Divisi
When to plant Yam in Somntongo
Shiselweni, 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 | 19 Sep 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 open now | 10 Jun 2026 – 17 Nov 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 7.2 t/ha | about 21.9 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 18 Mar 2027 to 4 Sep 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 180–330 days after planting | |
| Rain meets its needs | 52% | |
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 9 Oct 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Somntongo yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 9 Oct 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Somntongo
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 76% |
For yam in Somntongo, 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 2026/27 season in Somntongo
| 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 589 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 | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 65% 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 Somntongo
| Planting material | About 10,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 27 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. |
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 Somntongo 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 Somntongo?
Somntongo rates as moderate for yam.
When should I plant yam in Somntongo?
Typically 19 Sep 2026 to 9 Oct 2026, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Somntongo, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
