Chick Peas in victoria

[jackie]

I have discovered chick peas as a great food to cook with and am thinking they would be a great food to grow and store. I am struggling to find any information on growing them. Has any one out there had any success with them. I live on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria and we do get winter frosts. I also have clay soil.
I'm thinking of experimenting by planting some this Autumn and if I have no success trying again in the Spring. Can I just plant the ones I buy dried in the supermarket? Any clues would be great.
Also hi, I haven't posted on this forum for a year or so.
Jackie

[ppp]

I live in brisbane, and planted some of the ones that you buy from the shop for eating. They came up and grew quite satisfactorily up to around 1/2 metre in height, I then needed the garden bed, so chopped them up as green manure. (didn't see them get to maturity)

I thought they were a subtroprical plant, but I could easily be wrong.

I'd just try planting some straight out of the packet and see what happens.. I soaked them in warm water for a day or two before planting, this might also help.

[IntensiveGardener]

Hi jackie,
I'v grown them before both here (trentham) and in bendigo. They're a great legume to grow for drying because they don't use much water. I'v heard though that they're not very good at fixing nitrogen.

They are frost sensitive however and should be grown as with beans rather than peas. I plant them in early november and harvest in late summer.
The ones you buy in the shops should be fine for planting.
I got my seed from a lebanese shop in Northcote (there are also many similar shops on Sydney road). They sell them for $1 - $2 per kg. I also tryed lentils, soya beans and mung beans, all with reasonable results.
The amazing thing i found with chick peas is that even in the dryest conditions they seem to condense water on their leaves which stay slightly wet throughout summer.
chick peas are native to the middle east so they like hot, dry conditions
hope this helps,
IG

[Phil Hansen]

Hi Jackie,
I've grown them with moderate success in Central Victoria (near Castlemaine). The biggest issue I had with growing them was the harvesting, I found only up to 4 pods per plant, 2 peas per pod. Takes a lot of ground to make hommus. They are not frost tolerant and like it dry, but good humus levels, perhaps try sowwing into well mulched bed or stubble.
Good luck
Phil

[ho-hum]

Jackie,

If I were to grow chickpeas in your area I would leave planting until about Christmas [or whenever apricots ripen in your area] and try and find the relevant rhizobium. They are a hardy crop and like any plant need nitrogen. Being a legume they can produce their own with the right rhizobium but if not give them a moderate dose of nitrogenous fertiliser or manure to help them along. They also do not like much humidity which is an issue I have had to deal with.

I have saved seeds but mostly we eat them green in the pod and the tips/tops are great steamed or stir fried.

cheers,

[jackie]

Thanks eveyone for your valuable help. I was thinking they were a winter crop but now I will wait till November to plant. I like the idea of when the apricots ripen I'll see how it coinsides. IG did you also soak the seeds in warm water? I'm guessing this would speed up germination. By the way how long is germination? I'm thinking I plant seeds 30 cm ish apart in a large bed, which could be prepared over winter with chook shed compost for nitrogen.
IG you said you tried other things to. What would you recomend for a crop over winter to dry and store? I've put in some garlic, broad beans, brasicas, lettuce, silverbeet and parsley.
Thanks again every one will let you know how I fair next summer.
Jackie

[IntensiveGardener]

jackie,
i didn't soak them first i just planted them direct about 30cms appart and most came up. For a winter legume crop i had success with broad beans and also lupini beans (lupins). Both are very good at breaking the soil appart and can withstand very cold conditions. You might also consider peas if your in a sheltered spot. I plant my first crop of peas about august here. They survive the cold fine but need to be flowering when the frost risk has passed in order to set pods.
cheers,
ig

[makeHummusNotWar]

I hope you don't mind if I quote you for our site makehummusnotwar.com - I live in Melbourne and want to try making hummus from seed to feed. I have the recipe down but haven't tried growing my own yet.