Growing your own peanuts.

[pusskin]

Has any one on AB grown their own peanuts?

Have googled and found that they are grown in America with 5 months of sunshine, and grown underground? well, have you?

Have just found 2 sprouting nuts among them that I have just put up for the birds

[woofgang]

yes, you don't get a decent harvest in the Uk but they make an interesting indoor plant. They need plenty of light though.

[pusskin]

Really woofgang? Didnt think for one minute that any one would grow their own, I'de never thought about it untill them 2 sprouted ones turned up in the bag, haha. many thanks reply x ( would rather just buy them though, its quicker and easier)

[snags]

''5 months of sunshine''

5 days would be good.

[pusskin]

ha ha snags! On second thoughts. a plant sounds a really good idea. Keep it in full sun in the window and grow my own peanuts x lol

[Clanad]

Grown exclusively in our southern states (primarily Alabama) it takes more than just the sun shine. High heat and humidity are also required for peanut growth (they're not really nuts, but then of course, you knew that... they're related to peas) as well as very sandy soil. They grow underground and need light, very sandy soil so the peanuts can push their way through it to grow. Lotsa rain, but not so much that the peanuts are standing in water... good luck!

[woofgang]

My best ever harvest was 3 shells.......as I said though a fun and unusual houseplant, nice for a conservatory.
I have just started a sweet potato growing....again I won't get a crop but it makes a nice vine.

[chakka35]

As Clanad says, it ain't so easy, as the then new Labour Government discovered in the mid-40's when they embarked on a grand scheme to grow groundnuts in Tanganyika. It was such an unmitigated disaster that it eventually became a huge joke.

The scheme aimed to deliver 600,000 tons of groundnuts but eventually, after the expenditure of £50 million (a lot in those days), yielded just a few sackfuls.

The whole sad and comical story is told in Geoff Tibballs's engrossing book "Business Blunders".

[Hopkirk]

Interesting fact of the day:

Peanuts are not nuts.