What's in season in Lagos

What is plentiful in Lagos markets this month, what is coming and what to wait for - fruit, vegetables, staples, livestock and fish. Most of it is grown in other states, so Lagos's seasons follow the north's harvests as much as its own rain.

Fruit, vegetables and staples

  • Yam tubers stacked on a market table

    Yam

    All year, best August to October

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    Early in the year, before or with the first rains.
    Harvest
    New yam from about August to October; stored old yam the rest of the year.
    In Lagos
    Yams come into Lagos from other states. Old yam runs short, and its price climbs, in the months before the new harvest; new yam brings it down from about August.
    At the market
    New yam is moister and cooks faster. Before the harvest, expect to pay more for less.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1] [10]

    Photo: Samsule2, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Cassava roots, freshly dug, in a basin and on the grass

    Cassava

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    With the rains.
    Harvest
    The roots can stay in the ground and be dug when needed once mature, so fresh cassava, garri and fufu are on sale all year.
    In Lagos
    One of the crops grown on Lagos's own fringe, along the Badagry axis.
    At the market
    Buy firm roots with no black streaks, and use them within a day or two.

    A typical pattern, from how the crop is grown, stored or traded - no source gives Lagos months. Sources: [13]

    Photo: Lebu Ayiga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Maize cobs, the grain dried on them, spread out in the sun

    Corn (maize)

    April to August

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    With the first rains, from about mid-March in the south.
    Harvest
    Fresh cobs from about April to August. Dried grain keeps, and is sold all year.
    In Lagos
    Grown on the Badagry axis among other places. The rainy months are roasted corn season, sold by the road with ube.
    At the market
    Fresh corn is a rainy-season food. Out of season it is dried grain or nothing.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1] [13] [15]

    Photo: Geossegawa, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ripe rice heads bending on the stalk

    Rice

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    In the rains, with a second crop where fields are irrigated.
    Harvest
    Late in the year in much of the country. No source gives months for the rice that reaches Lagos, so none are shown.
    In Lagos
    Lagos grows some of its own - at Itoga, near Badagry, milled at Ikorodu - but most local and imported rice comes from elsewhere.
    At the market
    Prices often ease while the harvest comes in and rise again with December's demand.

    A typical pattern, from how the crop is grown, stored or traded - no source gives Lagos months. Sources: [16] [20]

    Photo: China News Service, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • A truss of ripe red tomatoes

    Tomato

    All year, best January to April

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    Mostly on the north's irrigated dry-season farms.
    Harvest
    The northern dry-season crop reaches Lagos early in the year. In the rains, fewer farmers plant, more fruit spoils and roads wash out.
    In Lagos
    Mile 12's records show tomatoes cheapest in the first four months of the year and dearest from May to August. A pest outbreak in the north can double the price in any season.
    At the market
    Buy and blend in bulk early in the year, and freeze. In the rains, tinned tomato paste is often the cheaper choice.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [3] [4] [5]

    Photo: Softeis, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • An orange Scotch bonnet pepper on the plant

    Pepper (ata rodo and tatashe)

    All year, best January to April

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    Through the year where there is water.
    Harvest
    Plentiful in the dry season, scarce in the rains.
    In Lagos
    Traders describe the same pattern as tomatoes: surplus and lower prices in the dry season, scarcity in the rains. No source gives Lagos months, so the best months shown follow the tomato's.
    At the market
    Rodo dries and freezes well. Buy in quantity when it is cheap.

    A typical pattern, from how the crop is grown, stored or traded - no source gives Lagos months. Sources: [5] [8]

    Photo: Temaciejewski, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Red, white and brown onions, some sliced into rings

    Onion

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    In the north, for a dry-season harvest.
    Harvest
    Gathered in the dry season; the rainy season is the lean time.
    In Lagos
    Grown mainly in Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Plateau and Bauchi. Floods in the north have tripled Lagos prices in bad years.
    At the market
    Onions store well, so buy a bag when they are cheap.

