The peanut plant is a low bush. Some kinds grow long low branches called ‘runners’. Peanuts should not be planted on the same land oftener than once in 3 or 4 years. The rotation should include are last two sol-building crops, one of which is a winter cover crop.
In spring, farmers plant peanut seeds. Green plants with yellow flowers grow from the seeds.
The kind and quantity of commercial fertilizer that may be profitably used for peanuts depend largely on the character and fertility of the soil.
Commercial fertilizer is usually applied in the row just before planting or with a planter equipped with a fertilizer distributor.
In fall, farmers use machines to pull up the peanut plants. Peanuts are harvested when the plants turn yellow at the end of the season.
The whole plant is pulled out of the ground with the peanuts still hanging on the pegs. The plants are left to cure in the garden or in a frost-protected enclosure for 2-3 weeks.
The second process involves combining. In this process, the combine lifts the plants, picks the pods from the vine on the hopper on the machine, and blows fragmented plants back into the field.
Growing peanuts
