Sweet Potato Growing Guide
Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable that is packed with nutrition. Sweet potatoes are typically a reddish-brown color on the outside and a pale yellow or orange on the inside.
February 16, 2023
Peanut Introduction
Peanuts were first brought to France and Africa from Brazil, and then later introduced into the U.S. during the 1700s. The first commercial peanuts were grown near Wilmington, NC about 1800. Contrary to popular belief, the peanut is not a nut. It’s actually a vegetable belonging to the legume family, which includes peas and beans. Since peanuts are tropical natives, they require about 120 days to mature, but fortunately the peanut plant can withstand light spring and fall frosts. The peanut plant is unique because its flowers grow aboveground, yet the pods containing the seeds develop in the soil. The best part is that peanuts don’t need a lot of fertilizer treatments because they are nitrogen-fixing plants (meaning that they add nitrogen to the soil as opposed to removing it), so they can grow even in relatively poor soil. The Wynne Peanut, the variety we stock, is a Virginia-type peanut that produces high-yields of large peanuts with a pink seed coat that are perfect for boiling and roasting.
How To Grow Peanuts In Your Garden
The ideal time of year to plant peanuts is between late April to mid-June. Pick a location for your peanut that gets at least 8 hours of direct sunlight and has loose, rich, well-drained soil. If choosing to grow in a pot or raised bed, make sure it is at least 18-20 inches across and 18 inches deep per plant. Peanut plants will flower with yellow blooms before pegging. “Pegging down” is the term that describes how this stalk continues to grow into the ground until it reaches a depth of 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm.). At the end of each peg is where the seed pods begin to form, encasing the seeds, or peanuts. About six to eight weeks after planting small yellow flowers will begin to form. When this happens, you’ll want to hill a little loose dirt around the plant. Once a flower has pollinated, the petals fall off, and it sends a shoot down into the dirt, where the peanuts will grow! Just one plant can grow 30-50 peanuts, so the plant needs some room to spread out to send as many of its shoots as possible into the dirt. Peanuts spread via “rhizomes”— or underground shoots that new plants form from, so you won’t have to plant new seeds the next year. Peanuts do best in high humidity, high heat situations, as they are native to tropical rainforests.
Did You Know
Peanuts are thought to have originated in South America, where Peruvian Indians cultivated them at least 3,500 years ago and used them as food as well as currency.
In-Ground
- Row Spacing - 3 to 4 feet
- Seed Spacing - 4 to 6 inches
- Planting Depth - 1.5 to 2 inches
Peanut Planting Information
Raised Bed
- Row Spacing - 2 feet
- Seed Spacing - 4 to 6 inches
- Planting Depth - 1.5 to 2 inches
Peanut Soil, Irrigation, & Fertilizer
Peanut Soil Requirements
- Well-draining, loamy soil
- pH between 6.0 and 6.5
- Rich in organic materials
- Good quality compost added to the soil
HOSS always recommends getting a soil sample to your local extension office several weeks before planting. Once you get your results, you will need plenty of time to adjust your soil accordingly and make sure your plants are getting the best nutrients possible as soon as they hit the ground.
Click Here to find your local extension office.
Inoculants
Inoculants are useful for nitrogen-fixing legumes like peanuts because they add bacteria populations in the soil that help plants fix more nitrogen, and the high nitrogen will help other types of crops grow after rotating. Inoculants contain billions of live bacteria that are essential to the nitrogen-fixing process of vegetable and cover crop plants. The bacteria work to actively convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form for the plant. This allows vegetable plants to make their own nitrogen, and allows cover crops to increase the amount of stored nitrogen that is available to the following crop. Use our Granular Garden Soil Inoculant if peanuts have not been planted in the last 5 years.
Peanut Irrigation Requirements
We always recommend using a drip tape irrigation system to grow peanuts for several reasons. Drip irrigation ensures the plants are getting the right amount of water directly to the root system during these vital times. Drip irrigation also helps to keep weed pressure down while seedlings are starting to emerge. Overall, the rule of thumb is that peanut plants require 1 to 2 inches of water per week.
Peanut Fertilizer Schedule
Raised Bed
Several Weeks Before Planting
Test your soil at your local extension office.
1 Week Before Planting
After adjusting soil pH to 6.0 – 6.5, mix 1 cup per 10 ft. of row of Hoss Complete Organic Fertilizer with your soil.
2 Weeks After Planting, Every 7 days
Using Mix 1 tablet each of Dr. Joe Nutri Bubble into 1 gallon of water. Apply as a drench per 4 feet of row. Apply .5 lbs of row Pelletized Gypsum at first signs of flowering.
In-Ground
Several Weeks Before Planting
Test your soil at your local extension office.
1 Week Before Planting
After adjusting soil pH to 6.0 – 6.5, mix 1 cup per 10 ft. of row of Hoss Complete Organic Fertilizer with your soil.
2 Weeks After Planting, Every 7 days
Using the Hoss Fertilizer Injector, mix 1-2 cups of Hoss Micro-Boost Micronutrient Supplement per 20 feet of row. Apply .5 lbs of row Pelletized Gypsum at first signs of flowering.
