Peanuts! anyone have unusual varieties and info?

[dandelion meadow]

Anybody out there a fan of growing peanuts in the home garden? I've had fun several times growing grocery store purchased ones. One year, a lesser known company had a delicious variety being sold through Wal-Mart. These were larger than most and drier, more crunchy than Valencia types. I called the company and was told that the variety was (S.) "Georgia 1/2 Runner". They hoped to keep the W-M acct. but haven't seen them since and didn't keep their name. A brand called Fisher is now featured in the baking section but these aren't as uniform, large, and tasty (to me) as the others. Would enjoy finding out more about what must be a very diverse crop in spite of the few choices in stores.Thanks!

[Gary]

Check here at South Carolina Foundation Seed Association. They have a good selection of a variety of garden seed. This link will take you to the Heirloom list; scroll down until you find Peanuts and Groundnuts which are much older.
VGary/Louisville

http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/seed/newpage21.htm

[dandelion meadow]

Thank you, Gary! Will check this out soon.

[zebraman]

Hey Gary;Thanks Alot.Like I really needed another $30.00 worth of Beans.

[dirtundernails]

Zebraman, how could you choose only $30 worth?

dun

[Gary]

Zebraman,
Check out the great Heirloom Bean Varieties at the Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center, Berea, Kentucky. Dr. Bill Best has spent much of his life searching and preserving many of these old varieties of Beans. Enjoy the two articles on Heirloom Tomatoes and Heirloom Beans
Gary/Louisville

http://www.heirlooms.org/beans.html

[zebraman]

Hey Gary;Thanks for this and the PM.This is great too.I found another site similar to this also in the south.Heirloom project,most of their beans look like these.Also "Amish Snap Peas" from SSE are a foot taller than me 6'3" and are loaded with flowers and the Peas are Fantastic.
Hey DUN;I currently have 9 orders out and will be sending 4 more this week.You are not the only one with a seed addiction.Also when people here and other sites that I frequent that ask for seeds I send out Hundreds or thousands.My Choice.I tithe 10 percent of my income and You Don't have to be Christian to reap the Benefits.I also got the Pre Civil War Peanut.Can't wait.I see you guys are in for a Wet weekend.-

[Gary]

CHECK THE DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUNDNUT ON THIS LINK!
Check here at South Carolina Foundation Seed Association. They have a good selection of a variety of garden seed. This link will take you to the Heirloom list; scroll down until you find Peanuts and Groundnuts which are much older.
VGary/Louisville

http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/seed/newpage21.htm

[zebraman]

Hey Gary;I keep looking at this and can't find Groundnut,only the two peanuts and I ordered the pre civil war with the beans.

[zebraman]

Hey Dandelion Meadow;I looked in SSE 06 yearbook and there is half a page of peanuts.It is worth the cost if you like variety.

[dandelion meadow]

Gary, I couldn't find groundnuts either, just the two peanuts and am hoping to find a large dry type this year like the ones mentioned previously. How to carve yet another patch of sunny growing space out of this yard surrounded by forest??? What a trip it would be to have beds and beds of different peanuts!
Zebraman, yes, you are right, must get back on Seedsavers membership list. It is a marvelous resource!

[Gary]

The GroundNut was there when I posted it. They must have pulled the listing if they were out of seed. Sorry. You might contact them to see if they still have any.
Gary/Louisville

[dandelion meadow]

Thanks, Gary. May leave this for next year. Plants due from a nursery any day and seedlings needing care and beds to prepare...you know the story, I'm sure. Here is a link about growing peanuts that is helpful though it doesn't give sources of seed. http://www.clemson.edu/peanuts/gardenpnut.pdf
Have you grown ground nuts? How would you describe the difference? Which do you prefer?

[zebraman]

Hey Gary;I just received first order from S.Carolina Seed F.A. They are really quick and thorough.I'll definately order from them again.They also ship in a box,first class.

[winter_unfazed]

Is it too late to plant peanuts in the Ozarks now?

[dandelion meadow]

The recommended last date for our area was about 10-12 days ago. I've been waiting for some seed another person was going to have sent, but they hadn't arrived on Saturday. So, have spent much of today putting some saved seed in the ground. Will still get a crop, though the earlier dates might have given a larger amount. Hopefully, some will mature enough for saving as stock for next year.
Give it a try!
They like extra calcium when blooming.

[zebraman]

Hey Dandelion Meadow;I was hoping you had already received the ones that I ordered.I will call them today to see where they are.-

[dandelion meadow]

Zebraman,
Have saved a small space for a few of them when they do arrive.
Will share the original seed with you this year, to be sure you get some that are true. Can store what is left and get a better start next year. Or at least, that is plan B. Thanks again for your efforts on this one.

[dandelion meadow]

Zebraman, peanuts never did arrive. It's ok. Own saved seed have had 100% germination, many from '03 seed kept in deep freezer. Next year, I can check out the Clemson site or join Seedsavers, as you suggested. Sorry you had to go to this trouble. Any idea what happened?

[TastyofHasty]

Bump! ... what ARE groundnuts, anyhow??

Dandelion Meadow, are you still growing peanuts?? Do they grow well for you?

[smellycat]

Hi,

if you're still looking for peanuts. I have some from Gurneys. they are not heirloom. I know this is not the trading section...BUT... and they are not heirloom...

If you have found what you want great. Its to cold here in Minnesota to plant. Its almost May 1st and we are still getting below 32 at night.

