Agriculture and Natural Resources

FSA6093

Home Gardening Series

Peanuts
Craig R. Andersen Environment another 20 days to mature but grow
Associate Professor and well in Arkansas. The last two types
Extension Specialist ­ Light – sunny are Runner and Virginia peanuts. The
Soil – deep, sandy loam Runner peanuts are most commonly
Vegetables
Fertility – medium used for peanut butter, and the
pH – 5.7 to 7.0 Virginia peanuts are the high­quality,
Temperature – warm large roasted nuts. Both of these types
Moisture – average require about 130 to 150 days to
mature and do not tolerate drought or
Culture cool conditions.
Planting – direct seed, warm soil
Spacing – 4 x 24 inches, thin
Hardiness – tender annual
Fertilizer – medium

Peanuts –
Arachis hypogaea
Peanuts (also known as goober
peas and earth nuts) are warm­season
annuals that resemble clover in
appearance. Peanuts are natives of
South America; however, they were
carried early to the Old World tropics Cultural Practices
by Portuguese explorers and are now
Peanuts develop best in loose,
grown extensively in India, East and
sandy soil and require a minimum of
West Africa, China and Indonesia.
120 frost­free days to reach maturity.
They were brought to Virginia from
Peanuts grow best in a soil that has
Africa by the slaves and are now
good calcium availability in the upper
one of the most important crops of
6 inches. Gypsum can be added to the
the South.
soil when soil pH does not need to be
adjusted. Since peanuts fix nitrogen
There are four main classes of
Arkansas Is peanuts. Valencia is the best type for
with the aid of rhizobium bacteria,
high levels of nitrogen fertilizer are
Our Campus home gardens from Texas to Canada.
They mature quickly and can be ready
not needed. If the site has never had
peanut production, an inoculum
to harvest in 95 days. Spanish
application may be needed at the time
Visit our web site at: peanuts are the kind you find in candy
of planting.
https://www.uaex.uada.edu and as roasted peanuts. They take

University of Arkansas, United States Department of Agriculture, and County Governments Cooperating
Cultivars ­
Seed Per
Days to 100 Feet
Crop Cultivar Maturity of Row Remarks
Peanuts Spanish 110 1 pound Small kernels, two to three kernels per pod. Compact,
upright growth habit. Rapid growing and heavy bearing.

Early Spanish 105 1 pound Small kernels, two to three kernels per pod. Upright,
compact and heavy yielding plants.

Improved Spanish 115 1 pound Early bearing bunch type. Large kernels, one or two kernels
per pod. Heavier yielding than Spanish.

Improved Virginia 135 1 pound Large podded, one or two kernels per pod. Bush type,
18 inches tall, hardy.

Virginia Jumbo 135 1 pound Strain of the Virginia type. Large kernels, one or two kernels
per pod. Runner type; vines grow 18 inches tall and spread
3 1/2 feet.

Valencia Tennessee Red 110 1 pound Long pods, two to five kernels per pod. Easy to grow. Heavy
yielder.

Carolina Black 110 1 pound A rare heirloom, sweet­tasting, black­skinned peanuts that
are slightly larger than Spanish, two kernels per pod.

Jumbo (Mammoth Jumbo) 135 1 pound Large­podded, one or two kernels per pod, shells easily.
Easy to grow and harvest.

Plant individual seeds (or the entire husk Only about 15 percent of the flowers will peg into
containing the seeds) 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep and 10 to the soil and develop peanuts. Don’t be alarmed if you
12 inches apart. Allow 36 inches between rows. The see a large number of flowers on the plant that do not
seedlings emerge with three clover­like leaflets that form peanuts. Keeping the soil around the plant loose
rapidly grow into plants 18 to 20 inches high. will ensure maximum pod production.

Keep the soil loose and hilled to the row of plants. Dig the plants after they have matured (begun
After the bright yellow flowers are pollinated, the to turn yellow) in the fall. Harvest in early to
flowering shoots elongate and send a “peg” into the mid­September. The soil should be dry so that it can
soil. These pegs, which form the peanuts, readily be shaken off the peanuts. Cure the peanuts by
enter loose soil (they do not have to be covered by stacking the plants in an open shelter or by hanging
hand), but they will not penetrate hard baked soil. A them in a warm, dry shed or garage for a week. After
light covering (1 to 2 inches) of loose, organic mulch the plants have dried, shake off any remaining soil
material around the plants will help keep the soil and pull the peanuts from the vines. Continue to
loose and the peanuts near the surface of the ground. air­dry the peanuts for another one to two weeks.
Do not disturb the soil after the flower pegs have
buried themselves. Usually 50 to 75 peanuts are
formed in each hill. Hand pull weeds in the row.

Printed by University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service Printing Services.

DR. CRAIG R. ANDERSEN is associate professor and Extension Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and
specialist ­ vegetables, Horticulture Department, University of June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville. Director, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas. The
Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible
persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age,
disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status
FSA6093­PD­7­11RV and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.