Where Do Peanuts Grow

Peanuts have become such an integral part of our social lives, that we do not even give it a second thought. Like, do you know that peanuts are actually legumes and not nuts? Then why the name peanuts, you would wonder. And where do peanuts grow, really? Do you know? No? Well, they grow in the ground. Don't know how either, right? OK...let's get into a little detail.

The Process

1. After a peanut seed is planted in the ground, a bush will grow to about 18 inches in length.
2. After a month, yellow flowers appear and will be in bloom for about 20-30 days.
3. These flowers are pollinated by bees.
4. When the flowers fade, small fruits begin to appear.
5. These fruits form a peg (a pointed stalk). This peg will start to point in the direction of the ground and start to grow towards it.
6. The peg will start developing an outer cover which is hard and venous.
7. This is the peanut shell.
8. These pegs will soon get heavy with weight and bury themselves in the ground.
9. Once they are under the ground, they will continue to grow and mature.
10. The entire process will take about 160-180 days.
11. After the harvesting is complete, the pods are dug from the ground and kept to dry for over a period of 1-3 weeks.
12. The peanuts are then shelled and are ready to eat.
13. Each of the pods will contain 2/3 peanuts.
14. When fresh, they are juicy and can be dried and roasted or salted or converted into any other form of healthy snack.

Places Where Peanuts Grow

Peanuts grow in the US - North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Florida, New Mexico and South Carolina. India and China are the leading exporters of peanuts. A sandy place where it is warm for a period of 120-140 days is ideal for growing peanuts. So also 25 to 60 inches of rain and no frost helps.

More About Peanuts

The peanut plant is known to have originated somewhere in South America like Brazil, Peru or Bolivia. These were then transported to Africa by the Portuguese. And then brought to America as a cheap diet for the civil war soldiers because of its high concentration of proteins.

There are three types of peanuts that are widely known in the United States. They are Virginias, Spanish Peanuts and Runners. The large-kenneled nuts are the Virginias also called cocktail nuts. The medium-sized kernels are called runners and the Spanish Nuts are the small-kerneled nuts. There is also a fourth type and they are called the Valencia nuts. These have about 3-4 smalls kernels in a shell.

Why are Peanuts Called Peanuts?

Peanuts is a misleading name. For, peanuts are not really nuts but legumes. Legumes are edible seeds that are formed in pods. Peanuts are confused with being nuts because their use in cuisines and foods is similar to the way other nuts (cashew, walnuts) are used. But by their physical structure they are like other legumes.

So now that you know where peanuts grow, and the process it entails, I guess it'll be easier to answer why they are sometimes referred to as ground nuts.