Peanut plants are usually the last thing that comes to mind when planning a vegetable patch. However, these easy growers are a great addition to the home garden. Learn when and how to harvest peanuts and use them to make homemade peanut butter, rich in protein and calcium, at the end of the season.
Native to the western hemisphere, it is likely peanuts are from South America. These pea family members are legumes, and while there are four main varieties of peanuts, Valencia, Virginia, Spanish, and Runner peanuts, there are many good types suitable for home-growing.
Goobers or groundnuts, commonly known as peanuts, have a long growing season, whether they are Virginia peanuts or Spanish peanuts. However, some varieties, like the Early Spanish peanut, take less time to reach maturity. Peanuts also need the right amount of frost free days for germination and growth. It’s wise to choose the right type for your area and understand when they are ready to harvest.
When and How to Harvest and Store Peanuts
While it’s effortless to buy nuts from the grocery store, there’s nothing better than harvesting peanuts from your own garden. However, it’s good to know when to pick peanuts to ensure you get a bountiful harvest of raw peanuts.
You plant your peanut seeds after the last frost and wait with anticipation for harvest time. So, how long do peanuts take to grow? Discover when to harvest peanuts at the end of the season, how to pick and store them and use your homegrown peanuts to make a healthy recipe.
When to Pick Peanuts
All plants have varying growth rates; some peanuts are grown that take a little more time to reach maturity than others. Find out how long it takes peanut plants to germinate, grow, and produce nuts to help you plan accordingly.
How long does it take for peanuts to grow? Peanut plants take five to ten days to germinate after planting peanut seeds in loose soil, organic matter, and mulch. Then, 25 to 40 days after sowing the seeds, yellow flowers form, pollination occurs, and the petals fall off to reveal an ovary.
Finally, the plant sends peduncles with a budding ovary down into the soil, and peanuts grow on these pegs. This entire growing cycle takes four to five months to complete, depending on the peanut type.
When to Harvest Peanuts
Peanut plants are a bit different than tomatoes, peppers, and other plants that are simple to tell when the crop is ripe. Discover how to tell when your peanut crop is mature and when to harvest peanuts.
When are peanuts ready to pick? Approximately four to five months after planting your peanut plants, it’s time to begin harvesting the nuts. Boiling peanuts are generally ready to pick 90 to 110 days after planting while roasting types take a bit longer and aren’t ready to harvest for 130 to 150 days.
When the peanut plant’s leaves begin to turn yellow in the fall, gently pull up one plant and inspect the pods. If the nuts nearly fill the inside of the pods, they are ready for harvesting. While a dark interior pod color means the nuts are too mature for boiling, they are perfect for dry roasting.
How to Harvest Peanuts
You’ve waited all season, and you finally get to begin harvesting peanuts. Learn how to pick your homegrown nuts and tips for storing them in the kitchen.
Use a garden fork, spade, or another digger to loosen the soil around your peanut plants and pull the plants carefully from the ground. Shake the excess dirt off the roots while leaving the pods intact, and hang them in a dry place, away from sunlight, for two weeks.
Brush off any remaining dirt and remove the pods from the roots. Spread them in a single layer and dry them for another week or two to remove the leftover moisture content.
Hang raw peanuts in mesh bags and store them in a well-ventilated area for several months. To roast peanuts, bake them on a cookie sheet in a 350° oven for 13 to 18 minutes, and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one year.
If you enjoy your peanuts boiled, boil them in a large pot of salt water for three hours while stirring and adding water as needed.
Freshly Harvested Peanuts for Homemade Peanut Butter
Now that you understand when to pick peanuts for the best harvest and how to store them, it’s time to put your hard work into a recipe, just like when harvesting potatoes or peppers. One of the best ways to use freshly picked peanuts is to make homemade peanut butter tastier than any store-bought brand.
Roast your peanuts in an oven set to 350°F for ten minutes or until lightly golden brown and glossy from the oil content. While the nuts are still warm, move them to the food processor or blender and pulse until ground. Process them for one minute, stop blending, and scrape down the sides.
Repeat the one-minute blending process two more times, add the salt, and blend for two minutes until smooth. Scoop the peanut butter into a jar or storage container and refrigerate.
Peanuts are easy to grow at home in full sun with the correct spacing. However, peanut plants love warm weather and soil temperatures and require many frost-free days to reach maturity. Knowing the right time to harvest peanuts keeps your kitchen well-stocked with fresh nuts and jars of peanut butter.
Now that you know when and how to harvest peanuts from your own peanut plants, why not share our peanut harvesting guide with the nut-lovers in your life on Pinterest and Facebook?