- Peanuts: origin and properties
- Buying peanuts: what to look out for
- Growing Peanuts
- Caring for Peanuts
- Propagating peanuts
- Harvesting and storing peanuts
Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
Many people don't know that peanuts can also grow in our part of the world. We show how you can grow peanuts yourself and what you have to consider.
The small peanut (Arachis hypogeae) is so common that hardly anyone thinks about its origin and properties anymore - even though it has a rather strange name. In the following you will find exciting information about peanuts and learn how you can grow, propagate, care for and finally harvest them in your own bed or pot.
These crunchy nuts are great for nibbling in front of the TV and give many Asian dishes that certain something. Peanut fats are unsaturated and very he althy. The plant also has a lot to offer visually: during the flowering period it is overflowing with bright yellow butterfly blossoms and then the strange migration of the fruit stalks into the ground can be observed. Reason enough to try growing at home.
Peanuts: origin and properties
Peanuts come from the moderately dry zones of South America. There are a total of 69 different species of local importance, but we only encounter one species in the supermarket. The cultivation areas are now in various tropical and subtropical zones of the world.
The peanut is a plant full of surprises. First of all, from a botanical point of view, it is not a nut at all, but, like beans and peas, belongs to the legumes (Fabaceae). The English name "peanut", which means something like "pea nut", also indicates this relationship. The German name peanut and the species name hypogeae (lat. underground) indicate another special feature of the plant: the underground development of the nuts.
The peanut plant is herbaceous and annual. It usually forms a pronounced taproot and numerous side shoots, which are attached more upright or creeping depending on the subspecies. theDevelopment and fruiting takes about 180 days. During the one to two month flowering period, new yellow flowers or clusters of flowers constantly open in the leaf axils.
How do peanuts get into the ground?
Very soon after a yellow flower appears, it withers again. Then the base of the carpel bulges and forms the 1 to 20 centimeters long carpophore. This curves downwards until it reaches the ground and bores into the top, loose layer. The development of the seed in the soil is called geocarpy and has the purpose of protecting the seed from predators and taking over the location of the mother plant. In contrast to other plants, the peanut does not aim for widespread distribution, rather the obviously good growth conditions of a local location should be used.
Buying peanuts: what to look out for
Peanuts are occasionally sold as pre-cultivated plants, but growing from seeds is common. If you would like to order a germinable, raw peanut, you will find it in various seed online shops. Raw peanuts can also be found in pet stores and in some types of bird seed. Of course, these are not selected varieties and the tolerance to the moderate climate is also unclear. Unfortunately, growing from supermarket peanuts will not succeed. Because only roasted peanuts can be sold for consumption in Germany, since they cannot be consumed in large quantities in the raw state due to the plant's own defenses. If you were to eat them anyway, you would have serious digestive problems.
Tip: The peanut is one of the cultures most heavily contaminated with mycotoxins (Greek mykes=mushroom) worldwide. Mycotoxins are formed by molds that can easily grow on raw peanuts. Some of these toxins, even in small doses, cause damage that can lead to death. Rapid preparation by roasting or boiling prevents fungal infestation by killing spores. However, mycotoxins that have already formed cannot be destroyed in this way.
Growing Peanuts
Peanut plants need at least 180 frost-free days to develop new seeds. Especially in the cooler north of Germany, outdoor cultivation is not very promising, while the conditions in more southern regions areare significantly more suitable. We explain everything about the location, sowing and care of the peanut.
When to plant peanuts?
Peanuts like it warm, otherwise they won't sprout. Indoors, seeds are sown at the beginning of April, and from mid-May the plants that have been brought forward are then moved to their final location. Sow outdoors between late May and early June.
The right location for peanut plants
Basically, the peanut can be cultivated very well indoors. It loves a warm spot in full sun and can usually cope with direct sunlight.
Outside, the location should also be sheltered, warm and exposed to the sun. A loose, humus-rich and dark soil that has not been over-fertilized is best for the peanut plant because it heats up quickly and drains water well. Temperatures of 25 to 28 °C are optimal.
