Nuts over Peanuts!

In between working on this years tedious task of making 2008 Christmas presents, I'll be catching a breather by another project. Peanuts! -

Christmas, already??? Well, my boss has a saying on his desk, "If something needs to be done, do it now, not later". And there is a lot to be done.

I figured, if the project is successful, we'll make fresh chokolate covered peanuts too! Who would have ever thought they can be grown in a pot! The planting recipe comes from one of my garden nut friends, Donna. This is my first try, lets see if the effort pays off and fresh peanuts emerge.

Peanuts are native to South America and are actually part of the legume family, not the nut family. Whether you want to grow your own peanuts to sell, eat, make peanut butter from, or just because you’re curious to know if you can, pay careful attention to the following suggestions.

How to Grow Peanuts
Things You’ll Need:

* Raw peanuts

Step 1:
Order your seeds from a well-known seed company for the best growth results. Do not buy boiled peanuts for planting.

Step 2:
Soak seeds overnight for quicker germination, before planting.

Step 3:
Plant peanuts after the last frost in very sandy soil. Make sure your soil drains well.

Step 4:
Sow two inches deep, with lots of compost and manure. You can even add a couple inches of mulch on top of the surface if you are concerned that the ground is too hard to grow peanuts or if you have a lot of weeds.

Step 5:
Space peanuts seven inches apart, making sure the kernels stay whole. If split, they won’t grow.

Step 6:
Water well when planting, but not again until the peanut plant sprouts. This should take about a week. When you begin watering them regularly do not overwater.

Step 7:
Keep the area free from weeds which can hinder peanut plant growth.

Step 8:
Allow 130 days for plants to mature.

Step 9:
Harvest in the fall by pulling the whole plant out. A spading fork is helpful. You’ll see a mature nut when you pull it out of the ground. The foliage will be yellow.


Step 10:
Allow peanuts to dry for two to four weeks.

Step 11:
Store in a cool, dry place until ready for roasting.


Step 12:
Enjoy the peanuts. You can grow more next year!