{"id":2653,"date":"2020-04-05T19:03:15","date_gmt":"2020-04-05T19:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2653"},"modified":"2020-04-05T19:03:15","modified_gmt":"2020-04-05T19:03:15","slug":"chickpea-garbanzo-bean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/05\/chickpea-garbanzo-bean\/","title":{"rendered":"Chickpea, Garbanzo Bean"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cicer arietinum<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: The common names are somewhat misleading as this plant isn\u2019t\nclosely related to either the pea or bean. It is believed to have originated in\nthe Middle East and has been grown there for over 7000 (it no longer even\nexists as a wild plant). India is by far the biggest producer of chickpeas in\nthe world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Chickpea<\/strong>  

Seed facts<\/strong>
Germ temp: 50 (60 – 80) 90\u02daF 
Germ time: 5 – 14 days
Viability: 3 – 5 years
Germination percentage: 70%+
Weeks to grow transplants: 4  <\/strong>

Planning facts<\/strong>
Temp for growth: 65 (70 – 80) 90\u02daF
Plants per person: 40
Days to harvest: 90 – 100
Height: 24\u02dd
Diameter – 12\u02dd  

Planting <\/strong>
Transplants:
Start: 4 wks before last frost
Plant out: 2 wks after last frost
Direct sow: 2 wks before last frost <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Crop use<\/strong>: Chickpeas are grown for their tasty and highly nutritious protein rich seed. Like the related beans and peas they host nitrogen fixing bacteria and so enrich the soil they grow in. These features make chickpea potentially a valuable crop, but they aren\u2019t very productive, or cost effective if you compare the cost of a pound of beans against the space needed to grow them. I would consider them more of a crop for people who have lots of space and are aiming for food self-sufficiency, or who are simply adventurous in the garden (I use that term fairly loosely).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like most beans they are high in protein. They are also rich in\nfolate, iron, manganese, phosphorus and zinc. They are very high in calories, with around 1630 per pound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chickpeas are also very rich in various\nbeneficial antioxidants and phytonutients. The smaller, darker seeded, desi\ntypes are particularly rich in these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like other beans they are also rich in\nfiber, but of a particularly beneficial type. This may help to lower\ncholesterol levels and may even reduce the risk of colon cancer <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chickpeas require a warm and fairly long growing season and don\u2019t like wet weather or cold nights. The ideal climate is dry in late summer when the pods are developing, as they are prone to rot when they get wet. Established plants can tolerate dry conditions. Unlike most beans they can also tolerate some frost and are said to be as hardy as peas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong>      <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 5.5 (6.4) 8.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chickpea will grow in most soils. It doesn\u2019t have to be highly\nfertile as the plant fixes its own nitrogen, but it should be well-drained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: Incorporate 2\u02dd of compost into the top 6\u02dd of soil. They don\u2019t\nneed a lot of nitrogen, but do like potassium and phosphorus, so you might want\nto give them wood ashes and colloidal phosphate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: For maximum production the plants should have full sun, as any\nshade will reduce the harvest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In very hot areas they may benefit from a little afternoon shade.\nThey are usually rotated with other legumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: Chickpea can be\nplanted earlier than beans because they can tolerate cooler temperatures.\nHowever the seed may rot if the soil is too\ncold, so plant no earlier than two weeks before the last frost date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inoculating<\/strong>: For maximum nitrogen fixation you should inoculate your seeds with a suitable chickpea inoculant (this isn\u2019t the same as a pea or bean inoculant). If you grow them fairly regularly (every 3 years or so) you won\u2019t have to inoculate again, as the bacteria can survive in the soil for that long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using\ntransplants<\/strong>:\nChickpeas require a fairly long growing season, so they are sometimes started\nindoors This gives them a head start and is also a good way to foil hungry\nbirds and rodents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chickpeas don\u2019t really like transplanting, so\nuse soil blocks or cell packs to avoid disturbing their roots. If germination\nis likely to be poor, plant 2 seeds per cell and thin to the best one when both\nhave germinated. If you think it will be good then just put one seed in each\ncell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant the seedlings out when they are 4 – 5\u02dd high. If the weather\nis cool you will have to harden them off first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>: Sow the seed 1 – 2\u02dd deep, a couple of weeks before the