Having grown chickpeas in your own garden - who can say that about themselves? Probably only very few Central Europeans. But the cultivation of chickpeas is feasible in our latitudes and often leads to good yields.
,The early bird catches the worm'
Chickpeas take a long time to be harvested. In the Central European climate, it takes an average of 90 to 100 days for a single chickpea to grow into a plant with mature pods. Therefore, early sowing pays off.
Choosing between two options
If you can't wait, grow the plants at home. You start doing this between the middle and the end of April. Sow the dried or sprouted chickpeas about 5 cm deep. When the young plants have reached a size of at least 10 cm, place them in the garden (prerequisite: no frost).
Another option is to sow the chickpeas outdoors from mid-May as no-till:
- Outside temperature minimum: 5 °C
- Sowing depth: 5 to 8 cm
- Plant spacing: 20 cm, row spacing: 30 cm
- Substrate: sandy-loamy, light to medium heavy, rich in lime
Heat lovers and a suitable place to feel good
Chickpeas love the heat. Temperatures should ideally be between 20 and 28 °C during the day and above 18 °C at night. A sunny to partially shaded location (6 hours of sunshine/day) is essential for a successful harvest. In principle, these plants should be planted in the greenhouse.
Chickpeas do not tolerate later transplanting due to their sensitive root system. It is therefore advisable to use compostable pots or swelling tabs that weather over time when growing the plants.
On site, chickpeas require little maintenance. They are extremely undemanding and cope well with periods of drought. On the other hand, they do not tolerate moisture. Therefore, they should not be watered too much. Especially shortly before harvest, wetness leads to damage such as moldy pods. These plants do not necessarily need fertilizer.
tips and tricks
Since chickpeas do not tolerate frost, they should only be put outdoors after the ice saints. Recommended strains for cultivation are Kabuli (large), Gulabi (medium) and Desi (small). Caution: In the ungerminated raw state, all of these chickpea varieties are poisonous.
KKF