I can send them to you if you want to PM me. I was looking forward to trying them for the first time. I just want someone to be able to get some use out of them

Smellycat

[dandelion meadow]

Tasty,
Yes, I still grow them, some years better than others depending on location and nuts. The big ones I grew in '06 were saved from seed originally from the store. They didn't mature due to late planting. However, neighbors that I gave seed to had bumper crops.
Last year, I grew some "black peanuts" from Sandhill Preserv. Ctr. and they did beautifully. Good flavor and crops. They are more like a Spanish peanut and I think they are ok with a slightly shorter grow season than larger Southern varieties. They were planted on time in a better soil and more sun than the "06 ones.

Peanuts are fun to grow. Even if no crop, they still fix nitrogen and are a great cover crop. They do well if started in newspaper pots indoors to get a jump on short growing seasons.

Smellycat,
Thank you for the kind offer! I'm keeping things as simple as possible these days so will just regrow the black saved peanuts. Maybe Tasty can use them?
It's been cold here on the hill and I'm waiting on planting just about everything except the early greens, which I hope survived last night's frost. Good gardening when you can get out there in the soil!

[TastyofHasty]

Thanks for the thought, but I have to expand my garden more to have room for peanuts, I think!

[crazyknitter]

can anyone tell me what it takes to grow peanuts in the Ozarks? I have been very interested in this. And have wanted to grow some.

[dandelion meadow]

Crazyknitter,
I just plant them about mid-May, sometimes reseeding if temps got cool an germination wasn't complete.Guidelines for planting peanuts available through various extension agencies - things like planting in a furrow and adding soil as they grow so that peanuts are easy to harvest. I sort of try that but often let it go and just let them grow in soil with lots of mulch. Harvest in fall after the plant has dried. Lots of info out there with a little research. I've only grown them in the Ozarks so can't compare with other places.

[crazyknitter]

Crazyknitter,
I just plant them about mid-May, sometimes reseeding if temps got cool an germination wasn't complete.Guidelines for planting peanuts available through various extension agencies - things like planting in a furrow and adding soil as they grow so that peanuts are easy to harvest. I sort of try that but often let it go and just let them grow in soil with lots of mulch. Harvest in fall after the plant has dried. Lots of info out there with a little research. I've only grown them in the Ozarks so can't compare with other places.

Yep, I am in the Ozarks also.

[dandelion meadow]

Here is a page from the MO university extension service. Scroll down to the question about growing peanuts. The second website is an article about peanuts from Clemson Univ.

http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/qa/horticulture0018.htm

http://www.clemson.edu/peanuts/gardenpnut.pdf

[crazyknitter]

Thank you, Dandelion Meadow. That was good info.

[Gary]

Peanuts (groundnuts) in Africa
The peanut or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is an unusual plant because its edible seeds (which are legumes) grow and ripen underground.
It is often said that enslaved Africans brought peanuts to North America; this may be true. However, peanuts are native to South America, and were cultivated in South America and the Caribbean for centuries before they were first encountered by Europeans in the early 1500s. Europeans introduced peanuts to Africa (and perhaps North America) at that time. Peanut plants were soon widely cultivated throughout Africa, catching on quickly because they were similar to a plant already cultivated by Africans, the Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea or Voandzeia subterranea). Similar, but the new world peanut proved both easier to harvest and more productive (peanuts have more fat than cream; more protein, minerals, and vitamins than beef; and more calories than sugar). The peanut soon replaced the Bambara groundnut, taking the older plant's place and even its name (peanuts are often called "groundnuts" in Africa), such that the Bambara groundnut is now called an "underutilized and neglected crop".
Without a doubt it was enslaved Africans who popularized peanuts in North America and they also introduced peanut soup to colonial America. Peanut soup is still served at George Washington's Mount Vernon home and Colonial Williamsburg (Virginia) and is featured in collections of colonial recipes. Africans also gave the peanut one of its many names in America: the Kikongo word for peanut is nguba, or as they say in the southeastern United States, goober. Eventually the combination of Africans in America and peanut cultivation led to George Washington Carver, the agricultural chemist who developed dozens of uses for the peanut.
Recipes from the Congo Cook Book
http://www.congocookbook.com/sitemap.html

[dandelion meadow]

THank you, Gary! What great info. I've often wondered about these things. Would like someday to try a real groundnut...

[FiberFlinger]

A friend sent me some Peruvian Red goobers this year to grow. She used to be listed in the SSExchange and lives in Black.
Bunny

[WJDavisl]

A question, how do spanish peanuts respond to "mulch". I have two old big bales of hay and by accident I have found it has improved the growth of some melon plants by an remarkable rate over some "older" plants right next to it (we are not dry here yet, so it is some other quality the hay is giving at this time, other than conservation of moisture). I have the peanuts near them and am tempted to mulch them as well, but have not found any mention of mulching peanuts.

[dandelion meadow]

Fiberfinger,
Let us know how these do for you. Next year, maybe I coudld trade some black peanut for afew of youPeruvian Red goobers.

WJDavis, I use mulch. If you apply it early in season,it begins to compost and the peanuts can send flowers into it to produce peanuts that are easy to harvest, sort of like building mulch around Irish potatoes. What the hay! Give it a try and let us know! Sounds like a winner. Worms love mulch, too. So some of your melon improvement might be from creating a nice earthwom environment. ???

[WJDavisl]

I'll let you know. I have two big roundbales (old old hay) and I'll put lots of hay around them (I had done so, but sparingly. Thanks

[EdlinUser]

I just ordered some from Baker Creek! They're listed under "Grains"

Thai Peanut New!
A large-seeded, red-skinned peanut from Thailand. Tasty seeds are used in so many dishes like Pad Thai, and also peanut sauces.

Item Code: GS110
$2.50