Harvest peanut plant (full grown peanut plant) – Best way to grow peanuts
Growing peanuts in the ground cultivation. (Grow your own peanuts.) Peanuts (groundnuts), which were in the soil preparation period in early May. The peanut sowing season is early June, and the cultivation period is over four months. The peanuts grown from seeds have finally reached the harvest season.
How to grow peanuts (Grow your own peanuts) – Best way to grow peanuts
Peanut plant (groundnut) how to grow？ Grow peanuts from seed. Peanuts had soil preparation in early May, and planting seed was in early June. For peanut planting, it’s best to sow the seeds from mid-May onwards. After planting, they germinated smoothly. Around mid-June, peanut sprouts began to grow.
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How hard is it to grow peanuts？ Growing peanuts is not that difficult. Vegetables like peanuts and edamame, which belong to the legume family, generally don’t require much fertilizer, making them easy to grow.
Legume vegetables, such as peanuts, don’t need fertilizer because nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots provide them with nutrients. Peanuts are not very demanding in terms of cultivation, making them recommended for beginners due to their low maintenance.
How to care for a peanut plant？ The crucial task in caring for peanuts is hilling the soil. In the early stages of peanut cultivation, it’s done using plastic mulch, but as the flowers bloom, it’s necessary to expose the soil. The reason is that peanuts bury their pegs in the soil, and the nuts develop underground.
If peanuts grow vigorously, they spread horizontally, so it’s good to have a spacing of 30cm (1 foot) or more between them and other vegetables. If they become too dense and interfere with other crops, you can prune the tips of the peanut branches.
Harvest full grown peanut plant (Peanuts cultivated from seeds are now ready for harvest)
When to harvest peanuts? It can be challenging to determine the harvest timing based on appearance alone, so trying a test dig may be helpful. If you dig a little and the grid pattern on the peanut shells is clearly visible, it’s time to harvest.
You can also determine the timing for harvesting peanuts by looking at the stems and leaves. A sign to harvest is when the lower stems and leaves start to wither. If the lower part of the peanut plant turns yellow overall, it is likely approaching the harvest season.
For harvesting peanuts, use a shovel. Insert the shovel into the soil and lift the peanut plant from below. This will loosen the soil, making it easier to harvest. (If you pull the peanut plant directly, the pods may detach and remain in the soil.)
Harvested all the peanuts from four plants. It was my first time growing peanuts this year, and I’m glad I made it to the harvest season.
Being able to harvest raw peanuts is unique to home gardens. Freshly harvested peanuts are recommended to be boiled with salt, making boiled peanuts for consumption.
Related information on peanuts cultivation（Frequently Asked Questions for growing groundnut）
Where do peanuts come from? (Where is the groundnut originally from?)
The origin of peanuts is said to be South America (around Chile and Peru). Because peanuts (groundnuts) come from tropical and subtropical areas, they are best grown in warm regions. (Today, peanuts are grown in many countries like China, India, Africa, and North America.)
The best temperature for peanut seeds to sprout is about 20°C (68℉). The best temperature for growing is 15–25°C (59-77℉). In Japan, people usually plant groundnut seeds in early summer (around June) and harvest them in late autumn (around October). (Peanuts are vegetables that are good for growing in spring and summer.)
How to plant peanuts? (How to saw groundnut seeds?)
Peanuts (groundnuts) are grown by planting 1–2 seeds in one spot. The space between plants (the distance between where you plant the seeds) should be 25–30cm (9.8-11.8 inches). The peanut seeds should be planted about 2cm (0.8 inches) deep.
After planting peanut seeds, cover them with soil and press down firmly. To protect the groundnut seeds from being eaten by birds, it’s a good idea to set up a non-woven fabric or insect netting. Water the soil just enough to make it wet. If you give too much water, the peanut seeds might rot.
Peanut seeds take about 1 week to 10 days to sprout. If they don’t sprout after 2 weeks, replant the seeds.
How do peanuts grow? (Groundnut how it grows?)
Peanuts bloom about 40 days after sprouting. After the flowers fall, a stem-like thing called an peanut peg grows and sticks into the soil. Peanuts form pods in the soil, so when the flowers start blooming, hill soil around the base of the plant. (This helps the peanut pegs stick into the soil more easily.)
For peanuts (groundnuts) grown with mulch, remove the mulch and expose the soil. (If the plastic mulch is there, the pegs of the peanuts won’t stick into the soil.)
Peanuts don’t need a lot of water, but they need moisture when the peanut pods are growing. After the flowers bloom, water the plants if the soil is dry.
How many months to harvest peanut? (When is groundnut harvest season?)
Peanuts are ready to harvest about 130–140 days after planting the seeds, or about 80–90 days after flowering. If you write down the dates of seed planting and flowering, it will help you know when to harvest.
In the 2020 peanut cultivation, I planted the seeds in early June and harvested them in late October. (It was about 140 days from planting and around 90 days from flowering, I think.)
You can also tell when to harvest peanuts by looking at how the plants have grown. When the lower leaves of the peanut plants start to dry up, it’s almost harvest time. Check the net-like pattern on the peanut pods. If you dig up a few and the pattern is clear, it’s the right time to harvest.
Following is the video for how-to. English subtitles are available.