How to Grow Peanuts Step by Step

Prepare a seed bed by tilling or digging 8 to 12 inches deep and incorporating 2 to 4 inches of compost about 6 inches below the surface. Create a loose seed bed by adding additional compost if your area is high in clay; add less compost for sandy soil. Send a soil sample to your university extension service in the fall prior to planting so you know for certain how to amend the soil for your peanut crop.

Amend the soil as recommended by your soil test using limestone at least two to three months prior to planting. Peanuts require large amounts of calcium to fill their pods, but respond best to already fertile soil. Maintain a soil pH between 5.8 and 6.2 for best peanut performance.

Check soil temperatures using a probe thermometer. Plant peanuts 1 1/2 inches deep and 18 inches apart in 24-inch rows once soil temperatures reach 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant peanuts in hills if you prefer, placing the mounds 18 inches apart with four seeds per mound. Apply 1 to 2 inches of water per week to your peanut bed.

Mound 6 inches of soil around the peanut plants once they reach 12 inches in height. Apply 3 to 4 inches of compost around the plants to help retain moisture. Pull any weeds that have sprouted in the peanut bed.

Watch for bright-yellow flowers to form. Do not disturb the hills once the flowers send out pegs into the soil. Expect 50 to 75 pegs per hill to burrow into the compost and surface soil. Continue watering and pulling weeds as the plants grow.

Dig entire plants when they begin to turn yellow in the fall, usually as the first frost approaches. Hang peanuts upside-down in a dry location for a week, or stack them in an open shed. Pull the peanuts from the vines, and allow the pods to continue to air-dry for up to two weeks before using or storing.