How To Grow Chickpeas At Home
Tired of growing the usual legumes? Try growing chickpeas. You've seen them on the salad bar and eaten them in hummus form, but can you grow chickpeas in the garden?
The following information about chickpeas will help you get started growing your chickpeas and learn how to care for them.
Can you grow chickpeas? Also known as chickpeas, chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is an ancient crop that has been cultivated in India, the Middle East, and parts of Africa for hundreds of years.
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Chickpeas need at least 3 months of cold days, but no frost, to mature. In the tropics, chickpeas are grown in winter, and in colder, temperate climates they are grown between spring and late summer.
If summers are especially cold in your area, it may take 5-6 months for the beans to mature enough to be harvested, but that's no reason to avoid growing nutritious and delicious chickpeas.
Ideal temperatures for growing chickpeas are in the range of 50-85 F. (10-29 C).
Chickpea information
About 80-90% of chickpeas are grown in India. In the United States, California ranks first in production, but some areas of Washington, Idaho, and Montana are also growing the legume.
Chickpeas are eaten as a dry crop or as a green vegetable. The seeds are sold dry or canned. They are rich in folic acid, and manganese, and rich in protein, and fiber.
There are two main types of cultivated chickpeas: Kabuli and desi. Kabuli is planted most often.
Those with disease resistance include Dwelley, Evans, Sanford, and Sierra, although Macarena produces a larger seed but is susceptible to the Ascochyta pest.
Chickpeas are indeterminate, which means they can bloom until frost. Most pods have one pea, although some have two. The peas should be harvested at the end of September.
How to grow chickpeas
Chickpeas grow much like peas or soybeans. They grow to about 30-36 inches (76-91 cm) tall with pods forming on top of the plant.
Chickpeas do not adapt well to transplantation. It is best to sow seeds when the soil temperature is at least 50-60 F. (10-16 C).
Select an area in the garden with full sun exposure that is well-drained. Add plenty of compost to the soil and remove rocks or weeds.
If the soil is heavy, correct it with sand or compost to lighten it. Sow seeds 2.5 cm deep, 3 to 6 inches apart in rows 46 to 61 cm space.
Water the seeds well and continue to keep the soil moist, not soggy.
Chickpea care
Keep the soil evenly moist; water only when the top layer of soil is dry. Do not water the above plants, so they do not get a fungal disease.
Cover the beans with a thin layer of mulch to keep them warm and moist. Like all legumes, chickpeas release nitrogen into the soil, which means that they do not require additional nitrogen fertilizers.
However, they will benefit from a 5-10-10 fertilizer if a soil test determines it is necessary. Chickpeas will be ready for harvest about 100 days after planting.
Greens can be harvested to eat fresh or, in the case of dried beans, wait until the plant turns brown before harvesting the fruit.
We hope you enjoy this video about growing chickpeas at home:
Source: LearnHowToGarden
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Last update on 2025-01-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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