How To Grow Peanuts Indoors

Not many people realize it, but peanut plants flower, and a peanut grown in the wild will have bright, buttery yellow flowers. However, most peanuts are grown in temperate climates, so they aren’t available in northern climates. But if you live in these climates, can you grow peanut plants indoors?

Here’s how to grow peanuts indoors:

1. Find the right container. 
2. Plant the peanut seeds.
3. Create the correct environment for growing peanuts.
4. Watch for and correct plant diseases.
5. Harvest the peanuts at the right time.

This article will show you how to grow peanut plants from seeds, even if you don’t have the outdoor space to do so. You can even grow peanuts in the winter if you’d like, if you keep them indoors. Read on to learn more about growing peanuts indoors.

1. Find the Right Container

The first step to growing peanuts in containers is finding a suitable container. You can purchase a seed tray or make one at home. One easy do-it-yourself seed tray would be an egg carton. 

Simply take an egg carton, fill it with peat potting soil, and plant your seeds. Unfortunately, given how shallow egg cartons are, it won’t be long until you need a real seed tray with deeper cells. 

Here are some great ones for starting your peanut plants at home. All products available on Amazon.com:

• Burpee Windowsill Seed Tray is a seed starter tray designed to sit on your windowsill. Its lovely orange color will make for a lovely aesthetic when your peanuts grow yellow blossoms. The raised perimeter of the tray keeps water contained, retaining moisture and humidity, which is essential for new seedlings. The corner slots also improve drainage in each cell. 
• Growneer Seed Starter Trays are biodegradable, environment-friendly trays. It’s perfect for starting an indoor garden, given that each individual cell can be broken off, allowing you to plant the cell directly in a new pot without disturbing the peanut plant’s roots.
• June Fox Nursery Pots are a pack of 60 individual plant pots with labels. They’re plastic containers, but because they’re individual pots, they can be moved between small pots easily.

2. Plant the Peanut Seeds

Now that you have a container to sow your seeds in, you can start planting. Follow this basic process:

1. Fill each cell of your seed tray with peat potting soil.
2. Plant each seed about 1” (2.54 cm) deep in the soil.
3. Keep the soil temperature above 70℉ (21.1℃) for two weeks, or until the seeds sprout.
4. Allow the seedlings to grow to a size where moving them won’t pose a significant risk.
5. Put your seedlings into individual pots. 

3. Create the Correct Environment For Growing Peanuts

Peanut plants require a slightly humid and warm placement and should be placed in a window that gets full sun. They can be placed outside on a terrace or balcony in the warmer months. To keep peanut plants properly humid, use a humidifier. 

Here are some great plant humidifiers available on Amazon.com:

• AquaOasis Cool Mist Humidifier is a quiet bedroom humidifier with auto-shut-off. It’s designed for nurseries and small rooms, but its compact size makes it ideal for seedlings. 
• Levoit Humidifiers for Bedroom is another small humidifier meant for children’s bedrooms and nurseries. Its cute peanut-shaped aesthetic would look fitting beside your peanut plants.
• Cool Mist Humidifier is a small black humidifier with three mist modes and auto-shut-off. It can last up to 30 hours before needing a refill and is very quiet as well.

Once your peanut plants are properly humidified, you should consider their soil. Peanut plants need soil that has a neutral pH. The plant’s base should be covered with mulch or potting soil for protection.

You won’t need to fertilize your peanut plants until they flower. Once fertilizer becomes necessary, choose a fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorus. 

But avoid nitrogen-rich fertilizers, as peanut plants produce their own nitrogen. 

4. Watch For and Correct Plant Diseases

Molds and fungi are the most common causes of disease in peanut plants, while powdery spots on your peanut plant’s leaves are a sign of mold. Peanut plants will also attract pests, such as aphids, spider mites, leaf-eating worms, and potato leafhoppers. 

Avoiding pests, however, is as simple as spraying your peanut plants with vegetable oil.

5. Harvest the Peanuts At the Right Time

If you wait too long to harvest your peanuts, they could become brittle and break off the peg while still under the soil. To avoid this, be sure to harvest once the leaves of the surface plant have turned yellow and the shells have golden veins. This is a sign that the peanuts are ready.

When the peanuts are ready for harvesting, pull the plants up when the soil is moist and let the peanuts air dry. You can then store your fresh peanuts away. 

Tip: Shelling peanuts will reduce their shelf life by five months.

Ways To Use Your Peanuts

After harvesting your peanuts, there are several things you can do with them. You can roast them with salt and oil, then put them in salads. Or, you can toss them raw into savory dishes.

But perhaps the most popular thing to do is to make your own homemade peanut butter.

The following recipe is simple and takes less than five minutes.

To make homemade peanut butter, all you have to do is mix honey, sea salt, and a handful of peanuts into your food processor. Blend until you have a creamy golden mixture and serve.

Here are some ideas to get you using your new peanut butter:

• Spread some on a banana.
• Add a bit to your smoothies for a protein boost.
• Stir into your oatmeal. 
• Use it as a butter substitute.
• Try a classic and spread it on a cracker.
• Dip apple slices in it.
• Spread on celery and top with raisins.
• Dip pretzels in it.
• Add it to DIY granola.
• Add it to an Elvis burger, which is a fried banana sandwich.
• Spread it on waffles, pancakes, or crepes.
• Coat the bottom of an ice cream cone.
• Make homemade peanut butter cups.
• Make peanut butter cookies.
• Add it to ramen noodles.

Conclusion

Growing peanuts indoors is simple. Just find the right containers, use the correct fertilizer, and make sure your peanuts get full sunlight.