Peanuts

Peanut plants just prior to harvest

After 41 years I have been happily reacquainted with peanuts, growing them, that is. My first gardening experience was in the school garden in La Cuesta, a village in southern Costa Rica. Somehow I got a hold of some peanut seeds, we planted them, and as I recall, they came out pretty well. I'm not sure why I never grew them again, until now.

This last May my best friend, Louis, brought me various packets of vegetable seeds he had purchased at Griff's Feed & Seed in Pendleton, South Carolina. Among them were some Valencia peanuts. I was dubious about the peanuts, and I told Louis: (1) I didn't think it was warm enough at our elevation for peanuts, (2) peanuts needed a sandy soil, and my soil had way too much clay in it, and (3) if I planted them then, they would mature during the peak of the rainy season, which might cause the peanuts to either rot or to sprout before I could harvest them. Louis was persistent in his encouragement for me to plant them, and I knew that every time he Skyped me on the internet he would ask me about them. So, more to shut him up than for any other reason, I planted about 10 seeds in my fledgling vegetable garden.

Peanut harvest

I got 100% germination, and, to my surprise, the plants looked fairly good, but seemed to be struggling somewhat in the clay soil. Then I started my raised beds with improved soil. The peanuts were now about two months old, and were in the way of my future raised-bed garden. So I dug them up and moved them to the raised beds. They went into shock, but the heavy rains kept them alive, and with the new soil, they seemed to actually improve. Late in the season it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, or thereabouts, and I was worried about the peanuts rotting in the soil, and then suddenly, at 123 days the rains stopped. Valencia peanuts are not supposed to be harvested for 140 days, but the dry spell continued and I knew this would probably be my only opportunity to harvest them. I pulled up one plant, and checked the peanuts. They seemed to be in good shape, and the seeds were nice and plump. So, I pulled up the remaining few plants and am now drying them. I plan to roast them next week. Valencias are used more for boiling than roasting, but I prefer roasted peanuts, so that's what I plan to do with them. I have been keeping Louis appraised of the progress, and he seems to be delighted. Next year I'll ask him to bring a roasting variety.

Happy gardening!