Peanuts are popular legumes grown worldwide as a staple food and well worth the effort. Rachel Garcia provides an in-depth guide to growing and harvesting these delicious legumes. Where would the world be without peanuts? They’re such a popular food that we doubt the culinary universe would be the same. Knowing how to grow peanuts should be an absolute necessity, as we eat them in practically everything – sandwiches, salads, sauces, and desserts. Raw peanuts are roasted, boiled, pureed, and turned into oil. They’re ubiquitous!
For such a popular food, the peanut plant is a bit underrepresented in the home garden. This is a shame because it’s actually really easy to grow. By planting peanuts in your garden, not only are you able to make some yummy homemade peanut butter, but you’ll also be taking part in the lengthy history of growing peanuts.
To help you get started, we’ll share everything we know about peanuts: how to grow them, harvest them, and even feast on them.What are Peanuts?
As you can guess by its name, peanuts are part of the pea family. They are not, however, nuts. Arachis hypogaea is actually a legume, making this species more closely related to soybeans than pecans.
The domesticated peanut plant is about five to six thousand years old, dating back to at least 3000 BC. It slowly made its way from Central and South America around the globe, used for food, folk medicine, and manufactured goods like fabric. Its popularity rose not just because of its delicious taste, but also its agricultural uses. The peanut plant adds nitrogen to the soil, which makes it excellent for efficient and sustainable cultivation. In the US, peanut crops were thought to be preferable to cotton. This idea was promoted by George Washington Carver, an African-American agriculturist, in the 1920s and 30s. He even made a list of over 300 products that can be made from peanuts, many of which he invented. This list ranges from foods to cosmetics to gasoline. Today, Carver is often regarded as the father of the modern peanut industry.
Since then, peanuts have become a significant part of US history. They became a popular crop across the southern US. This notably increased when Jimmy Carter, a former peanut farmer, became President. Today, most of the world’s peanuts are produced in China, but you can still grow them in your backyard.Peanuts love the warm weather and have a long growing season. Because of this, they have to be grown as annuals in the majority of the US, which is the common cultivation practice. We’re sure you know what peanuts look like, but what does the plant add to your garden’s aesthetic? It’s actually a pretty generic-looking plant, at least above the soil. It grows bushy, light-green leaves close to the ground. Each plant typically reaches only one to just under two feet tall.
How a peanut grows is pretty interesting. From July to September, the plant grows yellow and orange flowers. Once a flower is pollinated, a stem, called a peg, grows from it, drooping downwards and burying itself in the soil. Through it, the fertilized ovules travel from flower to ground and develop into pods that contain one to three seeds (the peanuts) each. This growing method, called geocarpy, sounds unique, but there are actually a few hundred legume species that develop this way. Since the peanut seeds grow underground, they’ve been nicknamed groundnuts or earthnuts. You may also hear them referred to as grassnuts or goobers. In Britain, they’re even called monkeynuts, a term stemming from zoo visitors feeding peanuts to the monkeys.
Planting
Small peanut seeds germinating in moist soil with small green leaves emerging from the ground. You can plant the peanut with or without the shell. Since they demand such a long growing season, you’ll need to take precautions if you live up north. Choose an early variety of peanuts for planting and start it indoors about six to eight weeks before the last frost. You’ll want to get your peanut seeds from a supplier or save your own. While you can plant peanuts from the grocery ones meant for eating, this isn’t a very reliable method.
Whether it’s a transplant or direct sow, plant outdoors three weeks after the last frost. The soil must be at least 60°F (16°C) at this time. Bury the seeds one to two inches deep and twenty-four to thirty-six inches apart. If you’re planting rows, space them at least seventy-two inches apart.
Plant the peanut with or without the shell as long as each seed still has its papery covering, which may be necessary for germination. Optionally, you may soak the seeds overnight to jump start germination. They only take a week or two to germinate but peanuts grow slowly after that.
Add a mulch to the soil once the seedlings are half a foot tall. This will help lock in moisture and keep the weeds under control. When you add it, try to gently loosen the soil around the plants, making it easier for the pegs to penetrate it.
Once planted, it will be 100-150 days until harvest, depending on the variety. You can expect to see flowers in six to eight weeks, after which you can observe the extraordinary growing process!