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The widely consumed peanuts are actually the underground seeds of a tropical legume plant related to beans and peas, not nuts at all. Furthermore, peanuts have a very unusual way of growing. While the fruit and its seeds develop at the ends of live branches called "pegs," which grow down into the ground, the yellow flowers conventionally bloom above the ground. You can call the fruit that develops at the tips of these pegs peanut clusters.
You can try growing peanuts indoors, even though they typically grow in warmer locations and have a lengthy growth season. People typically harvest these annuals in the early fall and plant them from seeds (shelled peanuts) in the spring after the last frost. You can produce edible peanuts after up to 150 days and harvest early-maturing types in less than 100 frost-free days.
How To Plant Peanuts? Tips
Planting
Peanuts thrive on sandy, deep, loose soil. In the spring, till the soil to a depth of 8–12 inches. Make sure the soil is loose and light, break up any clouds, and till in compost or other organic materials. Peanuts prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil pH (between 6 and 6.5). You must add lime to your soil if it is overly acidic; otherwise, peanuts won't turn out as well.
When To Plant Peanuts?
Traditionally, One can plant them a few weeks after the typical last frost date, which occurs in April or May, when the soil is warm and moist—when soil temperatures reach 25° to 27°C.
Selecting an early-maturing variety, like "Early Spanish" (100 days), and planting them on a south-facing slope, if at all feasible, are the keys to growing them successfully in the North. Another way to start the season early is to sow peanuts indoors and wait five to eight weeks before transplanting them outside.
Where Can You Plant Peanuts?
- Choosing a location that receives full sun is crucial.
- Use plastic row covers to protect young seedlings from spring frosts.
How To Plant Peanuts?
If you want to produce peanuts, start with fresh, raw, uncooked peanuts in their shells.
Plant the peanuts outside by two inches deep. If you are planting in rows, sow five shells per foot. Make sure to space the rows at least 20 inches apart.
If you're starting early inside, fill a large plastic bowl four inches deep and two-thirds full with moist potting soil. After shelling four peanuts, arrange them atop the soil and add an inch of soil. Plants germinate rapidly when there is no longer a risk of frost, transplant seedlings outside.
Taking Care Of Peanut Plants
- Water is essential to the cultivation of peanuts. After planting, keep the soil damp to promote germination. Avoid wetting the foliage, and only water the soil.
- Fertilisation is not necessary for peanuts, though it may cause burns. However, it is recommended to inoculate the peanut seeds with a bacterial inoculant, available at seed stores, prior to planting.
- The plant will germinate five to ten days after sowing. Gently till the dirt around the plants until it is loose enough for the pegs to pass through when they are six inches tall. After that, cover them with two inches of straw or grass clippings and hill them like potatoes.
- For the first forty days, the plant will continue to grow fairly slowly. It takes 25 to 40 days for it to flower.
- Watering the plant is, therefore, essential during the 60–110-day period while the pegs are in the soil and the pods are developing. However, cease watering two weeks to ten days prior to harvest.
Peanut Harvesting
There are a few telltale signals in late summer or early fall that indicate when peanuts are ready for harvest. Yellowed foliage is the most evident, but you should also carefully examine a few pods you remove from the ground. The majority of pods have a darkened interior surface, and ready-to-harvest pods have the characteristic veined surface and coloured seed coatings. The soil needs to be dry when harvesting peanuts.
- To remove extra soil, carefully shake the plant after pulling it completely from the ground or digging it up.
- Place the plants and peanuts together in a well-ventilated, dry, and warm area.
- Give them a week or so to heal.
- Shake the dirt from the pods after they've cured.
- Take the peanuts off of the stems.
- Give the peanuts another week or two to air dry.
Repotting And Potting
Put three seeds in the centre of a pot filled with potting mix, then water to moisten the planting area. The pot needs to have drainage holes, and it must be measured between 18 and 20 inches in width and depth. Place it in a location with full sun and enough water to keep the soil continuously moist but not soggy. Select the healthiest plant and thin out the other two when the seedlings are 4 to 6 inches tall. Since peanuts are an annual plant, you will need to transplant them every spring.
Typical Plant Diseases And Pests
Many pests and diseases can harm peanuts, but hungry squirrels, mice, and chipmunks can be particularly problematic. Insects that feed on leaves can include caterpillars and armyworms. Leaf spot, rust, blight, and viral infections are common ailments. For assistance in determining what is causing the plants' harm, consult your nearby university extension office. Additionally, they will recommend the best treatments for the illnesses.
The nice thing about peanuts is that they require little maintenance. In fact, they may grow in poor soil because they are nitrogen-fixing plants, which means they supply nitrogen to the soil rather than removing it. Keep exploring!
