When to plant Tomato in Lughaye

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Tomato

Awdal, Somalia

Tomato is the number-one cash vegetable across sub-Saharan Africa — and one of the most demanding.

Tomato in Lughaye, rain-fed and with irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 8 Oct 2026 – 21 Jan 2027 opens in 1 week
Expected harvest about 70.0 t/ha
Harvest From 6 Jan 2027 to 20 Jun 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 90–150 days after planting
Work it takes 81–160 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 Lughaye 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 Lughaye

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 96%
The lie of the land 96%

For tomato in Lughaye, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 96%. 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 Lughaye

Rain in a typical yearAbout 135 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 135 mm falling roughly when it always does
What that supportstoo dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this coversOne kind of ground throughout.

last updated 16 September 2026

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.

What tomato 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
Spacing 80 cm between rows, 40 cm between plants
Feed it most with potassium, nitrogen, calcium and boron

What it takes to grow tomato in Lughaye

Planting materialAbout 33,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 182 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 49 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 259 kg per hectare
In the shopsA 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 work81–160 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a tomato 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableSoil pH outside the crop's rangeCorrect soil pH (acidifier)

Grow Tomato with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Lughaye 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.

Or check your field first

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 tomato grow well in Lughaye?

Lughaye rates as favourable for tomato.

When should I plant tomato in Lughaye?

Typically 8 Oct 2026 to 21 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Lughaye, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.