How to Grow Peanuts: Planting Tips for Home Gardeners

Try growing peanuts in your garden! Often seen as ballgame snacks, peanuts are actually healthful, nutritious food.

Raw, roasted, or as butter—excellent fiber, vitamins, minerals; no cholesterol; more protein than many meats.

The Peanut Plant

Surprise: peanuts aren't nuts but seeds from a leguminous plant related to peas/beans. (See our pea/bean guides.)

Unique: flowers aboveground, pods develop in soil. Yellow pea-like blossoms self-pollinate. Petals fall; stalks (pegs) under ovaries elongate, bend toward earth, grow into soil. Underground, ovary at tip enlarges into peanut pod.

Growing Peanuts

Considered southern warm-weather crop but grown as far north as southern Canada.

• Long season: 100–130 frost-free days. Plant weeks after last spring frost; harvest after September 1.
• Northern trick: early variety "Early Spanish" (100 days), south-facing slope. Or start indoors 5–8 weeks before transplanting.
• Full sun essential.
• Plastic row covers protect young plants from spring frosts.
• Start with shells of fresh, unroasted peanuts.
• Indoors: 4-inch-deep bowl ⅔ moist potting soil. Shell 4 peanuts, place on soil, cover 1 inch. Sprout quickly. Transplant out.
• Outdoors: Seeds 2 inches deep, 8 inches apart in loose, well-drained soil (add sand, aged compost).
• At 6 inches high, cultivate to loosen soil for peg penetration.
• Hill like potatoes; mulch 2 inches straw/grass clippings.
• Small yellow flowers develop lower stem. After fading, ovaries swell, grow downward, push into soil.
• Harvest before frost when plant yellows. Dig with spading fork, shake soil, hang dry indoors ~1 month.
• Enjoy raw or roast: 350°F oven, 20 minutes (shelled or unshelled).

Did You Know: ~540 peanuts for 12-oz peanut butter jar.

Peanuts originated in South America; Peruvian Indians cultivated 3,500+ years ago. Food, status symbol, even currency—fitting since many feel they work for peanuts.

Wonder where popcorn comes from? Also a seed plant! See our popcorn growing tips.