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 | 17 Feb 2027 – 9 Mar 2027 opens in 20 weeks | 22 Mar 2027 – 9 Aug 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 2.1 t/ha | about 3.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 18 Apr 2027 to 7 Jul 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-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 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Vhembe leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 9 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Vhembe
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For teff in Vhembe, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. 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 Vhembe
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | November 2026 to March 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 387 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, 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 +2.2 °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 77% of this area. |
| 77% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 128 growing days · about 510 mm · November to March |
|---|---|
| 13% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 191 growing days · about 900 mm · October to April |
| 9% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 330 mm |
last updated 17 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 35% 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 Vhembe
| Planting material | About 3,000,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 63 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 21 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 52 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 Vhembe 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 Vhembe?
Vhembe rates as favourable for teff.
When should I plant teff in Vhembe?
Typically 17 Feb 2027 to 9 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Vhembe, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
