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If you’ve ever wondered how to grow peanuts or why the average home gardener would even want to, you’re in the right place—and you’re in for a treat. Peanuts are easy to grow, tasty, and protein-packed. What’s more, they’re not only good for you, but they’re also good for your soil. Much more than a garden novelty, peanuts are practical and prolific. They can be eaten fresh out of the pod, pounded into peanut butter, or otherwise preserved for the long haul. Best of all, individual plants can yield as many as 40 to 50 pods each. In this article you’ll learn all about how to grow peanuts.
Meet the peanut
Hailing from South America, the peanut (Arachis hypogaea) isn’t technically a nut like pecans or walnuts, but instead, peanuts are legumes like peas or beans which develop as seeds inside pods. If you live in a warm climate with a long growing season, you’re well-positioned to grow your own peanuts, since it can take four or five months for peanut plants to fully mature. Live somewhere with a shorter growing season? That’s OK. Some types, like Early Spanish and Valencia, develop more quickly than others, and there are ways to compensate for fewer frost-free days, too.
Why grow your own peanuts
From tomatoes to turnips—and most other crops, including peanuts—homegrown simply tastes better! For a crisp, slightly starchy taste, you can eat freshly harvested peanuts raw. You can also dry them for longterm storage or play with different flavor profiles and roast them. Growing peanuts in the home garden can also improve your soil. That’s because bacteria living on the peanut plant’s root nodules are able to pull nitrogen from the air and subsequently make this essential nutrient available within the soil. As a result, peanut plants can “fix” their own nitrogen.
The unique way peanuts grow
In a sense, you could say that peanuts plant themselves. Initially, the plants put out clover-like foliage and attractive, yellow flowers. Each yellow flower self-pollinates, after which its petals fall off and the flower’s now-fertilized ovary grows much larger. Next, the plant’s fertilized ovaries dangle down from flexible stems. (In peanut parlance, these stems are called “pegs.”) Eventually, the pegs contact the soil and the peanut pods—and the peanuts contained inside—develop underground.
For more information on how to grow peanuts, watch this video:
Types of peanuts to grow
If you live as far south as Georgia or Florida, you can grow many different types of peanuts to maturity. If you live somewhere with a shorter growing season, your choices are more limited. According to the American Peanut Shellers Association, 75 percent of all U.S.-grown peanuts are “runner types.” Another 21 percent are Virginia peanuts. Spanish and Valencia peanuts round out the list.
Known for their high yields, runners are usually grown commercially to make peanut butter while Virginias like Jumbo Virginia become snacking nuts. And, because they’re very sweet, Spanish and Valencia types are sometimes included in peanut candy. A couple to try include Early Spanish—best for short growing seasons—and Tennessee Red Valencia.
Decided on a type? Then it’s time to determine where, when, and how to grow peanuts in your own vegetable garden.
The best site for growing peanuts
A large part of how to grow peanuts successfully is good site selection and preparation. You’ll need a sunny spot, one that offers 8 to 10 hours of direct light each day. Plus, your soil should be lightweight and well-draining with a soil pH that’s neutral to somewhat alkaline. Live in a cool climate? Use plastic sheeting to warm up the soil earlier or plant in a raised bed. To ensure sufficient nutrients, I amend my soil with an inch of compost or rotted manure prior to planting as well as an organic vegetable fertilizer.
When to plant peanuts
What’s just as important as understanding how to grow peanuts? Knowing the best time to plant them, of course. Sow seeds once your soil temperatures are consistently warm and your average last frost date has passed. In some locations, this could be as early as April or well into May.
In short season climates, like my zone 5 garden, it’s a good idea to get a head start by sowing the seeds indoors 4 to 5 weeks before the last spring frost date. I plant them in cell packs or soil blocks and keep them beneath my grow lights. Once the threat of frost has passed, I harden off the seedlings and move them to my raised beds or containers.
How to grow peanuts in garden beds
Peanut seeds intended for planting typically come unshelled and may include paper-like skins. Leave these protective skins on and plant seeds about two inches deep and at least 10 inches apart. Leave about one foot in between each row of peanuts to accommodate the size of the plants at maturity.
Caring for peanut plants
Now that you know more about when and how to grow peanuts, you can dig into the longterm care of your seedlings. Provide an inch to one-and-a-half inches of water per week. Also, once plants are 10 to 12 inches tall, add soil around their bases (as you would for potatoes) to provide extra room for developing peanut pods. Then add a light mulch of leaves, straw, or grass clippings to suppress weeds and lock in moisture and humidity levels.
How to harvest homegrown peanuts
It’s one thing to know how to grow peanuts, but what about harvesting? When plants start to die back in late summer or early fall, it’s time. To harvest, allow soil to dry out thoroughly and then gently pull each plant out of the ground. You can use a garden fork to help lift the plants from the earth. Carefully remove clumps of soil and leave plants hanging in a dry, sheltered location for at least a week.
Drying the seeds
After the initial curing time has passed, brush away any remaining soil and, again, hang in a dry, sheltered location for another couple of weeks. (Psst! Make sure that mice, chipmunks, and other critters can’t squirrel away your peanuts during curing.) Finally, separate peanuts from plant vines. You can pluck them off with your hands or use garden snips. Finish drying peanuts in a 350-degree F (176 degree C) oven.
More tips on how to grow peanuts
Besides the basics on how to grow peanuts, here are some extra tips to ensure high yields. Once peanuts begin flowering, boost calcium with a gypsum-based fertilizer. Also, watch for pests like aphids, whiteflies and other foliage-damaging insects. Hand-pick to eliminate small infestations or apply insecticidal soap for larger outbreaks.
Crunch time
Remember, when considering how to grow peanuts in your part of the world, you should choose a peanut variety that’s best-suited to the length of your specific growing season. Including runners, Virginias, Spanish, and Valencias, there are four distinct peanut types and many different varieties within those types. (In northern regions, your best bets are Early Spanish or Valencia peanuts, because they mature more quickly than most other peanuts.)
If you have a warm, sunny garden bed containing lightweight, well-draining soil, then you can succeed with peanuts. Equal parts botanical curiosity, soil improver, and personal nutrition powerhouse, they’re decidedly worthwhile.
For more information on growing legumes in your garden, check out these awesome articles:
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