    A typical pattern, from how the crop is grown, stored or traded - no source gives Lagos months. Sources: [6] [7]

    Photo: Colin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • A garden egg plant in flower

    Garden egg

    January to October

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    Through the year where there is water.
    Harvest
    January to October.
    In Lagos
    Eaten raw with groundnut paste, and cooked into stews and sauces.
    At the market
    Buy firm, glossy fruit. They are scarce at the end of the year.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: Hans B., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

  • A bunch of carrots with their leafy tops

    Carrot

    September to May

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    Outside the heaviest rains.
    Harvest
    September to May, with a gap in the heaviest rains.
    In Lagos
    Brought in from other states.
    At the market
    Hard to find good carrots from June to August.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: Evan-Amos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Cucumbers on the vine, with yellow flowers

    Cucumber

    January to May and August

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    Outside the heaviest rains.
    Harvest
    January to May, and again in August.
    In Lagos
    Sold by the road and in the markets.
    At the market
    Choose firm, dark cucumbers. Scarce in the heaviest rains.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: Stephen Ausmus, USDA ARS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Bundles of ugu leaves for sale at a market

    Ugu (fluted pumpkin leaves)

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    In the rains, and through the dry season where it can be watered.
    Harvest
    Leaves are picked again and again from the same vines.
    In Lagos
    The leaf of egusi and edikang ikong. Floods wash out the vegetable plots that feed Lagos, and push leaf prices up in the rains.
    At the market
    Buy bright, unwilted bunches, and wash them well.

    A typical pattern, from how the crop is grown, stored or traded - no source gives Lagos months. Sources: [17]

    Photo: Samsule2, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • African star apples, still green, among the leaves of the tree

    Agbalumo (African star apple)

    December to May

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    A tree crop.
    Harvest
    December to April, sometimes into May.
    In Lagos
    The fruit of the dry season, sold by the basin in every market.
    At the market
    Soft and orange is ripe. Chew the skin, and suck the flesh off the seeds.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1] [11]

    Photo: Oliversamson1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ripe purple African pears on a chopping board

    Ube (African pear)

    May to September

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    A tree crop that fruits with the rains.
    Harvest
    May to September for the main season; a smaller crop can appear later.
    In Lagos
    Softened in hot water and eaten with roasted corn - the rainy season's snack.
    At the market
    Dip in hot water or roast briefly until soft. Do not boil.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1] [12]

    Photo: T.K. Naliaka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • A ripe mango beside one cut in half

    Mango

    January to June and August to September

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    A tree crop.
    Harvest
    January to June, and a smaller season in August and September.
    In Lagos
    Many varieties, from small fibrous local mangoes to large grafted ones.
    At the market
    Buy firm and let them ripen at home.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • An orange beside one cut in half, and segments

    Orange

    All year, best October to January

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    A tree crop.
    Harvest
    All year, with the best fruit from October to December.
    In Lagos
    Sold peeled by the roadside, to drink rather than eat.
    At the market
    Green skin is normal here. Judge by weight - heavy is juicy.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Avocados hanging on the tree

    Avocado

    January to April and October

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    A tree crop.
    Harvest
    January to April, and October.
    In Lagos
    Called pear in much of Nigeria.
    At the market
    Buy hard and ripen them at home in a few days.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: B.navez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • A guava beside one cut in half, pink inside

    Guava

    February to March and August to September

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    A tree crop.
    Harvest
    February and March, and August and September.
    In Lagos
    Often from trees in compounds as much as from farms.
    At the market
    Ripe guavas bruise easily. Eat them within a day or two.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Yellow cashew apples on the tree, each with its nut below

    Cashew fruit

    February and March

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    A tree crop.
    Harvest
    February and March.
    In Lagos
    The fruit is eaten fresh in season; the nut is roasted and sold all year.
    At the market
    The fruit stains clothes. Eat it over the sink.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: Abhishek Jacob, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • A pineapple growing on the plant

    Pineapple

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    Through the year.
    Harvest
    On sale all year.
    In Lagos
    Sold whole and cut, by the road and in the markets.
    At the market
    A sweet smell at the base means ripe.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: Suniltg at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • A striped watermelon ripening on the ground among its leaves

    Watermelon

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    Through the year.
    Harvest
    On sale all year.
    In Lagos
    Brought in from other states, and sold whole or by the slice.
    At the market
    Knock it - a hollow sound means ripe.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • A pawpaw cut lengthways, showing its seeds

    Pawpaw

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    Through the year.
    Harvest
    On sale all year.
    In Lagos
    Grown everywhere, including in Lagos compounds.
    At the market
    Yellow patches on the skin mean ripe within a day or two.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Green, red and yellow bananas side by side

