Clear skies. Low 56F. Winds light and variable..

Clear skies. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.

In Martin County we will be digging and harvesting peanuts for the next month.

Martin County ranks in at least top three in peanut production in the state most years being first or second in planted acres. Martin County peanut acres have increased each year since 2019.

In 2020 Martin County planted 8,410 acres, 9,321 in 2021 and 9,479 in 2022.

There are four basic market types of peanuts: Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia. Each of the peanut types is distinctive in size, flavor and nutritional composition.

In Martin County, we grow Virginias. Virginias have the largest kernels and account for most of the peanuts roasted and processed in-the-shell. When shelled, many of the larger kernels are sold as gourmet snack peanuts. Virginias are grown mainly in southeastern Virginia, northeastern North Carolina and South Carolina.

Peanut seeds grown and treated from the previous year’s crop are planted about two inches deep, at an average of five seeds per foot on 36-inch rows. This is about 120 lbs. of seed per acre depending on variety.

In about two weeks, the first “square” of four leaflets will unfold above the peanut field. Thirty to forty days after emergence the plants bloom and “pegs” form and enter the soil. The peanut hulls and kernels develop and mature during the next 60-to-70-day period. Depending on the variety, 120 to 160 frost free days are required for a good crop.

As peanuts reach maturity pod blasting clinics are hosted to determine crop maturity. Peanut pod blasting helps growers determine when peanuts are mature and ready to be dug. Peanut pod blasting is usually done two or three times a year to help determine maturity and when peanuts should be harvested.

When the plant has matured and the peanuts are ready to be harvested, the farmer waits until the soil is not too wet or too dry before digging. When conditions are right, the farmer drives their digger up and down the green rows of peanut plants. The digger has long blades that run four to six inches under the ground. It loosens the plant and cuts the tap root.

Just behind the blade, a shaker lifts the plant from the soil, gently shakes the dirt from the peanuts, rotates the plant, and lays the plant back down in a “windrow,” - peanuts up and leaves down.

Peanuts contain 25 to 50 percent moisture when first dug and must be dried to 10 percent or less so they can be stored. They are generally left in the windrows to partially dry for two or more days in the field, before being combined.

The farmer drives their combine over the windrows. The combine lifts up the plants, separates the peanuts from the vine, blows them into a hopper on the top of the machine, and lays the vine back down in the field. The peanuts are then dumped into wagons and further dried to 10 percent moisture with warm air forced up through the floors of the wagons. They are then taken to nearby peanut buying stations where they are sampled and graded by the Federal-State Inspection Service to determine their value.

For more information and fun facts about peanuts visit the Virginia Carolinas Peanuts Site.

Source: Virginia Carolinas Peanuts https://www.aboutpeanuts.com/

Lance Grimes is an Extension Agent in Martin County.

www.DailyAdvance.com 1016 W Ehringhaus St Elizabeth City, NC 27909 Main Phone: 252-335-0841 Customer Care Phone: 252-329-9505

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