Shallot “Læsøstammen” and chickpea “Assyriska bruna kikärter från Besvirino byn” (right)
Today I sowed the first seeds outdoor, and set the shallots. They are both impatient to go into the soil. If waiting much longer, the shallots will grow smaller, end the chickpeas will mould in their pods. But the soil get depressed (compressed) by me trotting on it. Soil is winter wet, behaving like pot-makers clay if I work it. Then become too hard for roots or worms to penetrate. Thus I’m very cautious when working in the garden in march. I dare not dig, just scratch a little, barely enough to get down the shallot sets and chickpea seeds.
On Læsøstammen shallot I know it was grown on the little isolated island Læsø in 1946. At that time the shallot producers started to gather all shallots from grower, and mix them, before selling or replanting. Only Læsø was not part of that, because of the transport expenses. It has been grown by three generations of farmers on the island since then.
“Kroghs skalotteløg” is another shallot I set today. All was set, no left for the photo.
Chickpeas are easy to grow in Denmark, BUT it’s difficult to harvest good seeds 😦
Most seeds moulds just before ripening in autumn. For several years I could harvest no more than I needed for next years sowing. Since I started sowing in late march problems with mould are less pronounced. But I still don’t get a bumper harvest.
“Assyriska bruna kikärter från Besvirino byn” I got from a refugee living in Sweden. He lived in a south-eastern mountain village in Turkey. Inhabitants were an Assyrian Christian minority, suffering from the conflict between Turks and Kurds.
In the toad's garden 
March 30, 2010 at 21:36
The problem I always have with chickpeas in Amsterdam is weeds. The plants are really good nitrogen fixers, but don’t provide much ground cover. I’m impressed, I’ve never been able to get seeds.
For me lentils are the same. Have you ever grown lentils?
March 31, 2010 at 21:20
I’ve tried to grown lentils a few times, but 30 years ago. Never got a notable harvest.
And you are right – weeds flourish around chickpeas and lentils.
I plan to grow soya beans this summer, as I saw a nice stout row with a heavy crop of pods, in a garden last summer. I hope to eat them green steamed as edamame, in company with a nice beer. It’s the variety Fiskeby, bred in Sweden.
April 5, 2010 at 20:57
I have grown chickpeas in rows alternating with rows of lettuce planted as modules at the same time of sowing the chickpeas. Weeds cured!
Birds ate the chickpeas though, so I have not grown them again.
April 8, 2010 at 14:20
Those are wonderful looking shallots! I am always jealous of the great variety of things you can obtain to grow there. In the US it often feels like we have innumerable tomato varieties and precious little else. I look forward to seeing what other unique vegetables you will show us next.