Plant of the week: Planting peanuts is a pleasant pastime

The plant: Before Americans created the pedestrian peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the peanut led an exotic life. Traced back to Peru and Brazil, the peanut was cultivated throughout South America and as far north as Mexico. It must have been a highly prized crop as Incan mummies dating from 1200 B.C. have been found bundled with peanut plants. Spanish explorers brought peanuts back to Europe, where they traveled with traders to Africa and Asia. In the United States, early farmers in the South dabbled in peanut farming, using it primarily as feed for livestock. It wasn't until the Civil War that the peanut became a food staple for Northern and Southern soldiers. The desire for peanuts grew after people like Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici began roasting and selling them on street corners. You may not know Obici, but you might know Planters (Peanuts, the company he founded). I would bet most have not tried growing peanuts, but I find it to be a plant that can spark interest across generations. Kids love the idea of planting a crop they can identify with, and you'll love the low-maintenance lush bush growing in your garden through the summer heat.

Growing guide: Full sun to partial shade

Culture: In the low desert, March through mid-April is a good time to plant peanuts. Soil temperatures from 80 to 90 degrees are another good indicator for timing. Sorry, peanuts left over from a ballgame won't work. You need to buy seeds from a seed company. They're not treated or roasted, making it easy for germination. Choose a sunny or afternoon-shaded location. Prepare organically rich, well-drained soil for vegetable gardening. There are two varieties that grow well in the low desert, Spanish and Virginia. Maturity dates range from 110 to 135 days. Spanish will harvest earlier than Virginia. Peanut plants look like a sweet pea bush and grow 1 to 2 feet tall. Plant seeds 2 inches deep and space 4 to 6 inches in rows 30 inches apart. Keep the thin pinkish-brown seed skin when you plant or the seeds won't germinate. Thin young plants 12 inches apart. One pound of seed can plant up to 75 row feet. One hundred square feet of planted peanuts can yield about 6.5 pounds. Peanuts grow under the ground; therefore, it's important to keep soil loose and light to successfully cultivate them. Peanuts form at the end of runners sent out by Virginia varieties and off yellow blossoms at the end of shoots that form pegs that drop down into the soil of Spanish varieties. Peanut seeds form in pods and are self-pollinating.

Maintenance: It's time to shade your peanut plants with 50 percent shade cloth when temperatures reach 100 degrees. Because peanuts grow underground, don't mulch. Peanut plants perform best if they receive consistent soil moisture. Periodic deep soakings are better than more frequent light waterings. If you've prepared the soil well you won't need to fertilize. Adding too much nitrogen will encourage foliage rather than fruit. Plants are ready to harvest as foliage begins to yellow and their inner shells have gold-marked veins. Loosen the soil then pull out the plant. You'll be pulling up peanuts still on the vines. Let them dry on the plant in a warm, airy, shaded place for two to three weeks, then remove from the mother plant.

Barn Goddess tips: You might think of peanuts as root crops because they grow underground, but they are really a legume like a pea and are considered good soil builders. Plant them in a spot where carrots or beets grew during the winter. In the spring, companion-plant them with corn or squash. India is the largest producer of peanuts followed by China, then the U.S. Only 10 percent of peanuts grown and sold in the U.S. are in the shell. The majority are used to produce peanut butter, contributing $4 billion to the U.S. economy.