Other Names:  Groundnut, Goober

Description:

A perennial legume that is primarily raised as an annual, crop producing plant; appears like a small sweet pea bush, featuring yellow flowers from early to late summer; seed pods (peanuts) are harvested from the ground in fall; not very ornamental

Edible Qualities

Peanut is a perennial that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces tan oval seeds which are typically harvested when mature. The seeds have an earthy taste with a firm texture and a distinctive fragrance.

The seeds are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Baking

Features & Attributes

Peanut features dainty clusters of yellow pea-like flowers with orange veins rising above the foliage from early to late summer. Its oval pinnately compound leaves remain emerald green in color throughout the year.

This is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage. This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Peanut is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Peanut will grow to be about 20 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

This plant can be difficult to integrate into a landscape or flower garden, and is best grown in a designated edibles garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant is capable of fixing its own nitrogen, which means that it is effectively self-fertilizing. As a result it should not require supplemental fertilizing, and if you do fertilize it, be sure to only use a low-nitrogen fertilizer to promote root growth. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided. This species is not originally from North America..

Peanut is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.