How to Grow Peanuts: 6 Steps for Growing Peanut Plants

The peanut plant (Arachis hypogaea) produces peanuts, also known as groundnuts; peanuts are a type of legume like lentils and chickpeas. The entire plant can spread horizontally or grow between six and thirty inches tall. Peanuts will sprout self-pollinating yellow flowers that burrow a few inches into the ground to produce seeds. These seeds or “pegs” will form clusters of growing peanuts that grow in size until they are ready for harvesting.

Before you plant peanuts in your vegetable garden, understand that each variety has different temperature and sunlight requirements for healthy plant growth during a long growing season. Learn about these four popular peanut plant options:

1. 1. Runner peanuts: This peanut variety is most common in the manufacturing of peanut butter. Runner peanuts have a uniform shape, high yield, and clustering pattern. These characteristics make them the perfect candidate for commercial production and roasting. Similar to Virginia peanuts, Runner peanuts require at least 130 frost-free days for proper germination.
   
2. 2. Spanish peanuts: This peanut hails from South America. Growers harvested it in Brazil as early as the eighteenth century. These brownish to red-skinned peanuts with a high oil content are a staple in mixed nut products and nut butter formulas. Growing Spanish peanuts requires three to four months of warm weather.
3. 3. Valencia peanuts: These peanuts yield three to four kernels per shell. Valencia peanuts are distinctively sweet and red-skinned. The Valencia growing season is one of the shortest, at only three to four months with consistent sunlight and high soil temperatures.
   
4. 4. Virginia peanuts: Out of the many popular types of peanuts, the Virginia peanut grows most widely. The jumbo peanut pods produce a high yield that you can roast and salt in the shell for a bold and classic peanut flavor. Virginia peanuts will take up to 150 days of direct sunlight to germinate.

Growing peanuts is a relatively low-maintenance gardening task, but you can follow some important steps to produce the best results.

1. 1. Select a growing location with direct sunlight. You will need to locate the plants in raised garden beds or an area of your garden that will receive months of consistent sunlight. If you live in a region where the last frost of the year extends into the peanut growing season, you can get a head start by potting seeds in a potting soil container near a window.
2. 2. Purchase peanut seeds from a garden center. Although raw peanuts from a grocery store could be viable to produce peanut plants, the best chance you have for a high-yield crop will come from seeds you purchase at your local garden center. Purchasing your seeds from a garden center decreases the likelihood that a provider treated your seeds for human consumption versus for planting.
3. 3. Remove the kernels from their shells. Gently remove the kernels from their hard, outer shells and take care to not disturb the protective skin surrounding the kernel.
4. 4. Plant the kernels in well-draining soil. Place the kernels in rows spaced approximately three feet apart. Use your finger to make small holes in the soil roughly two inches deep. As you work down each row, ensure you maintain six-inch spacing between each kernel.
5. 5. Maintain adequate soil moisture. Peanut plants thrive in a sandy soil that drains well and maintains moisture. Water the peanut plants regularly to keep the soil moist but not to the point of making the soil muddy or soggy. Since peanuts are nitrogen-fixing plants, meaning they produce their own nitrogen, they will enhance the soil fertility for other plants growing nearby.
6. 6. Surround the plant with excess soil and mulch. Once the plants have matured to one foot tall in height, you can surround the plant with small hills of soil or use composted organic matter as mulch. These hills will prevent weeds from sprouting up around the plant and give the burrowing pegs an easy transition into the soil to seed. You can add further protection to your peanut plants by amending your native soil with calcium and gypsum to promote healthy growth.

Depending on when you planted your peanut seeds, you can expect to begin harvesting peanuts in late summer or early fall. The soil should be dry when you pull the clusters from the ground, so refrain from watering the soil about two weeks before harvesting. Gently pull a couple “test plants” from various locations of your garden to inspect the clusters and confirm that your peanuts have fully matured. Matured seeds should have dry and veined shells filled with kernels. Shake off any excess dirt and hang the peanut clusters for about a week to cure. Once they have cured, you can wash the seeds and remove them from the foliage. Let your peanuts dry and cure for another week, and they will be ready for you to eat, raw or roasted.

In the United States, growing peanut plants in a home garden for personal consumption will not attract legal ramifications. However, commercial growers in states that require a license, like Georgia or Virginia, will need to purchase and sell their seeds to the letter of the law. Since patent or intellectual property laws protect certain peanut varieties, it is important to understand these laws if you aim to sell your peanut seeds or peanut butter. These laws can be nuanced depending on the variations between county and state, so consult your local agricultural authorities to avoid possible monetary penalties.

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