    Banana

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    Through the year.
    Harvest
    On sale all year.
    In Lagos
    Sold by the bunch or the hand, and roasted with groundnuts.
    At the market
    Buy a little green and let them ripen.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [1]

    Photo: TimothyPilgrim, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Bunches of green plantain hanging for sale

    Plantain

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Planting
    Through the year.
    Harvest
    On sale all year.
    In Lagos
    Grown on Lagos's own fringe along the Badagry axis, as well as brought in. Fried as dodo, roasted as boli.
    At the market
    Green for chips and porridge, yellow for dodo, black-spotted for sweetness.

    A typical pattern, from how the crop is grown, stored or traded - no source gives Lagos months. Sources: [13]

    Photo: J & E, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Livestock and fish

  • An African catfish in a basin of water

    Catfish

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Raised
    Raised in ponds and tanks.
    Supply
    All year - farmed fish has no season.
    In Lagos
    The fish Lagos State's fish farm estate at Ikorodu was set up to raise. Pepper soup and grilled fish are made from it.
    At the market
    Buy it live and have it killed and cleaned at the stall.

    A typical pattern, from how the crop is grown, stored or traded - no source gives Lagos months. Sources: [18]

    Photo: W.A. Djatmiko (Wie146), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • A giant African land snail on leaf litter

    Snail

    March to August

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Raised
    Gathered in the wild and raised on snail farms.
    Supply
    Plentiful in the rains. A Lagos snail farmer puts the scarce months at September to February.
    In Lagos
    Peppered snail is party food. Out of season, what there is costs more.
    At the market
    Buy live snails in the rainy months, when they are cheapest.

    The season is from a named source. Sources: [9]

    Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • A brown and white goat standing on a tree stump

    Goat and ram

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Raised
    Raised mostly outside Lagos and brought in.
    Supply
    On sale all year. Demand, and prices, climb before the Sallah festivals, whose dates move about eleven days earlier each year.
    In Lagos
    Ram prices climb sharply ahead of Sallah, and Lagos sellers say the cost of bringing the animals to Lagos is a large part of it.
    At the market
    Buy well before the festival, or share an animal.

    A typical pattern, from how the crop is grown, stored or traded - no source gives Lagos months. Sources: [19]

    Photo: Kuebi = Armin Kübelbeck, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • A brown and white cow lying in a meadow

    Beef

    All year

    Planting, harvest and Lagos
    Raised
    Raised in the north and in neighbouring countries.
    Supply
    On sale all year, from the Lagos abattoirs.
    In Lagos
    Lagos raises only a small fraction of the cattle it slaughters; nearly all come from outside the state.
    At the market
    Buy from a market or butcher that shows where the meat came from.

    A typical pattern, from how the crop is grown, stored or traded - no source gives Lagos months. Sources: [14]

    Photo: Kim Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The whole year

Every item across the twelve months. Full green marks the best months, muted green the months it is on sale, and hatched rows have no confirmed season in Lagos.

Item JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Yam
Cassava
Corn (maize)
Rice
Tomato
Pepper (ata rodo and tatashe)
Onion
Garden egg
Carrot
Cucumber
Ugu (fluted pumpkin leaves)
Agbalumo (African star apple)
Ube (African pear)
Mango
Orange
Avocado
Guava
Cashew fruit
Pineapple
Watermelon
Pawpaw
Banana
Plantain
Catfish
Snail
Goat and ram
Beef

The rains

Lagos has two rainy seasons: the major rains from about April to July, and the minor rains in September and October, with a drier spell between them in August - the August break. December to February is dry, with the Harmattan's haze. About 1,702 mm falls in a year, from about 10 mm in the driest month to 434 mm in June, the wettest.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Where Lagos's food comes from

Not from Lagos, mostly. An urban researcher studying the city's food puts what comes in from outside it at about 80% - an estimate, given in an interview - and for beef it is nearly all: Lagos raises 12,399 of the 1,870,000 cattle a year it needs.

