Anyone grow peanuts?

[Artichoke Lover]

I’m curious about growing peanuts and was wondering if anyone on her grows them.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I grew a few a few years ago. They really aren't all that difficult.

 

[heirloomgal]

I've grown them too @Artichoke Lover and I found them pretty easy as well. Soil has to be on the softer side though, so the peg can easily drive down into the soil. That first harvest is pretty neat, to see those peanut shells come up out of the dirt. But be ready, what's in those peanut shells at harvest is not peanut-like at all, not until they've been dry cured for some time (and kept away from mice while curing, because they love them!) My daughter and I tasted some, fresh from the pod, when I dug them up. Yikes! They were more like light green garden peas that tasted like, hard to find a word to describe that, but I found a kind of ammonia taste to them, or household cleaner. Strange, surprising and not very pleasant. But I adore peanut butter, and I like roasted peanuts, so the curing and toasting does a lot for them. To make it worthwhile though I think one would have to grow a big enough area of them, because I didn't find them productive per plant. Definitely fun though!

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I've grown them too @Artichoke Lover and I found them pretty easy as well. Soil has to be on the softer side though, so the peg can easily drive down into the soil. That first harvest is pretty neat, to see those peanut shells come up out of the dirt. But be ready, what's in those peanut shells at harvest is not peanut-like at all, not until they've been dry cured for some time (and kept away from mice while curing, because they love them!) My daughter and I tasted some, fresh from the pod, when I dug them up. Yikes! They were more like light green garden peas that tasted like, hard to find a word to describe that, but I found a kind of ammonia taste to them, or household cleaner. Strange, surprising and not very pleasant. But I adore peanut butter, and I like roasted peanuts, so the curing and toasting does a lot for them. To make it worthwhile though I think one would have to grow a big enough area of them, because I didn't find them productive per plant. Definitely fun though!

The green ones are supposed to be good boiled! I would like to grow them at least once just to say I did. I have the space around here to grow a good crop of them. The only problem might be keeping the drying ones away from mice. We have a constant mouse problem living out in the country.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I would like to grow them at least once just to say I did.

I can think of no better reason to grow them.

I have the space around here to grow a good crop of them.

Why does it have to be a good crop? I've grown them a couple of times, just a few plants in a certain corner area just because I could and I wanted the boys to see how they grew. The way the flowers dive into the ground you might want to see how they grow and how you cultivate them before you commit a huge area to them. You might want to eat few to see how you like them. You are allowed to do somethings just for fun.

The locally owned and managed feed store/garden center had a big bin of the seed peanuts. You got however many you wanted and they charged by the pound. They don't weigh much. I got a small handful of seeds and the cashier didn't even ring them up, not enough to worry about. I was a regular customer anyway, in there to buy pet food a lot. I like locally owned.

I made some effort when digging then to get them all but the next year there were a few volunteers.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I can think of no better reason to grow them.


Why does it have to be a good crop? I've grown them a couple of times, just a few plants in a certain corner area just because I could and I wanted the boys to see how they grew. The way the flowers dive into the ground you might want to see how they grow and how you cultivate them before you commit a huge area to them. You might want to eat few to see how you like them. You are allowed to do somethings just for fun.

The locally owned and managed feed store/garden center had a big bin of the seed peanuts. You got however many you wanted and they charged by the pound. They don't weigh much. I got a small handful of seeds and the cashier didn't even ring them up, not enough to worry about. I was a regular customer anyway, in there to buy pet food a lot. I like locally owned.

I made some effort when digging then to get them all but the next year there were a few volunteers.

I definitely don’t want a big area the first year. Heirloom gal mentioned that she would need to plant a big area to make it worthwhile for her I was just mentioning that I do have the space if I do decide I like them. There’s only 2 people in our house that can eat them anyway.

 

[heirloomgal]

@Artichoke Lover
I guess I should qualify 'big area' since that is so relative and I live in the suburbs without a huge amount of land. A better way to put it is, in my area, which is somewhat Northerly, a locally adapted plant can make about 10-20 pods per plant. Somewhere in between those two numbers, or less, is what came from mine. In my case, I had hoped to have a small roasted tray of peanuts for everyone to enjoy, but I didn't get enough for that. I would have had to dedicate much more space, which wouldn't have been worth it, since I want to be able to harvest some seed too from the plants I grow, plus eat. Growing them out of curiosity, which was part of why I planted them, was pretty neat but growing them for food & seed would, for me, not be worth the space sacrifice. But you are in a very Southern location so maybe the plants would produce much better for you, and you probably have more space too...

 

[Artichoke Lover]

@Artichoke Lover
I guess I should qualify 'big area' since that is so relative and I live in the suburbs without a huge amount of land. A better way to put it is, in my area, which is somewhat Northerly, a locally adapted plant can make about 10-20 pods per plant. Somewhere in between those two numbers, or less, is what came from mine. In my case, I had hoped to have a small roasted tray of peanuts for everyone to enjoy, but I didn't get enough for that. I would have had to dedicate much more space, which wouldn't have been worth it, since I want to be able to harvest some seed too from the plants I grow, plus eat. Growing them out of curiosity, which was part of why I planted them, was pretty neat but growing them for food & seed would, for me, not be worth the space sacrifice. But you are in a very Southern location so maybe the plants would produce much better for you, and you probably have more space too...

That makes sense I didn’t realize you were all the way in Canada.

 

[flowerbug]

as a legume they're going to be a good source of green manure and the leaves can be eaten, but i can't say i've tried them. i only grew peanuts once in a pot just to see how they grew.

 

[Zeedman]

I know peanuts can be grown here, because I grew a few plants as a kid & got a handful of ripe peanuts. Now I want to delve further down that rabbit hole (mainly because I just have a thing about anything bean related). I will be growing a White Valencia this year, and hope to trial other varieties (especially some of the black/purple ones) in coming years. But reading up on peanut culture, I see references to "hilling". Has anyone who grows peanuts done this, or can describe the process?