How to Grow Peanuts in Australia
A fun, warm-season legume that ripens its pods underground
Peanuts are one of the most rewarding novelty crops for a warm Australian garden. They are a legume, so they fix their own nitrogen, and watching the flowers bend down and bury themselves to form pods underground never gets old. Queensland's Kingaroy district built a whole industry on them, but any gardener with a long, frost-free, warm season can grow a crop.
This guide covers when to plant, the loose soil peanuts need, how the pods form, the best varieties, and how to harvest and dry your crop.
When to Plant in Your Region
Varieties to Try
Virginia (Bunch)
Large-kernel bunch type and the classic roasting peanut. Upright habit, easy to lift, and the best all-rounder for home gardens.
Red Spanish
Smaller, sweet, red-skinned kernels that mature a little earlier, so a good pick for shorter or cooler seasons.
How to Grow Peanuts
Peanuts need warmth and time: four to five frost-free months with soil above 18°C. Sow in spring once the soil has warmed, using raw, shelled kernels (raw and unroasted, straight from a seed supplier or a bag of raw peanuts). Plant them 3 to 4 cm deep and about 30 cm apart in light, sandy, free-draining soil. Heavy clay makes it hard for the pods to form, so dig in compost and coarse sand first, or grow in a deep tub of loose mix.
After the yellow flowers appear, each one sends down a stalk called a peg that pushes into the soil, and the pod swells underground at its tip. Keep the soil loose and hill up a little around the base so the pegs can enter easily. Water steadily through flowering and pod fill, then ease off as the crop matures.
Harvesting and Drying
The crop is ready when the leaves yellow and start to die back, usually four to five months after sowing. Lift the whole plant with a fork on a dry day, shake off the soil, and check a few pods: mature kernels fill the shell and the inside of the pod is veined and dark. Hang the whole plants somewhere airy and dry for two to three weeks, then pull the pods and cure them a little longer before roasting or storing.
Common Problems
Poor pod set
Usually heavy or crusted soil the pegs cannot penetrate, or a season too short or cool. Grow in loose, sandy soil, hill up gently, and make sure you have a long warm run after flowering.
Leaf spot and rust
Fungal leaf diseases in humid weather. Space plants for airflow, water at the base rather than overhead, and rotate where you grow legumes each year.
Rats, birds and bandicoots
They will dig for ripening pods. Lift promptly once mature and consider a mesh cover late in the season if you have a problem.
Track Your Peanuts Growing
Add peanuts to your garden in the Planting Season app and get reminders for sowing, care and harvest time.
Open the App →Frequently Asked Questions
When should I plant peanuts in Australia?
Peanuts are a warm-season crop. Sow in spring once the soil is above about 18 degrees and all frost has passed. In subtropical regions like SEQ that means roughly September to December. They need four to five frost-free months to mature, so check the calendar above for your region.
Can I grow peanuts from raw peanuts from the shop?
Yes, as long as they are raw and unroasted, still in or freshly out of the shell. Roasted, salted or blanched peanuts will not sprout. Seed suppliers like Green Harvest also sell named varieties.
How do peanuts grow underground?
After the plant flowers above ground, each fertilised flower sends down a stalk called a peg. The peg pushes into the soil and the peanut pod swells at its tip underground. That is why loose, sandy soil matters so much.
How long do peanuts take to grow?
About four to five months from sowing to harvest. The crop is ready when the foliage yellows and dies back and the kernels fill their shells.
See also: Peanuts in the Plant Library
