When to plant Tomato in Fitri
BATHA, Tchad
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 | 2 Jul 2027 – 12 Jul 2027 opens in 39 weeks | 17 Nov 2026 – 26 Nov 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 21.1 t/ha | about 70.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 30 Sep 2027 to 9 Dec 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 | 66% | |
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 12 Jul 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Fitri yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 12 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Fitri
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For tomato in Fitri, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.
The 2027 season in Fitri
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | July 2027 to September 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 376 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 376 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| 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 short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 83% of this area. |
| 83% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 96 growing days · about 390 mm · July to October |
|---|---|
| 16% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 300 mm · July to September |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 35% 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 Fitri
| Planting material | About 33,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 55 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 15 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 78 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 Fitri 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 firstThis 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 Fitri?
Fitri rates as favourable for tomato.
When should I plant tomato in Fitri?
Typically 2 Jul 2027 to 12 Jul 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Fitri, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.