last\nfrost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beds: Space the plants 4 \u2013 6\u02dd\napart (depending on soil fertility). The plants don\u2019t mind fairly close\nspacing, as they help to support each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rows: Space the plants 3 – 4\u02dd\napart, in rows 18 – 24\u02dd apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weed<\/strong>: The young plants need regular weeding until they cover the\nground fully. It\u2019s best to weed by hand, as their roots are quite near the\nsurface and are easily damaged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilizing<\/strong>: Chickpeas are a fairly long season crop and if your soil is poor\nthey might benefit from a side dressing of compost in mid season (or the\noccasional feed of compost tea).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water<\/strong>: Established plants are quite drought tolerant, but for maximum\nproductivity you should keep the soil moist. This is particularly important in\nhot weather and especially when the flowers are opening and setting pods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chickpeas are notoriously vulnerable to rot and various fungus\ndiseases when they get wet, especially when the pods start to develop. Try not\nto get the plants wet when watering (drip is best) and don\u2019t even touch wet\nleaves (obviously rain is bad too). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests<\/strong>: Quite a few insects enjoy chickpeas,\nincluding aphids, bean beetles, flea beetles,\nleafhoppers and mites. In my garden something (I suspect rodents, but it could also have been birds) actually ate the\nripening seeds out of the pods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I read somewhere that the plant can secrete\nmalic acid onto the leaves to protect them from pests. Apparently this can\nirritate the skin, though I can\u2019t say I have noticed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disease<\/strong>:\nPotential diseases include anthracnose, blights, fusarium rot, mildew and\nmosaic virus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: The\nflowers (and subsequently pods) start to appear about 60 days after planting.\nThe pods are quite small and contain 1 – 3 beans. They can be eaten when green\nlike snap or shell beans and in cool, short, wet growing conditions this may be\nas far as you get. More often they are allowed to ripen fully and picked dry.\nIf the weather is wet you need to get them indoors as soon as possible (for\nreasons I already mentioned). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: When the pod bearing plants begin to die back and turn brown, bring them indoors to a warm, dry, well aerated place to dry fully (an old screen door works great). A fully dry chickpea is hard and will shatter if hit with a hammer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage<\/strong>: Store the fully dry beans in a rodent proof container in a cool,\ndry place. They should last for several years. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving<\/strong>: The flowers are perfect (have male and female parts) and\nself-pollinating, though they are also commonly cross-pollinated by bees.\nSaving seed is pretty easy because that is what you are growing them for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You rarely see chickpea seed for sale to gardeners as it is more\nof a field scale crop. There are two basic types <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kabouli<\/strong>:\nThese include the familiar types you see in salad bars out of a can.\nThey tend to be bigger and rounder and often have tan skins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chestnut<\/strong>:\nBig seeds are good for hummus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black Kabouli <\/strong>–\nThis is the most available of these varieties in this country. As the name\nsuggests it has a black skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Desi<\/strong>: These are smaller and darker and are often used for flour, or split\nfor cooking like lentils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chickpeas are used in a variety of ways, but\nthey are best known for making hummus and falafel (see Fava\nBeans<\/strong> for a recipe for the\nlatter). They can also be used like soybeans for making tofu and \u201cmilk\u201d. In\nIndia it is ground into flour (known as gram flour) which is commonly used for\ncooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The beans are soaked and cooked in the same way\nas other dry beans. They take 1 – 1\u00bd hours to cook thoroughly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hummus<\/strong>  

Hummus is a very variable recipe and can be changed in many ways to suit personal taste. This is a good basic recipe.  
1 cup chickpeas
\u00bd cup tahini
1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
\u00bd teaspoon cumin
Salt
Olive oil
Parsley  

Clean and rinse the chickpeas, then soak overnight in water with a tablespoon of baking soda (optional). Then boil them in fresh water until tender (1 – 2 hours), rinse them and allow to cool. Finally puree them in with the rest of the ingredients. You can puree them by hand, but it is a lot easier with a food processor.
  <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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