Divisi
When to plant Tomato in Mpumalanga
South Africa
Known here as utamatisi · itumato · tamatie
Tomato is the number-one cash vegetable across sub-Saharan Africa — and one of the most demanding.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 22 Sep 2026 – 1 Nov 2026 open now | 29 Aug 2026 – 28 Oct 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 21.7 t/ha | about 61.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 21 Dec 2026 to 31 Mar 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 meets its needs | 58% | |
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 Nov 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Mpumalanga 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 1 Nov 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Mpumalanga
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For tomato in Mpumalanga, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 2026/27 season in Mpumalanga
| 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 768 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 676 mm in the driest of 3 districts to about 768 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, 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. |
| 44% | enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 211 growing days · about 700 mm · October to April |
|---|---|
| 30% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 202 growing days · about 760 mm · October to April |
| 13% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 171 growing days · about 600 mm · October to April |
| 9% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 192 growing days · about 620 mm · October to April |
| 4% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 154 growing days · about 540 mm · November to April |
last updated 18 September 2026 · from all 3 areas within it
Limited water holds back about 45% 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 Mpumalanga
| Planting material | About 33,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 56 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 15 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 80 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 | 81–160 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
Grow Tomato with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Mpumalanga 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.
Where to sell Tomato nearby
Tomato 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 tomato grow well in Mpumalanga?
Mpumalanga rates as favourable for tomato.
When should I plant tomato in Mpumalanga?
Typically 22 Sep 2026 to 1 Nov 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Mpumalanga, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