Peanut Pest & Disease Protection
Peanuts are prone to insect damage and a allot of different diseases. With the proper selection of disease-resistant varieties and a good pest control program, you can have success in growing healthy peanuts.
Organic Controls
Monterey BT – Caterpillars, Cabbage Loppers
Garden Insect Spray – Thrips, caterpillars, armyworm, leaf miners, moths
Take Down Garden Spray – Aphids, flea beetles, whiteflies, moths
Bug Buster O – Aphids, flea beetles, whiteflies, moths, armyworms, corn earworm
Horticultural Oil – Aphids, flea beetle, whiteflies, spider mites, thrips
Diatomaceous Earth – Cutworms
Non-Organic Controls
Bug Buster II – Aphids, flea beetle, whiteflies, spider mites, thrips, leafhoppers, corn earworm, armyworm
Treat as needed using label instructions.
Crop rotation and select resistant varieties – Nematodes, leaf spot
Complete Disease Control- Gray Mold, leaf spots, Anthracnose
Liquid cop – Cercospra leaf spot, Pod Rot, Pythium
Garden Phos – Pythium, Downey mildew
Vegetable, flower, fruit and ornamental fungicide – Leaf spot, Gray Mold, Rust, Anthracnose, Web blotch
Treat as needed using label instructions. Apply Inoculants in plots that have not had peanuts planted in the last 5 years.
Harvesting And Storing Peanuts
When To Harvest Peanuts
You’ll know that the plant is ready to harvest when the leaves turn yellow and the plant appears to be dying, usually 120 to 150 days after planting.. This is when it puts most of its energy into growing the seeds. Loosen the soil around plants with a garden fork and lift them by grasping at the base and pulling. Shake the dirt from the roots and pods and let the plants dry in the sun for a week (with the pods on top). Remove the pods from plants and spread them on newspaper in a cool, dry place (such as a garage) for several weeks. Cure peanuts in the sunshine for a few weeks; bring them indoors if rain is forecast. In cold climates or wet weather, hang peanut plants to cure in an airy but shaded place, a garden shed or attic. Peanuts should cure for about 2 months. When the leaves are dry and crumbly, take the nuts off the vines, roast them, and store them. If peanuts are not dry, place them in a mesh bag or cardboard box to dry another 2 or 3 weeks. If peanuts become moldy, place them in the trash. Peanut mold is a dangerous carcinogen.
Storing Peanuts
Raw, unshelled peanuts can be kept in a dry, dark, well-ventilated place for up to 3 months. Dried-shelled peanuts can be stored in a cool, dry place for 10 to 12 months. Shelled peanuts can be sprouted, frozen, used for peanut butter, or roasted for snacks. Shelled peanuts can be stored briefly in airtight containers and refrigerated. For long-term storage, peanuts can be frozen.
Go Nuts for Peanuts! Buy NOW!
Peanuts Tips & Tricks
Roast Your Nuts
Roasting peanuts is one of the simplest yet tastiest ways to enjoy peanuts. Place the raw peanuts in a single layer inside a shallow baking pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For shelled peanuts, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, and for unshelled peanuts, bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the shells or nuts themselves are lightly golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes.
Mulching
Mulch around peanuts to keep the soil surface from crusting and becoming hard; this will allow pegs to penetrate the soil, as well as help to keep the planting beds weed-free and cultivate lightly to keep the soil loose. Mulching around peanuts is effective weed control and will make harvesting easier.
Tobacco Growing Guide
Tobacco is a member of the Solanaceae or nightshade family. This family includes tomato, pepper, eggplant, Irish potato, and a number of other plants. Tobacco belongs to the genus Nicotiana, and almost all commercial tobacco is of the tabacum species.
January 31, 2023
Peppermint Growing Guide
You may not have heard of some of our herbs before, but you’ve probably heard of peppermint. It’s the most used flavoring from the mint family and is everywhere during the Christmas season.
January 9, 2023
Several Weeks Before Planting
Test your soil at your local extension office.
1 Week Before Planting
After adjusting soil pH to 6.0 – 6.5, mix 1 cup per 10 ft. of row of Hoss Complete Organic Fertilizer with your soil.
2 Weeks After Planting, Every 7 days
Using Mix 1 tablet each of Dr. Joe Nutri Bubble into 1 gallon of water. Apply as a drench per 4 feet of row. Apply .5 lbs of row Pelletized Gypsum at first signs of flowering.
Several Weeks Before Planting
Test your soil at your local extension office.
1 Week Before Planting
After adjusting soil pH to 6.0 – 6.5, mix 1 cup per 10 ft. of row of Hoss Complete Organic Fertilizer with your soil.
2 Weeks After Planting, Every 7 days
Using Mix 1 tablet each of Dr. Joe Nutri Bubble into 1 gallon of water. Apply as a drench per 4 feet of row. Apply .5 lbs of row Pelletized Gypsum at first signs of flowering.
