How Peanuts Grow?

Don’t Look UP

You can stand under a pecan tree, chestnut tree, walnut tree or various other types of nut-bearing trees and see the nuts waiting to fall to the ground. You’ll have to look under the ground or just at the surface of the ground to find peanuts. Peanuts grow underground because they are legumes rather than nuts. Legumes such as peanuts, numerous types of beans and chickpeas produce fruit in the form of seed pods.

Growing the Peanut Plant

The peanut plant has roots, pegs and peanut pods under the surface of the ground. Above ground, it has leaves and flowers. In the areas of the United States where peanuts are grown, farmers plant peanuts kernels after the last frost. The typical planting time is April and May. Soil temperatures need to be in the 65 to 70 degrees range when the kernels are planted.

Peanut seedlings pop out of the ground approximately ten days after the kernels are planted. It takes about 40 days for the yellow flowers to appear. After pollination, the petals fall off. Once that happens, a process referred to as pegging occurs. It’s during this process that the peanut is formed.

Peanuts are revered for their sustainability. It requires a lot less water to grow peanuts than it does to grow pecans, walnuts, almonds and various other nuts. Peanut plants generally need 1 to 2 inches of rain per week during the development period. If there isn’t enough rain to provide that amount of water, farmers use an irrigation system to assure the plants have a sufficient amount of water to grow and thrive.

Patience Required

Growing peanuts is not a quick event. It takes around 140 to 150 days from planting time to harvest. The harvesting process must be done when conditions are conducive to digging. The soil can’t be too wet or too dry. A digger pulls the plants from the ground, shakes them gently then lays them back on top of the ground. Typically, the peanuts are left to dry or cure for 2 to 3 days before the next step of harvesting occurs. The next step is done with a piece of machinery called a combine. This machine separates the peanuts from the vines. The peanuts are then placed into peanut wagons to undergo a curing process.

Hobby Planting

Peanuts can be grown in a small garden area or in containers on a patio or balcony. The same temperature considerations and last frost date apply to a hobby crop of peanuts as those required for large-scale peanut production. Growing peanuts in containers is no different than growing any other type of container plant. Be sure to use good quality soil, place the container where the plant gets proper lighting and water the plant properly.