botanical place is somewhere
between the bean and the pea.
They're tender annuals and
grow on a bushy plant, rather like
snap beans but they have a longer g r o w i n g season. Chick peas have puffy little pods that
contain one or t w o seeds each. In some areas they're g r o w n as a field crop as a f o o d for horses, but they're g o o d f o o d for people, t o o .
Where and when to grow
Chick peas are tender plants and can't tolerate much cold — a hard frost w i l l damage the immature beans. You can grow t h e m anywhere in the United States that has 90 to 100 frost-free days. Plant chick peas f r o m seed on the average date of last frost for your area.
How to plant
Choose a bed in full sunlight; chick peas tolerate partial shade, but partial shade tends to mean a partial y i e l d . Prepare the soil by mixing in a p o u n d of 5-10-10 fertilizer — d o n ' t use a high- nitrogen fertilizer, because t o o much nitrogen w i l l p r o m o t e g r o w t h of foliage but not of the pods. W o r k the fertilizer into the soil at the rate of one p o u n d per 100 square feet or 10
pounds per 1,000 square feet. The seeds may crack and germinate poorly w h e n the moisture content of the soil is t o o h i g h . D o n ' t soak the seeds before planting, and d o n ' t overwater immediately afterward. Plant seeds an inch deep and t w o inches apart in rows at least 18 to 24 inches apart. W h e n the seedlings are growing w e l l , t h i n the plants to four to six inches apart. Cut the seedlings w i t h scissors at g r o u n d level; be careful not to disturb the others.
They d o n ' t m i n d being a little c r o w d e d ; in fact, they'll use each other for support.
Fertilizing and watering Chick peas set up a mutual exchange w i t h soil
microorganisms called
nitrogen-fixing bacteria, w h i c h help t h e m produce their o w n fertilizer. Some gardeners
recommend that if you haven't grown beans in the plot the previous season, you should treat the seeds before planting w i t h a nitrogen-fixing bacteria inoculant to help them convert organic nitrogen c o m p o u n d s into usable organic c o m p o u n d s .
This is a perfectly acceptable practice but it isn't really necessary; the bacteria in the soil w i l l multiply quickly enough once they've got a growing plant t o w o r k w i t h .
Fertilize before planting and again at midseason, at the same rate as the rest of the garden. Detailed information on fertilizing is given in "Spadework: The Essential S o i l " in P a r t i .
Keep the soil moist until the chick peas have pushed t h r o u g h the g r o u n d . Water regularly if there's no rain, but remember that water on the flowers can cause the flowers and small pods to fall off. W h e n the soil temperature reaches 60°F you can mulch to conserve moisture.
Special handling
D o n ' t bother the plants w h e n they're wet or covered w i t h heavy d e w ; handling or brushing against them w h e n they're wet spreads fungus spores.
Cultivate thoroughly but w i t h care, so that you d o n ' t disturb the bean plants' shallow root systems.
Pests
Chick peas may be attacked by aphids, bean beetles, flea beetles, leafhoppers, and mites. Aphids, leafhoppers, and mites can be controlled chemically by spraying w i t h Malathion or Diazinon. Bean beetles and flea beetles can be controlled chemically by spraying w i t h carbaryl. Chick peas are almost always attacked by large
numbers of pests that cannot be controlled by organic methods. This doesn't mean the organic gardener can't grow t h e m , but yields may be lower if only organic controls are used. Detailed information on pest control is given in "Keeping Your Garden Healthy" i n P a r t i .
Diseases
Chick peas are susceptible to blight, mosaic, and anthracnose. You can cut d o w n on the
incidence of disease by planting disease-resistant varieties w h e n they're available, maintaining the general health of your garden, and avoiding handling the plants w h e n they're wet. If a plant does become infected, remove and destroy it so it cannot spread disease to healthy plants. Detailed information on disease
prevention is given in "Keeping Your Garden Healthy" in P a r t i .
When and how to harvest
If you want to eat t h e m raw, pick chick peas in the green shell or immature stage. For drying, harvest the chick peas w h e n the plants have matured and the leaves have turned completely b r o w n . At this time the seeds should be dry and hard — bite a couple of seeds; if you can hardly dent them they're properly dry and ready to harvest.
Storing and preserving Unshelled chick peas can be kept up to one week in the refrigerator. You can freeze, can, or dry the shelled chick peas, and they can also be sprouted. Dried shelled chick peas can be stored in a c o o l , dry place for 10 to 12 months. Detailed
information on storing and preserving is given in Part 3. Serving suggestions
Shelled chick peas can be steamed or boiled like peas, or roasted like peanuts. Vegetarian cooks often use chick peas w i t h grains as a protein-rich meat substitute. In the M i d d l e East they're pureed w i t h garlic, lemon juice, and spices.
Varieties
For chicory root: Brunswick; M a g d e b u r g ; Zealand. For Belgian endive: W i t l o o f .
Description
Chicory is a hardy perennial w i t h a l o n g , fleshy taproot and a flower stalk that rises f r o m a rosette of leaves. It looks much like a dandelion except that the flowers g r o w on a branched stalk and are pale blue.
Chicory is grown either for its root, w h i c h can be roasted to produce a coffee substitute, or for its tender leaf shoots, w h i c h are k n o w n as Belgian or blanched endive. This plant is not to be confused w i t h endive or
escarole, w h i c h are grown as salad greens. Both chicory and endive belong to the same family, and the names are often used
interchangeably, but they aren't the same plant. If you want to produce the chicory root or the Belgian endive, you g r o w
chicory (Cichorium intybus) — you can eat the leaves, but that's not w h y you're g r o w i n g the variety. If you're g r o w i n g specifically for greens, you g r o w endive (Cichorium endivia).
Chicory has t w o stages of development. The first produces the harvestable root. In the Common names: chicory,
w i t l o o f , French endive, Belgian endive, succory
Botanical name: Cichorium intybus