By Garry 
Chickpea: sowing, planting, growing and harvesting
Learn when to sow, plant, care for and harvest chickpea in your garden.
🌱 Chickpea : key growing facts
📅 Growing calendar
Indicative Northern Hemisphere temperate-climate calendar only. Adjust to local frost dates, climate, variety and growing conditions. In the Southern Hemisphere, seasons are approximately six months later.
🔎 Growing specifications
🧺 Harvest readiness & expected yield
When to pick
Harvest when the edible part reaches the desired size and quality. Handle carefully and store promptly using methods suited to this crop.
What to expect
Varies by variety, climate and care
Indicative only; variety, climate and care affect harvests.🌿 How to grow successfully
🤝 Companion planting
Grow near quick-growing leafy crops if access and airflow are maintained.
↔️ What to avoid
Avoid heavy nitrogen fertiliser and planting into waterlogged ground.
🐛 Pests and diseases
Check regularly for aphids, slugs and fungal disease.
🧤 Ongoing care
Support climbing types and pick tender pods frequently.
🧺 Harvest and storage
Pick pods at the intended stage; refrigerate fresh pods or dry fully for seed storage.
🧑🌾 From sowing to harvest
Prepare the soil
Prepare free-draining soil; add compost only if the soil is poor, not heavy nitrogen feed.
Sow or transplant
Direct sow at the crop-specific depth and install supports for climbing varieties early.
What to monitor
Monitor slugs on seedlings, aphids on tender shoots and flower set in extreme heat.
When and how to harvest
Harvest when the edible part reaches the desired size and quality. Handle carefully and store promptly using methods suited to this crop.