How to Farm Peanuts

How to Farm Peanuts

• 1

  Amend your soil if necessary. All varieties of peanuts need a well drained soil for healthy growth. If your soil has too much clay, you will need to add compost to the top foot of your farming area before planting. Do this by breaking up the first foot of soil. Apply compost and work it into the soil. The amount of compost you need will depend on the quality of soil you begin with. When you squeeze a clump of soil in your hand and open it, the soil should easily break apart.

• 2

  Create soil rows three feet apart. Press a seed about an inch deep in at the top of the row, cover the seed gently with soil. Skip about 6 inches of the row and plant another seed in the same manner.

• 3

  Water often. Sandy (well drained) soil tends to dry out quickly. Newly planted seeds or seedlings have their roots close to the surface and can be damaged easily if allowed to dry out. The roots need to be kept moist but not sopping. Check the soil daily.

• 4

  Harvest your peanuts by pulling up the whole plant and leaving it to dry out. Generally, peanut plants mature within 130 to 140 days. However, this will vary,depending on the variety of peanut seed you choose. When the peanut shells are dried out, pull them off of the plants. They are ready to shell and eat raw, roasted, make peanut butter or to sell.