How to Grow Peanuts: Planting, Pegging and Harvest

You can grow peanuts anywhere with a long, warm summer: plant seed once the soil is 65°F (18°C) or warmer, keep the bed evenly moist while the pods form underground, and dig the plants about 120 to 150 days later. NC State’s Plant Toolbox says peanuts are not frost-hardy and are best grown in areas with long warm summers. The odd part is the biology: the flowers are above ground, but the pods develop below it. Most figures here come from university peanut guides, and where they differ we give both.

Sun

Full sun, well-drained soil

Days to harvest

120–150 (NC State) · 135–155 runner (UF/IFAS)

Origin

The Americas

Planting depth

2–4 in. (UF/IFAS) · 2–3 in. sandy, 1½–2 in. clay (Clemson)

Spacing

4–6 in. in rows 24–36 in. (UF/IFAS)

Season

Warm · soil 65°F+ · not frost-hardy

USDA zones

Not stated by our sources

When to plant peanuts

The cue is soil temperature. NC State says not to plant until the soil at 4 in. (10 cm) is 65°F or above at noon for three days, and that temperatures need to be above 65°F for germination to proceed at an acceptable rate. UGA’s recommendation is stricter: a daily 68°F (20°C) average for three consecutive days. Our sources do not give calendar dates or a frost-relative rule, so the calendar below shows what the harvest window does after you plant. Our guide to how peanuts grow explains why the pegging stage makes timing matter.

What the sources disagree on

Peanut guides are written mostly for commercial fields, and home-garden guides differ on details. Here is the spread.

When ranges overlap, choose a value inside them. The four-per-foot figure is from commercial field guides, which is why we lean on the home-garden spacings in the steps.

What is a peanut, anyway?

A peanut is a legume. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says the nuts are legume pods like peas and beans, but unlike other legumes they mature underground, a habit it calls geocarpy: the plant flowers aboveground, while the fruit forms and matures underground. NC State’s Plant Toolbox says the genus species name, hypogaea, means “under the earth”.

You plant the raw seed, which is the nut inside the shell. Our sources do not give a germination or seed-treatment method, so we do not cover seed preparation.

A season with peanuts

1. Soil reaches 65°F (18°C): seeds go in 2–3 in. deep (Clemson, NC State).
2. About 40 days after planting: yellow, self-pollinating flowers appear near the base of the plant (NC State Plant Toolbox).
3. 60 to 110 days after planting: pegs enter the soil and the pods begin to develop, which is when water is most critical (Clemson).
4. 90 to 110 days: green boiling peanuts can be ready (Clemson).
5. 120 to 150 days: pods ripen (NC State Plant Toolbox); dry roasting peanuts at 130–150 days (Clemson).
6. After harvest: dry, cure and store.

Peanut varieties

Our sources are mostly commercial peanut guides, so the varieties below are field types. Sources also describe two growth habits: NC State’s Plant Toolbox says most varieties are either erect or a runner form, with a 4–5 month cycle.

How to plant peanuts

1. Pick a sunny, well-drained site. UF/IFAS says peanuts grow best on well-drained soils and in full sun. Poorly drained soils make diseases prevalent and yields low.
2. Check the soil pH and calcium. NC State says soil pH should be 5.8–6.2. UF/IFAS says to add lime if the pH is below 5.8, aiming for 6.2–6.5. NC State adds that the peg and developing pod absorb calcium directly from soil, so it must be readily available.
3. Wait for 65°F soil. At noon at 4 in. (10 cm) for three days (NC State), or a daily 68°F average (UGA).
4. Sow the seed. Depth varies by source: about 2 in. (NC State Toolbox), 2–4 in. (UF/IFAS), 2–3 in. in sandy soil and 1½–2 in. in clay (Clemson). NC State says peanuts can emerge from as deep as 3 in. (8 cm).
5. Space them. UF/IFAS says 4–6 in. (10–15 cm) apart in rows 24–36 in. (60–90 cm) apart. NC State Toolbox says 6–9 in. apart in rows about 3 ft (0.9 m) apart, and Clemson says rows at least 20 in. (50 cm) apart.

Peanut care

Peanuts in containers are not covered by our core sources; see peanuts in containers for what we can and cannot say.

Common peanut problems

Harvesting and curing peanuts

Open or lift a few plants before you dig the bed. Clemson says select three or four plants at random, lift them with the pods still attached, and check the pods: unfilled pods are too young, and pods that are dark inside the hull are overmature. For dry roasting peanuts, 65–70 percent of the pods should be dark inside. Clemson says to begin harvest at once if pod stems are weak or the plants have yellowed and lost most of their leaves.

After digging, let the pods dry in the sun for about a week, strip them from the vines and cure them for two to three weeks in a cool, dry place. Stored in loosely woven bags in a cool, dry area, they keep several months (Clemson). Our peanut harvesting guide covers the details.

Peanuts share the warm-soil rule with sweet potatoes and okra: see our sweet potato guide and okra guide.