Chickpea (chana)

Cicer arietinum

A cool-season crop sown after the monsoon; the young greens are eaten too.

Type: herb or perennial · annual vegetables, herbs and grains
Hardiness: zones 4 to 11
Light: full sun
Size: about 2 ft tall, 1 ft wide
Harvest: April to June
From: Turkey and the Levant; India's staple pulse
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.

Good for: food, fixing nitrogen in the soil.

Native to: South & Southeast Asian tropics, Sahara & Arabian deserts, Mediterranean. Hardy in zones 4 to 11.

The story

Chickpeas were domesticated in Turkey 9,000 years ago and became India's staple pulse, chana, in a hundred forms from dal to besan flour; the Romans ate them by the handful and Cicero's name means chickpea. It is sown after the monsoon and ripens on winter dew.

Planting

Full sun, drained soil, and a cool, dry season; sow seed directly in early spring in cold climates or autumn in mild ones, an inch deep, 4 inches apart.

Growing

Water little; too much rots the roots. No feeding. It stands light frost and dislikes humidity.

Harvest and use

Pick green pods for fresh chana in late spring, or let plants dry and pull them for dried chickpeas. Young leaves are a cooked green.

What to watch for

Ascochyta blight and pod borer; wet weather at flowering.

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More annual vegetables, herbs and grains

General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home