Ever wonder if it's possible to grow your own chickpea plants from dried store-bought chickpeas?

It absolutely is! With a few caveats...

chickpeas dried garbanzo on brown paper organic
Growing your own organic chickpeas is not only rewarding, but their versatility and high protein content make them a great pantry staple after harvest

How Do Chickpeas Grow?

Chickpeas are in the legume family, Fabaceae, and have a bushing growth habit.

They prefer a long, warm growing season that's not too hot nor too cold.

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Chickpea Days From Seed to Harvest

Chickpeas take anywhere from 90-130 days from seed to harvest depending on variety and climate. The UV intensity here in the Sonoran Desert often reduces this time to 90 days or less.

Still, 90 days is longer than either shoulder season in Southern Arizona. Similar to cucumbers which require a long warm season, these types of crops can be difficult to grow in Tucson.

To counteract this, start your chickpeas indoors or in a greenhouse for a minimum of 4 weeks.

The longer they can spend in the comfort of the greenhouse (in late-winter) or indoors under grow lights (in late-summer) the more time you can shave off their season.

A 90 day chickpea started indoors on August 1st can spend 8 cool weeks in air conditioning, go out into the field October 1, and yield chickpeas all through November until the frost.

A 100 day chickpea started in the greenhouse mid-February can spend 6 weeks in before going out into the field at the end of March as the frost risk fades.

Bean pods will be ready for harvest in May and can continue to produce into June depending on water availability and soil quality.



Can You Plant Dried Chickpeas?

Chickpea Growing Conditions

Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans need warm weather, but are not a hot season crop.

Garbanzos do best in temps between 70F and 80F, with nights in the 50's and 60's.

They barely tolerate any frost, but fare a little better with a bit of heat than a bit of frost.

In Tucson, that makes them a spring and (sometimes) fall crop.

Growing Chickpeas From Dried Store-Bought

Sourcing

You can buy organic dried chickpeas from any grocery store, as well as online.

Germinating

  1. Grab your dried chickpeas of choice
  2. Put the chickpeas in a jar
  3. Add enough filtered water to fully submerge the chickpeas
  4. Put a lid on and leave them to soak for 24 hours
  5. Drain the water
  6. Rinse off the chickpeas in a colander
  7. Put the chickpeas back in the jar (they should still be moist)
  8. Put a piece of cheesecloth or paper towel over the lid, and secure with a band or rubberband. This will allow airflow
  9. Make sure the chickpeas stay moist for a few days as you wait for them to sprout. Mist with water or add a few splashed of water and tip the jar to get all the chickpeas moist
  10. Once the chickpeas grow tails, they're ready to plant!

Planting