Grow Your Own

By Heather Lambrecht

Here is a simple way to grow a peanut plant that may also produce peanuts for you.

1. Buy a small bag of raw peanuts at the store. You only need one peanut for each plant, so suggest to your mom that she make peanut brittle with the rest.

2. Place peanut in small paper cup along with 2″ piece of yarn. Moisten yarn and peanut only; do not cover with water.

3. Moisten nut and yarn every day. Peanut will sprout roots and wind them around yarn.

4. When plant is 3″ tall, transplant peanut and yarn to a pot 4″ deep and 12″ across.

5. Place pot in warm spot near sunny window.

6. Under the best conditions, peanuts will grow on your plant in about four months. Remember that peanuts grow underground!

Pick peanuts when they are loose in pod and put them in a dry place for two weeks. Then roast them in 250° oven for 15–25 minutes.

Illustrated by Shauna Mooney