Grow Great Goobers, Anywhere

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

As with peas and other nitrogen-fixing legumes, peanuts often get off to a stronger start if you give them a tease of nitrogen soon after planting. However, because peanuts are susceptible to fertilizer burn, use nothing stronger than diluted fish emulsion. A single drench, applied soon after the seedlings crack through the soil's surface, is usually adequate.

Sowing & Growing Peanuts

Peanut plants grow 12 to 18 inches tall and up to 3 feet across, so its best to space row centers at least 36 inches apart. Always wait until after the soil has warmed to plant peanut seeds. Three weeks after the last frost and after soil temperature rises above 60 degrees is good peanut planting time. Plant seeds just shy of 2 inches deep, 4 to 6 inches apart. Soaking seeds overnight in water just before planting promotes fast, uniform germination.

Peanut seedlings will emerge within a week after planting, then they will grow slowly for about a month. Be patient, because secret wonders are taking place underground. For example, when you see four leaves above the soil line, there is probably already a 12-inch-long taproot beneath the plant, accompanied by lateral roots .stretching out in all directions.

Its fine to mulch between peanut rows and to hoe weeds, but hand-pull weeds that appear close to the plants crowns. Always hoe level rather than hilling soil up around the plants, which peanuts don't like at all. Once pegging has begun (see "Pegging Peanuts" on Page 77), stop weeding if it moans disturbing the soil under the plants' branches.

Peanuts have no problem with heat, though even well-watered plants will wilt in the middle of a hot day. They do need regular watering, which is best supplied by deeply soaking the plants once or twice a week. The critical period for watering is 50 to 100 days after planting, when the pods are growing near the soil's surface. As the plants near maturity, let the soil dry out. Very wet soil encourages mature peanuts to sprout in the "round.

Handling the Harvest

The days to maturity listed on the seed packet will give you a general idea of when your peanuts are ready to dig. but growing conditions can affect maturity time. If your plants begin to yellow, go ahead and dig them without delay. But most of the time, peanut plants are quite green when the pods are mature, so you'll need to dig up a sample plant or two to see if the nuts are ripe. Use a digging fork to loosen the soil around a plant lift it up (use two hands), shake well and then turn it over. Gather up the pods and shell the nuts. If 70 percent of the nuts have dark pink to red seed coats, and the insides of the shells also have turned a dark color, the entire planting should be harvested. Dig the plants, shake off the soil and lay the plants in the sun to dry. If a lot of dirt sticks to the pods, shake them a second time after they have been out of the ground for a day. You can hose off the nuts, too, but only if you have ovenlike weather to quickly dry them. Let the harvested plants dry in the sun for a week, and then set up a comfortable place in the shade to pick the nuts from the roots.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print