Peanut Plant Care

Once you receive your spanish peanut plant, it will be ready for transplanting into a (approx.) 24” diameter x 24” deep large planter or into the ground. I recommend a planter pot because, in my experience, bunnies love to eat the leaves of the plant. You’ll be very unhappy come fall when the leaves are eaten and you have no peanuts! If you have a good fence around your garden to keep the bunnies out, then planting directly into the ground will be fine. A bigger planter pot is definitely better if you decide to go the potting route.

Each plant must be 24” apart from one another and have 24” deep to grow. Peanuts grow like potatoes—underground. 

Plant the plants in potting soil. Peanut plants require full sun and constant watering. Do not let them dry out.

The plants are VERY slow growing and will take around 140 days until they are ready for harvest. Be patient! The plants will flower around August. They are ready to be pulled from the ground/pot once the flowers have fallen and the leaves turn a slight yellow—around early October. 

Once pulled from the ground/pot, rinse the soil off the peanut shells, but do not remove the shells from the plant just yet. This is the hard part. You must let the peanut shells dry while still attached to the plant for 2 weeks. 

While drying I recommend leaving the plant outside under some kind of awning to keep it dry. I keep mine under our patio roof close to the house so it doesn’t get rain or sprinkler water on it. 

After the shells have dried for 2 weeks on the plant, pull each shell off the plant. The final obstacle—the shells need to dry for another 2 weeks once pulled off the plant. 

Finally the long wait is over! By November your peanuts are ready to eat! I suggest shelling the peanuts, salting them, and roasting them in the toaster over at 350°F for 15 minutes. The whole house will smell deliciously nutty! Once cooked a bit, your peanuts are ready for consumption. Enjoy!

Fun fact: it takes approx. 540 peanuts to make a 12oz jar of peanut butter!

If you have any questions feel free to email me (Rachel) at rachelcsilverstein@gmail.com