Peanut Live Plant Starters- Approx 10-12 Seedlings

Peanuts are the fruit of a legume and are not nuts at all. The peanut is actually an annual herbaceous plant (Arachis hypogaea, ‘hypongaea’ meaning ‘under the soil’). The oldest known pods were found in Peru and have been dated to 7,600 years old but they are thought to be older than this. When you receive your seedling, transplant it, cover with mulch to keep the soil moist and friable so that after flowering the elongated, fertilized threadlike structure called a ‘peg’, can easily push down into the soil around the plant, where it will mature into a peanut. The peanut will flower 40 days after germination. Watering is most important during the growing season and the plants need 3-5mm of water each week. Harvesting The mature plant can produce 20-40 pods depending on the conditions and take about 120-160 days to be ready for harvest. When the leaves die down in late summer the peanuts should be a golden colour. Remove the whole plant and leave to dry out hanging upside down in a dry place for 2-3 days for curing. They can then be stored in a dark, cool, dry place. Peanuts, like other legumes, are nitrogen fixing and they improve fertility and soil structure making them a valuable plant to include in the garden crop rotation system. By rotating the location of successive plantings they will be protected from soil borne diseases and also yield more fruit. Plant Type: Vegetable Yield: 20-40 pods Grows Best In: Full Sun Days to Maturity: 120-169 Days Growth Type: Spring Seedling Spacing: Sow roughly 2.5-3' apart in rows