Divisi
When to plant Watermelon in Lebialem
South-West, Cameroon
Known here as pastèque · melon d'eau
Watermelon is a warm-season trailing vine, grown flat along the ground for its big, sweet, thirst-quenching fruit — a cousin of pumpkin, cucumber and melon.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Moderate | |
| When to plant | 22 Feb 2026 – 20 Sep 2026 closed for this season | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 12.9 t/ha | about 18.4 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 13 May 2026 to 8 Jan 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 80–110 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 46–96 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 22 Feb 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Lebialem 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 20 Sep 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Lebialem
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 30% |
For watermelon in Lebialem, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 30%. 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 season in Lebialem
| When the rains are expected | February 2026 to December 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 2,345 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — September, 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 +0.8 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 60% of this area. |
| 60% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 313 growing days · about 2,340 mm · February to December |
|---|---|
| 21% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 312 growing days · about 2,040 mm · February to December |
| 10% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 312 growing days · about 2,090 mm · February to December |
| 8% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 317 growing days · about 2,050 mm · February to December |
last updated 17 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 65% of yield here.
What watermelon needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.0 |
| Spacing | 240 cm between rows, 140 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium, boron and calcium |
What it takes to grow watermelon in Lebialem
| Planting material | About 4,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 28 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 8 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 41 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 | 46–96 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a watermelon 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 Watermelon with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Lebialem 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.
Watermelon 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 watermelon grow well in Lebialem?
Lebialem rates as moderate for watermelon.
When should I plant watermelon in Lebialem?
Typically 22 Feb 2026 to 20 Sep 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Lebialem, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
