When & how are you best?

,The early bird catches the worm'

Chickpeas take a long time to harvest. In the Central European climate, it takes an average of 90 to 100 days for a single chickpea to become a plant with ripe pods. Therefore: an early one sowing paying off.

The choice between two options

If you can't wait, prefer the plants at home. You start with 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, put them out in the garden (requirement: no frost).

Another option is to sow the chickpeas outdoors as direct sowing from mid-May:

• Outside temperature minimum: 5 ° C
• Seed depth: 5 to 8 cm
• Plant spacing: 20 cm, row spacing: 30 cm
• Substrate: sandy-loamy, light to medium heavy, rich in lime

Warmth lover and a suitable place to relax

Chickpeas love the warmth. During the day the temperatures should ideally be between 20 and 28 ° C and at night over 18 ° C. A sunny to partially shaded location (6 hours of sunshine / day) is essential for a successful harvest. Basically, these plants should be planted in the greenhouse.

Chickpeas do not tolerate repositioning later due to their sensitive roots. It is therefore advisable to use compostable pots or swell tabs for growing the plants, which will weather over time.

Chickpeas hardly need any care on the spot. 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 poured too heavily. Especially shortly before the harvest, moisture leads to damage such as moldy pods. These plants do not necessarily need fertilizer.

Tips & Tricks

Since chickpeas cannot tolerate frost, they should only be put outdoors after the ice saints. Recommended varieties for cultivation are Kabuli (large), Gulabi (medium) and Desi (small). Caution: they are all in the uncontaminated raw state these chickpeas are poisonous.

KKF