The north
Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto and the other northern states. Most of the tomatoes, peppers and onions in Lagos markets, grown on the north's dry-season farms and trucked south. Lagos's tomato prices follow the northern harvest and its pests, and its onion prices the northern floods. [3] [6] [7]
Mile 12
Kosofe. The city's main wholesale market for fresh produce, where the northern trucks unload. Prices quoted for tomatoes and peppers in Lagos are usually Mile 12's. [3] [4] [5]
The Badagry axis
Ojo, Iyana Iba and Badagry. Lagos's own farm belt, on the western fringe: vegetables, cassava, plantain, maize and fruit, sold at Iyana Iba. The state is also growing rice at Itoga, near Badagry. [13] [20]
Ikorodu and Epe
The north and east of the state. Fish farming above all - the state's fish farm estate at Ikorodu raises catfish - and a rice mill at Ikorodu for the state's own harvest. [18] [20]
Where the beef comes from
The north, and neighbouring countries. Almost all of Lagos's beef. The state raises a small fraction of the cattle it slaughters; the rest come from the north and from neighbouring countries. [14]

The year in Lagos markets

December to February
Dry, with the Harmattan's haze and almost no rain. Agbalumo season opens in December. Tomatoes, peppers and onions from the north's dry-season farms are cheapest from about January. Oranges are at their best into January, and mangoes are coming in.
March to May
The hottest stretch, then the first rains in March and the major rains from April. Maize goes in with the first rains, and fresh corn appears from about April. Cashew fruit is in through February and March, and agbalumo and mangoes run into May. Tomato prices start to climb as the rains begin.
June to July
The major rains at their heaviest - June is the wettest month - with flooding in low streets. Roasted corn season. Ube is in from May. Old yam runs short and dear before the new harvest, and tomatoes and peppers are at their dearest. Snails are plentiful.
August
The August break, a short drier spell. New yam reaches the markets from about August. Fresh corn is ending, and mangoes and guava have a second season.
September to November
The minor rains, ending in November. New yam is plentiful. Oranges are at their best from October. Snails grow scarce from September as the dry season nears, and the year's rice harvest comes in across the country.

How to read this

The windows are a guide, not a promise. Each item says whether its season comes from a named source or is a typical pattern, and where nothing could be confirmed - rice's harvest months, for one - none is shown, because inventing a season would be worse than saying so. Before relying on an exact date, ask your seller.

Compiled on 16 October 2026 from the sources below. The photographs are from Wikimedia Commons; each one's photographer and licence are under its item.

Sources

  1. Kitchen Butterfly: A Seasonal Guide to Nigerian Fruits and Vegetables (2018, V1.3)
  2. Wikipedia: Lagos, climate - Lagos Island 1991-2020 normals (NOAA)
  3. BusinessDay: Tomato prices drop to seven-month low on harvest, rainfall (2024)
  4. BusinessDay: X-raying tomato market facts (Mile 12 prices, 2013-2014)
  5. BusinessDay: Consumers squeezed as tomato prices double (2019)
  6. Agrifocus Africa: Food prices fall but farmers union says poor storage risks hike (2021)
  7. TheCable: Niger-imported onions 'turn gold' as floods ruin harvest in Nigeria
  8. News Agency of Nigeria: Tomato sellers in Enugu attribute drop in price to a glut
  9. Peoples Gazette: Expert begs government, private sector for funding of snail farming (2022)
  10. BusinessDay: Prices of food items increase (old yam and new yam)
  11. BusinessDay: Africa star apple - agbalumo, udara or ciwoh
  12. Kitchen Butterfly: The anatomy of a purple pear, ube
  13. African Cities Research Consortium: Fortifying food systems in Lagos (podcast)
  14. Nairametrics: Lagos abattoirs, the slaughterhouses behind the city's beef (2025)
  15. FAO GIEWS: Situation in the coastal countries (first maize planting in the south)
  16. Zikoko: Why rice prices are suddenly falling (2025)
  17. Peoples Gazette: Floods - Lagos traders, consumers lament rising prices of vegetables
  18. The Fish Site: Lagos stresses need for maintenance of Ikorodu fish farm
  19. TheCable: Buyers groan as cost of rams skyrockets amid Sallah preparation
  20. BusinessDay: Lagos seeks to expand capacity for rice production

— Food in Lagos: what to eat, and how to order it ⇒
— Weather and seasons in Lagos ⇒
— Water in Lagos, and washing what you buy ⇒