Divisi
When to plant Yam in Maphalaleni
Hhohho, Eswatini
Yam is a climbing vine that grows one big food tuber underground over a long 7-11 month season.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Moderate | |
| When to plant | 23 Aug 2026 – 2 Oct 2026 open now | 1 Jan 2027 – 30 Apr 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 8.9 t/ha | same |
| Harvest | From 19 Feb 2027 to 28 Aug 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 180–330 days after planting | |
| Rain meets its needs | 81% | |
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 Sep 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Maphalaleni 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 2 Oct 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Maphalaleni
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For yam in Maphalaleni, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. 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 2026/27 season in Maphalaleni
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to June 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,110 mm |
| 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 +1.5 °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, 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 92% of this area. |
| 92% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 250 growing days · about 960 mm · September to June |
|---|---|
| 4% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 270 growing days · about 1,160 mm · September to June |
last updated 17 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 45% 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 Maphalaleni
| Planting material | About 10,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 33 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 10 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 51 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 Maphalaleni 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.
Yam 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 yam grow well in Maphalaleni?
Maphalaleni rates as moderate for yam.
When should I plant yam in Maphalaleni?
Typically 23 Aug 2026 to 2 Oct 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Maphalaleni, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