Plant peanuts in the bed
You have two options for cultivation in the bed: pre-cultivation in the house or direct sowing. The preculture takes place from the beginning of April in the house. Four to five seeds can be sown per 10 centimeter pot. Soak the seed in a water bath overnight to improve germination. The peanut is then placed about one centimeter deep in nutrient-poor growth substrate and covered with a thin layer of sand. From now on, the seed should always be kept slightly moist. The breeding pot should be placed at 20 to 25 °C and bright. It can take five to eight days for germination. As soon as the seedlings have reached a height of five centimetres, they can occasionally be placed outdoors - but only at temperatures above 15 °C. When they are about 10 centimeters tall, plant the peanut plants in lightly fertilized soil in 30 centimeter pots. You should cultivate the peanut in a warm house until the outside temperature is regularly above 20 °C. The peanut seedlings can then be planted in almost any garden soil at a distance of about 25 centimeters from mid-May at the earliest - only waterlogging is an exclusion criterion.
In very mild regions of Germany, peanuts can also be sown directly into the bed. Since germination can only take place at temperatures above 18 °C, it is better to wait until May before sowing the peanuts in the bed.This is where a cold frame can come in handy to keep moisture and heat on the seeds.
Planting peanuts in a pot
Pot culture alone is usually more promising than outdoor cultivation. Placed on the balcony when the weather is sunny and brought indoors when the temperature is cool, the peanut enjoys better growing conditions in the pot than outdoors. When pre-cultivating, proceed as you would later plant the plants in the bed. Our peat-free Plantura organic tomato and vegetable soil is ideal for this. It provides the peanut plants with optimal nutrients and can be mixed with some sand or perlite, since peanuts need good drainage. Drainage from the pot must be guaranteed with pieces of pottery or pebbles at the bottom of the pot to prevent waterlogging. Remember that the pot must have a diameter of at least 25 centimeters according to the planting distance if a peanut is to fit in it.
Caring for Peanuts
Always keep the soil around the plant loose so that the carpophores can penetrate well. These are where the peanuts form in the soil. Once all the carpophores have sunk into the soil and new flowers are no longer forming, you can lightly mound the plants and cover them with a protective layer of mulch.
Water the peanuts
When watering, don't be too liberal, only moisten the top centimeters of the soil and let it dry occasionally. Of course, you should avoid wilting. Thanks to its long taproot, the peanut can obtain a good supply of water.
Fertilize peanuts
Peanuts are not particularly demanding on the soil in which they grow. Fertilization can still have a supporting effect on fruit formation. After a pre-culture indoors, a small amount of organic fertilizer can be spread at the final location every two weeks from June until harvest begins in September. Our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer would also be ideal for fertilizing the peanut.
Propagating peanuts
Peanuts as annual seed plants can be propagated via the newly formed seeds. This is also the usual way of propagation at the natural site. If the seeds were not dug up but left in the ground, they would also germinate there. Since peanuts tend to self-pollinate, it only takes a single plant to produce seed.
Tip: The peanut has another special feature: the peanut fruit is able toabsorb water and nutrients from the surrounding substrate. This allows it to continue to mature and grow even when separated from the mother plant's carpophore .
Harvesting and storing peanuts
The peanut takes about six months from sowing to harvest. So if sown indoors at the beginning of April, it can be harvested in September. Once the peanuts are ready to be harvested, the mother plant will wilt and turn yellow. For example, you can use a digging fork to lift the entire plant out of the ground, then shake off the soil and hang up the entire plant to dry for two weeks. After this time, the pods can be removed from the carpophore, they are now dried for another two weeks.
Please keep in mind that raw peanuts are not very digestible and that harmful mold can easily grow on them. Therefore, proceed to processing soon after drying. The roasting of the shelled peanuts in the pan takes place over medium heat without oil and takes about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the level of the pan. Roasting in the oven takes about an hour at 150 °C on baking paper. Prepared in this way, peanuts can be stored for some time in an airtight container in a cool, dry and dark place. If you freeze peanuts, you can thaw portions of your tasty harvest over and over again for up to a year to use in sauces and other recipes.
The peanut is a real superfood! And other nuts also have a lot to offer. Introducing the he althiest nuts.