Divisi
When to plant Yam in El Assafia
Laghouat, Algeria
Yam is a climbing vine that grows one big food tuber underground over a long 7-11 month season.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 11 Apr 2027 – 20 Apr 2027 opens in 27 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 20.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 8 Oct 2027 to 15 Mar 2028, depending on the planting date |
| Ready to harvest | 180–330 days after planting |
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 11 Apr 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for El Assafia is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 20 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in El Assafia
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 60% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For yam in El Assafia, the soil is the tightest of the three at 60%. 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 season in El Assafia
| Rain in a typical year | About 154 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 154 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| What that supports | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 96% of this area. |
| 96% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 150 mm |
|---|---|
| 4% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 160 mm |
last updated 18 September 2026
The soil holds back about 20% of yield here.
What yam needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.0 |
| Spacing | 100 cm between rows, 100 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen and potassium |
What it takes to grow yam in El Assafia
| Planting material | About 10,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 77 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 23 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 118 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. |
These are the nutrients a yam 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 Yam with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes El Assafia 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.
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 yam grow well in El Assafia?
El Assafia rates as favourable for yam.
When should I plant yam in El Assafia?
Typically 11 Apr 2027 to 20 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across El Assafia, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.