Chick pea growing

[Kerry]

i am the grateful recipient of some chick pea seeds via a4a.
i know to sow them mar-april time, but after searching the net, can really find very little other info about cultivation, other than they seem to need a well drained soil.
does anyone please know? indoor/outdoor? when to pick, how to cook, the real basics?!

[Kerry]

[aquilegia]

Kerry - me too. I suspect we got them from the same source!

I think you're supposed to leave all the pods to dry naturally on the plant. Then store them, podded, in jars. I eat them in casseroles, soups, make humus from them, cold in salads, etc. yummy.

I know how to eat them, just need to find out how to grow them too...

[Svea]

http://www.hauntedfish.co.uk/~food/vegetables/chickpea.htm
is my reference page of choice ;)

and just where (which company) do those seeds come from? i need some too!

cheers
svea

[aquilegia]

Thanks Svea. I got mine through a seed swap on this site - have a look in the swapping section - she might still have some left.

[fat larry]

wow I'd love to grow chickpeas. do they (in theory) grow abundantly. I think I'v e mentioned the kidney beans I saw growing at a lottie in Oxford on here before, would really fancy either

where is the swap section

[Kerry]

aqui-i expect we did get them from the same place! - cooking- do you have to boil before use as with other beans??

svea-thankyou very much-looks like an english site too, so i don't have to struggle with 'zones of hardiness'!

larry-swops under 'swap shop' section, half way down main page. happy hunting, although i think you are too late for the chick peas this year :(!

[Derekthefox]

I have never thought of growing chickpeas before either. It sounds very simple, particularly if you can use 'shop bought' chickpeas as seed.

mmm home grown humus yum yum

I think I will give it a go . . .

[Kerry]

perhaps all of us who try can report back.....i will be aiming to save some seed for next year, so any pointers will be well received. ;)

chick pea curry, chick pea in tomato sauce with pasta.....mmmm.......!!!!

[Sarah-b]

Pretty sure you can eat them fresh if you want. Have seen them in India in the markets - about 2 in a pod I think.

Sarah.

[Svea]

sarah, that is about right. as i mentined somewhere, i did a chick pea trial this last summer, just a few in a pot to see what they looked like and so on. there are about two or three peas in a pot. they should be ripened on the plant if you want them for drying, until the pods turn brown, but i found that a few of them got mouldy...
well anyways, i will deffo try a few more this time in the allotment :)

svea

[fat larry]

you can eat them raw, I'm pretty sure. they sell them in bunches to bus passengers in southern india, and call them gram (gram or besan flour is made from chick peas) - they are gorgeous, though pretty good in every other recipe too.

[diver]

If I want to plant some shop bought chick peas do I have to soak them or can I just put them in pots inside til they get shoots and when can I put them outside, thanks

[Svea]

of course you can just put them into pots and keep them moist, but i think it does help to chit them first. i think they may be quite slow to germinate otherwise.

but it is up to you :)

[ruud]

I have a lot of different types of chick peas to offer,if anybody wants some or swap some give me an pm.I have also pigeon peas,so intrested give me an pm.

[Svea]

any updates from the chick pea growers, please?
i am interested to hear about it.

didnt get round to growing any this year but am considering for next (making tentative plans for produce)

cheers
svea

[jennym]

I once soaked a saucepan of chickpeas, ready to cook, and for one reason or another we didn't eat them. I ended up chucking them on the compost heap, must have been about April/May.
Shortly after, they all sprouted, and I suppose that they would have grown if I'd put them on the plot.
So, I don't think you have to buy special seeds, you could try the one you get at the supermatket - I will next year. It is certainly a cheap way.

[Svea]

no feedback from the growers? :(

[fbgrifter]

hi everyone,

i've grown chickpeas on the 'lotment this year for the first time.  i just used regular chickpeas from the supermarket, although i know that seeds of italy sell them.  i pre-chitted the seeds first.  in fact i found that the larger the green shoots on the seeds the better they grew once planted in the ground.  some of the shoots were 3" big before they went in.  i followed the instructions on the haunted fish site.  my plants are now all strong and healthy, with quite a few pods on them.  i opened a pod out of curiosity and they were 2 tiny chickpeas in there, so i guess i need to leave them a while longer.  i don't think they harvest will be huge, but they have been so easy to grow i don't know why there isn't more info about growing them around.  i plan to harvest the peas fresh, blanche them in water and then freeze, like regular peas as drying can be tricky.  hope that helps, i'll let u know how harvest goes.

[Svea]

thanks for the update - let us know later on. i am contemplating this for next year.
especially the yield will be interesting for me (as only have small allotment) - and there are only two peas per pot. that is normal :)

thanks

[Kerry]

sorry svea, not been here much recently.....

i have several plants out in the garden but they have not done much so far. i think i probably kept them in a pot too long before planting out-will know for next time!

they're about a foot or so high, and have the beginnings of flowers coming. from what i have read, i don't think you get many peas per pod, so need quite a few plants for a good harvest.

on the plus side, they haven't been troubled by any pests.
must do better next year......