The he althy trend vegetables can also be grown here. Here's everything you need to know about planting chickpeas.
The chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is an ancient crop that is becoming increasingly popular with us. Originally native to the warmer areas of the subtropics, the legume can now also be grown in our gardens. Although the yield is not particularly high in colder regions, if you don't want to do without chickpeas from your own garden, you can find out everything about planting the protein-rich fruit here. In our article we tell you everything about the right time to plant, the perfect location and how to plant chickpeas.
Influenced by oriental or Indian cuisine, chickpeas have been on our plates for a long time. However, you don't see them that often in our gardens. That should change now, because it is not difficult at all to cultivate chickpeas in the garden yourself. But how and when do you actually plant chickpeas? And where does the special legume feel most at home? We clarify.
When to plant or sow chickpeas?
The chickpea has a relaxed disposition, because it takes a particularly long time to ripen. In our climate zone, it can sometimes take up to 100 days from sowing to the ripe fruit. It is therefore all the more important to plant the chickpeas at the right time. Anyone who wants to give the legumes a head start in time prefers them at home. You can start doing this between the middle and the end of April. The chickpea can only be planted or sown outdoors when the temperatures outside are no longer below zero. You can only be sure after the ice saints, i.e. from mid-May. The outside temperatures should be at least 5 °C for the heat-loving legume - both during the day and at night.
When to plant chickpeas?
- Advance from mid-April
- Plant outdoors or sow from mid-May
- No frost is allowedrule more
- Temperatures permanently above 5 °C
The perfect location for planting chickpeas
The origin of the special legume tells us something about its location requirements: It probably comes from the Near East and therefore likes it warm and sunny. For this reason, vineyards with sufficient heat and sunshine are ideal for growing chickpeas. The temperatures for growing chickpeas should be between 20 and 28 °C during the day and not below 15 °C at night. Cultivation in a greenhouse is therefore ideal. The legume thrives best on permeable, nutrient-poor, light soil. The chickpea does not mind dryness, but it cannot cope with too much moisture. The cultivation of chickpeas is therefore less successful on heavy, too moist loamy soil. Sandy soils are actually more suitable.
What are the location requirements of the chickpea?
- Full sun
- Warm
- Ideal in the greenhouse
- Not too wet
- Porous, nutrient-poor soils
- Ideal are light sandy soils
Tip: Chickpeas are incompatible with themselves, which is why you should take a break from growing them for four to five years. Otherwise legume fatigue may occur.
The right way to plant chickpeas
If you want to give your chickpeas a head start in spring, you can easily grow them on your windowsill or in the cold frame. You can use unroasted chickpeas from the grocery store as seeds. At a room temperature of 20 to 22 °C, pre-cultivating chickpeas is child’s play. Either sow the chickpeas directly in seed pots or let them germinate. To do this, chickpeas are soaked in a sprouting jar for 24 hours. After that, the water is poured off and the chickpeas are rinsed with fresh water in the morning and in the evening. After a few days, the legumes will start to germinate.
Tip: The pre-germinated chickpeas can not only be planted, but also eaten as is. They are particularly good fresh in salads or lightly tossed in butter in a pan.
The pre-germinated or fresh chickpeas are then placed in pots with potting soil about six centimeters deep and covered with substrate. Watered well and kept moist,the young plants grow. Harden them off for a few days before planting them outdoors.
For planting or sowing outdoors, prepare the bed by loosening the soil and removing weeds and stones. Then draw planting grooves with a distance of 30 centimeters. You can now place the seeds in these grooves or place the young plants that have been brought forward at a depth of five to eight centimetres. The planting distance should be 20 centimeters. Finally, everything is well poured.
Step-by-step instructions on how to plant chickpeas:
- Use unroasted chickpeas from the grocery store as seeds
- Pregerminate seeds if necessary
- Prepare in pots on the windowsill or in the cold frame
- Loosen up the bed well and remove weeds
- Create seed furrows with 30 cm row spacing
- Seed depth: 5 - 8 cm
- Planting distance: 20 cm
- Water well
Tip: Because chickpeas are very sensitive to cold temperatures, you can protect the young plants in the garden for a week or two at night after planting with fleece or foil protect from the cold.
Caring for chickpeas after planting
Once the chickpeas have been planted, they require very little care. Since chickpeas are legumes, they can form a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing nodule bacteria. These make atmospheric nitrogen available for the plant and so the chickpea usually does not need any additional fertilization. However, in order for the bacteria to be able to work well, they need sufficient phosphorus. Therefore, a one-off fertilization in spring with a fertilizer with an organic long-term effect - such as our Plantura organic universal fertilizer - in small quantities can be recommended.
Only water your chickpeas when it is dry and hot for a long time. The legume does not like too much moisture. Keep the plants free of weeds - then nothing stands in the way of a successful chickpea harvest.
You can find out more about the protein-rich fruit here in this article about chickpeas.