Growing legumes

[Stefanie O'Brien]

Hi, has anyone had any experience growing legumes like lentils or chickpeas or soya beans in Auckland, or even NZ? Does anyone know where I could get (organic) seeds? Are they pretty similar to sweet peas, broad beans etc to grow?
Cheers, Stefanie

[Kate and Olly]

Hello Stefanie,
I buy organic lentils and chickpeas to grow as sprouts from Kings seeds but I have never grown them any other way. From reading up about them you are right you do sow them like sweet peas and broad beans. I did find this link on YouTube, and I think I will try to grow them too.
Not many lentils per pod though !
Koanga Gardens do grow out soya beans but they do not appear to be for sale at the moment i will let you know if I ever see them for sale.
Sorry I hope this helps.
Kate

[Stefanie O'Brien]

Thanks Kate, will look at the youtube link. Have to do a bit of proper research I think, no-one on Oooby or NZvegefamilies that I also belong to seems to have grown themselves. Will let you know hos I go. Where do you live btw? Cheers, Stefanie
Kate and Olly said:

Hello Stefanie,
I buy organic lentils and chickpeas to grow as sprouts from Kings seeds but I have never grown them any other way. From reading up about them you are right you do sow them like sweet peas and broad beans. I did find this link on YouTube, and I think I will try to grow them too.
Not many lentils per pod though !
Koanga Gardens do grow out soya beans but they do not appear to be for sale at the moment i will let you know if I ever see them for sale.
Sorry I hope this helps.
Kate

[Kate and Olly]

Hello Stefanie,

I'm in Devonport. I have just ordered Amaranth seeds this spring and I am going to try them this year for breakfast cereal. I am also quite interested in Quinoa but both would require quite a large area so I will restrict myself to one type. I'll let you know how I get on. I would be keen to hear how your legumes work out.

Kate

Stefanie O'Brien said:

Thanks Kate, will look at the youtube link. Have to do a bit of proper research I think, no-one on Oooby or NZvegefamilies that I also belong to seems to have grown themselves. Will let you know hos I go. Where do you live btw? Cheers, Stefanie
Kate and Olly said:

Hello Stefanie,
I buy organic lentils and chickpeas to grow as sprouts from Kings seeds but I have never grown them any other way. From reading up about them you are right you do sow them like sweet peas and broad beans. I did find this link on YouTube, and I think I will try to grow them too.
Not many lentils per pod though !
Koanga Gardens do grow out soya beans but they do not appear to be for sale at the moment i will let you know if I ever see them for sale.
Sorry I hope this helps.
Kate

[Samantha Freeman]

There is some information in the latest 'get growing' email from NZ gardener. Do you get those? Any way here it is:

"1. Grow chickpeas. If you've ever wanted to make your own homegrown hummus by sowing chickpeas, here's your chance. Chickpea seed is hard to get hold of because the chickpeas sold in bulk in supermarkets have been heat-treated before they are allowed to be imported here. As far as we're aware, you can't buy chickpea seeds in any garden centres, although Kings Seeds have a 'Stir-fry combo' bag of mixed seed in their sprout range which includes chickpeas... if you can be bothered picking them out to sow separately! We rang Kings Seeds to ask if they sold chickpea seeds but they don't... however we've managed to twist their arm to get 50 packets of seed to give away in Get Growing this week. If you'd like to go in the draw, just send an email with 'Chickpeas' in the subject line. We'll announce the winners in the next newsletter. *Please supply a postal address on your entry!
Chickpeas take up to four months from sowing to produce harvestable pods. They like full sun and free-draining soil that's rich in organic matter (but not too high in nitrogen). Allow 5-8 plants per person to have enough to go around. Plants should be spaced at least 20cm apart. Avoid watering from overhead as this can knock the flowers off. Pods can be picked when immature and green - eat them while fresh like beans or peas. For dried chickpeas, you'll need to harvest the whole plant. Wait until the leaves have withered and turned brown, place the plant on a flat, warm surface and allow the pods to dry. Collect the seed as the pods split open. Seeds that barely dent when bitten are sufficiently dry to store. Unshelled fresh chickpeas will keep for one week in the fridge. Dried, shelled chickpeas will keep in a cool, dry place for up to a year. Chickpeas can also be frozen, canned, or sprouted. I particularly love to sprout them because they taste nutty in salads and they're ready to eat within a week. "

[Stefanie O'Brien]

Wow, thanks heaps Samantha, thats exactly what I need. I don't get NZ gardener emails, but my mother gets the magazine, so I'll try to remember to enter. But actually it is possible to buy nonheat treated chickpeas, because I sprout them. Most supermarkets have nonheat treated in their bulk bins. I imagine I'd just need to soak and maybe sprout and then plant?SO I'll go from there I guess.
Cheers, Stefanie

Samantha Freeman-Turner said:

There is some information in the latest 'get growing' email from NZ gardener. Do you get those? Any way here it is:

"1. Grow chickpeas. If you've ever wanted to make your own homegrown hummus by sowing chickpeas, here's your chance. Chickpea seed is hard to get hold of because the chickpeas sold in bulk in supermarkets have been heat-treated before they are allowed to be imported here. As far as we're aware, you can't buy chickpea seeds in any garden centres, although Kings Seeds have a 'Stir-fry combo' bag of mixed seed in their sprout range which includes chickpeas... if you can be bothered picking them out to sow separately! We rang Kings Seeds to ask if they sold chickpea seeds but they don't... however we've managed to twist their arm to get 50 packets of seed to give away in Get Growing this week. If you'd like to go in the draw, just send an email with 'Chickpeas' in the subject line. We'll announce the winners in the next newsletter. *Please supply a postal address on your entry!
Chickpeas take up to four months from sowing to produce harvestable pods. They like full sun and free-draining soil that's rich in organic matter (but not too high in nitrogen). Allow 5-8 plants per person to have enough to go around. Plants should be spaced at least 20cm apart. Avoid watering from overhead as this can knock the flowers off. Pods can be picked when immature and green - eat them while fresh like beans or peas. For dried chickpeas, you'll need to harvest the whole plant. Wait until the leaves have withered and turned brown, place the plant on a flat, warm surface and allow the pods to dry. Collect the seed as the pods split open. Seeds that barely dent when bitten are sufficiently dry to store. Unshelled fresh chickpeas will keep for one week in the fridge. Dried, shelled chickpeas will keep in a cool, dry place for up to a year. Chickpeas can also be frozen, canned, or sprouted. I particularly love to sprout them because they taste nutty in salads and they're ready to eat within a week. "

[Lisa L]

I grew soy beans last year and ate them as edamame beans ( immature soy beans) I just used sprouting seeds from huckleberry farms. Couldn't be sure they were GE free so trying a different seed source this year. I live in Sandringham and they were easy to grow want to try chickpeas next time.

[Diane SQ]

As far as I know, places like Ceres and Huckleberry farm, would ensure that all organic food is also GE free. You should be able to sprout their pulses without too much problem. Worth a try, although growing conditions from the original country may be quite different from the NZ ones.