Grow Your Own Peanuts and Roast Them, Too!

Peanuts develop in pods underground, in a process called pegging. When I first learned about pegging I wasn’t sure how it worked. So, of course, I had to grow some peanuts and find out. After that first trial I’ve been growing them every year. Over time my methods have evolved from “everyone else’s experience” to what works for me. Here’s the best way I have found to grow peanuts, and then roast them to perfection.

How to Grow Your Own Peanuts

How to grow peanuts in your garden turns out to be quite easy. However, these tropical plants require a long growing season — at least 4 months — so are best for zones 5 though 9. Farther north, to get a jump on the season you can start them in peat pots.

I choose to grow Jumbo Virginia Peanuts, because they are the best variety for roasting. They come in the shell, so before planting them you have to crack the shell. I try not to actually remove the peanut from the shell, because then sometimes the papery skin (aka testa) comes off or the two halves separate, in which case they won’t germinate. However, unless you at least crack the shell, the sprout may not be able to find its way out.

I plant mine after the last frost date, trying to avoid having to protect the seedlings from late spring frost. Peanuts require full sun, pH between 5.8 and 6.2, a soil temperature of 60°F to 70°F, and night time ambient temperature of 55°F. I plant them in a raised bed, in a single row, 2 inches deep and 8 inches apart. The seeds germinate in 10 to 14 days.

As They Grow

The plants grow to about 18 inches tall, with a spread of about 36 inches. They require about 1 inch of water per week. After plants start blooming they need less water, as too much water at flowering time can result in empty pods. On the other hand, if they completely dry out they won’t produce well.

Pegs (aka peducles) grow from faded flowers. When they grow long enough to reach, they poke into the soil next to the plant. The peanuts grow at the ends of the pegs. To facilitate pegging, when the plants are about 12 inches tall, hill the soil around each plant like you would for potatoes.

Peanuts, being legumes, produce their own nitrogen. So you don’t want to fertilize, or you’ll get mostly vines. However, they do require calcium for good podding. Early in the bloom stage I sprinkle a little gypsum around the plants (about 0.6 pounds per 10 foot row). Then I spread a light layer of mulch to keep the soil soft enough for the pegs to penetrate.

Critters Like Peanuts, Too!

Peanut plants aren’t susceptible to may growing problems. The biggest challenge I have encountered is that the peanuts get eaten by chipmunks, mice, and squirrels. In fact, one year they ate all the seeds from the first planting. I replanted and they grew fine, until critters ate all the peanuts before they were ready to harvest.

So now I protect the plants with a tent fashioned with a PVC pipe frame and row cover fabric. During the time between sprouting and pegging, the fabric can be removed. However, once pegging starts (around 46 days from sprouting), replace the fabric to protect the harvest. The pretty little yellow blossoms are self-pollinating, so no worries there.

Growing Schedule

To recap the growing schedule:

• Plant peanuts around last spring frost date.
• In 10 to 14 days they will sprout.
• Some 30 and 40 days later, hill, spread gypsum, and mulch.
• About 46 days after sprouting, pegging starts.
• Stop watering 2 weeks before you plan to harvest.
• Harvest before first fall frost.

Harvesting Peanuts

Harvest peanuts when the leaves begin to wither and turn yellow. If you aren’t sure, dig up a few pegs to examine the pods for fullness. But if the pods come loose from plant, harvest immediately to avoid losing peanuts in the soil.

The best time to harvest peanuts is when when soil is moist, but not wet. Using the same fork I use to harvest potatoes, I dig around each plant and then gently lift it to avoid losing nuts. Each plant should produce 50 to 60 peanuts.

Lots of websites tell you to hang the entire plants to dry. I tried that, but they kept shedding leaves and nuts and making a mess. So instead I remove the nuts from the vines and immediately rinse off the dirt.

Curing Peanuts

After cleaning off the dirt, I cure the peanuts to extend their storage life and produce a richer roasted flavor. I use a homemade drying rack consisting of a 2-foot by 3-foot frame of 2x2s covered with ¼-inch hardware cloth, with 2-inch blocks at each corner to improve air circulation. Without a drying rack, you could cure them in mesh bags hung in a warm, dry place with good airflow.

I keep the rack on a table in a clean room in one of our barns, where critters can’t disappear the curing nuts. A dehumidifier keeps the room warm and dry. The dryness, along with air circulation around the peanuts, prevents mold. As they dry, any unripe nuts shrivel and fall through the hardware cloth mesh — kind of a self-sorting system.

I cure the peanuts on the rack for 1 month, stirring daily for even drying. When they’re fully dry I put them in jars with tight lids until I get around the roasting them.

Salting Your Homegrown Peanuts

To salt and roast the peanuts in their shells, first boil 3 quarts of water in a large pot. Then dissolve ¾ cup kosher salt in the water, and remove the pot from the heat. Pour 2 pounds of cured raw peanuts in the shell into the hot salted water and weight them down the keep them submerged. To evenly soak and salt the peanuts, stir once every hour for 6 hours. Then drain away the water.

For the pot I use a large canning pot. After adding the peanuts to the water, I cover them with weighted canner rack. I start soaking them at 1:00 pm and drain them at 7:00 pm.

Then I dry them in a food dehydrator set at 125ºF for 10 to 14 hours, starting at 7:00 pm. Without a dehydrator, you could place the peanuts in single layers on baking racks over 2 sheet pans, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 days.

The reason for my timing is that the dried peanuts are ready to roast the next morning around 9:00 am, which works out great for my schedule. My oven accommodates 2 large sheet pans, which enables me to roast all the peanuts at the same time. Otherwise, roast them in 2 batches.

Roasting Your Homegrown Peanuts

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add the sheet(s) and roast for 10 minutes. Stir the peanuts, rotate the sheet(s) and roast for 10 minutes more. The shells should slightly darken to a light golden brown and the nuts should smell roasted. Remove the sheets and let the peanuts completely cool before tasting them.

Some folks roast the peanuts longer (25 minutes total) to get them really dark. Others remove them sooner to keep them extra light (less than 20 minutes). The exact timing also depends on how hot your oven runs. My first batches came out perfect. But after I got a new oven I had to change the original timing.

To make sure how they turn out for you, you might roast a few as a test before roasting them all. Just remember that the peanuts continue to cook while they cool.

By the way, if you want to roast raw peanuts without growing your own, you can find them at many grocery stores and online.

Eating You Homegrown Roasted Peanuts

At our house we like to shell roasted peanuts as we eat them. If you prefer them boiled or roasted without the shell, you can find lots of online instructions. Some sites even suggest removing the papery skin.

I prefer peanuts with the skins. The skins themselves are high in antioxidants and fiber. They also contain other nutrients that enhance the nuts’ overall nutritional value.

My husband Allan prefers to remove the skins, because he doesn’t like the texture. Others find the testa a bit bitter, or they have trouble digesting its fiber and tannins.

Worth It?

Is it worth it to grow your own peanuts and roast them? Yes, very much so. For one thing, it’s a kick to watch them grow. But the best reason is because home roasted peanuts have a unique flavor you won’t get in any store-bought variety.

Be sure to save a few seeds to plant next year. Stored in a closed container in shells, peanuts stay fresh for years.