How Long Does It Take for Chickpeas to Grow?

Reaching Maturity

• With a bushy, upright growth habit, the chickpea produces 1-inch pods, each containing one to two seeds. Eaten when green, the leaves make a tasty addition to salads and the beans can be eaten raw. Both are ready in 60 to 65 days. Allowing the plant to mature to a dried food crop takes more time -- anywhere from 95 to 115 days. Families in rural India also harvest the malic acid exuded by the plants, using it in place of vinegar and as a medicine. Wrapping the plant’s hairy stems and leaves in cloth overnight, the acid is wrung from the fabric the next morning. This same acid causes skin irritation in some people.

Cultivars

• Chickpeas come in two basic types, the smaller-seeded desi and the larger-seeded kabuli. Both types are ready to pick as green beans in 60 to 65 days. Find a cultivar suited to your area, selecting seeds resistant to blight, anthracnose, and mosaic. “Desi Chickpea” produces small, angular beans in about 100 days. They are dark brown in color and good for grinding into Basal flour. Maturing in 95 to 115 days, “Black Kabuli” produces deep-black, medium-sized round beans with a nutty flavor great in hummus. Smaller “Winnifred’s Garbanzo” is extremely hardy and dependable, typically yielding 300 seeds on each plant in about 100 days. “Garbanzo Dry Bean” is ready to pick in roughly 100 days, withstanding drought but not the weather extremes of a northern climate.

Growing Tips

• In nearly every area of the United States, sow chickpeas in the late spring when daytime temperatures are at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit and nighttime temperatures remain above 65 degrees F. Cooler weather negatively impacts germination, which typically takes place in 10 days. The only exception to this guideline is the Southwest, where garbanzo seed should be sown from mid-September to mid-February. Select a site with full sun, loosening the soil and working in at least 2 inches of compost. Sow seeds 1 1/2 inches deep, 3 to 6 inches apart, thinning to 6 inches when the seedlings are at least 2 inches tall. Allow 18 to 24 inches between rows. Maintain even soil moisture during germination, watering regularly until flowering ends. Mulch to conserve moisture, tucking compost around the plants 45 to 50 days after the seedlings emerge. Weed carefully to avoid disturbing the shallow root system.

Harvesting Dry Chickpeas

• Stop watering the plants once flowering stops and seed-setting starts. In more arid regions, allow the seeds to dry on the plant. They are ready for harvest when the pods turn crispy. If you live in a wetter area, or the weather turns rainy before the seeds mature, pull the entire plants up. Hang them in a warm area out of the sun, protecting them from rodents. For a few days, the seeds will continue maturing, improving your harvest. Thresh the dry pods, minimizing skin contact with the leaves and stems. To thresh, place the pods in a pillow case, tie it shut, and run a rolling pin over the surface to separate the seeds from the pods. Freeze the seeds at 0 degrees F or lower for at least five days to kill any bean weevils which might have laid eggs in the pods.