Chickpea

How to sow chickpea: Direct seed indoors, transplant seedlings outside after hardening off

Sun requirement for chickpea: Plant in Full Sun

Chickpeas are a cool-season annual legume in the Fabaceae family. They are native to the Middle East and Mediterranean. They can be sprouted indoors in 2-3 days for salads and fresh eating, or grown outside for their seeds. The upright plants do not require staking and grow to a height of about 50cm. They have small, feathery leaves. Flowers are white with blue, violet, or pink veins and form 2.5cm long oblong pods with 1-2 large, cream-colored seeds. Chickpeas can be picked while green and eaten fresh like snap peas, but they are most commonly harvested as a dried bean crop. Chickpeas are high in protein and drought-tolerant. They benefit from an inoculant at planting.