chickpeas, soybeans, aduki beans and lentils

[the.fee.fairy]

I had a bag of sprouted things in the vewg box a couple of weeks ago, and then i get a new one on Tuesday.

I've poured the half a bag from 2 weeks ago on my vegetable patch.

However, in true Fee style, i have no idea how they'll grow, so i don't know whether to stake them as they get older, provide them something to climb, etc.

I know i could google it, but you guys have so much more experience, and generally have handy tips and hints from your personal experience that is so much more useful than reading the 'official' gardening advice.

[contadino]

I can tell you about soya and chickpeas, but not about the others I'm afraid.

We planted chickpeas in October and they're now maturing nicely. I expect they'll be ready towards the end of May. 3 in each hole about 30 cm apart, and about 50 cm between rows. They're fairly hardy but need sun and water to do well.

Soya is something we played with last year. They need as long a growing season as possible, so best to start them sooner rather than later. We bought them on in modules just to see if market-bought beans germinated. All of them did. If my memory serves me correctly, soya also fixes nitrogen.

Buona fortuna.

[the.fee.fairy]

marvellous!!

Not sure if these will grow - they're from a 'sprouted beans' pack.

Do you have to stake them or give them something to climb up?

[contadino]

Ceci don't need any support, they grow as little bushes. They soya will need supporting like a green bean.

I forgot to mention that there are two different types of ceci - fino and grande. We planted grande, but could also have planted fino in January. We actually went out and bought the seed but didn't have time to put them in the ground. Ho-hum!

[the.fee.fairy]

Thankyou

I haven't got a clue what type any of the beans are, i just threw them on the ground and watered them a bit.

[wulf]

I haven't got a clue what type any of the beans are, i just threw them on the ground and watered them a bit.

If they turn out to be magic beans, watch out for any giants at the top once they grow to full, cloudscraping size....

:naka:

Wulf

[the.fee.fairy]

ooh, i don't know..the giant might be good looking

[contadino]

Thankyou

I haven't got a clue what type any of the beans are, i just threw them on the ground and watered them a bit.

That's often the best way. Whenever I seem to come across anecdotes in gardening books, they always seem to start with a "The label on the seed packet was illegible so I just put them in some compost and..." or "I found a pod on a dusty shelf and threw it out on the compost heap and a year later I won gold at Chelsea".

[the.fee.fairy]

Haha, that would be ace:

'so, Ms Fairy - where did you raise the seed for this perfect specimen'
'....umm...i nearly ate it because it was a sprouted chickpea, but i decided to chuck it in the veg patch instead...'

[arachnid]

We grew chickpeas a few years back on the allotment. They grew beautifully and needed little support but the pods were empty. Don't know what happened there but the seed was just a handful of peas from the larder.

Soyabeans grow quite well here and can be harvested for edamame when green so no need to compost a crop too late for dried but when we grew them we bought seed designed for northern latitudes (Frisky something I think) which probably helped.

[the.fee.fairy]

Something is coming up. I think it might be the chickpeas - they look very pea-like.

Its quite exciting! All this random growing stuff!

[cat]

I want to see, fee!
Have you any pictures?

[the.fee.fairy]

Not at the moment, i'll try to take some tomorrow before i go to work.