People have been left gobsmacked after learning how peanuts actually grow, having never given a second thought about where or how they are grown.
It usually takes four to five months for a peanut to grow ready for harvest. After this, they’re sorted, packaged and shipped to supermarkets to be enjoyed as snacks or as part of a meal.
But in response to the Reddit thread, ‘What are obvious things you’ve just become aware of?’, one user admitted to only just learning the lifecycle of a peanut.
They said: “I had no idea that peanuts grow underground until the other day when I saw a video on Reddit. I think I always assumed they grew on like, I don’t know, a peanut tree? Peanut bush? I was flabbergasted.”
Unlike most plants, the peanut plant flowers above the ground, but fruits below ground. A statement on National Peanut Board reads: “Many people are surprised to learn that peanuts grow beneath the soil and do not grow on trees like pecans or walnuts.”
Peanuts are typically planted after the last frost in April through May, about two inches deep, approximately one to two inches apart in rows.
The statement adds: “Peanut seedlings rise out of the soil about 10 days after planting. They grow into a green, oval-leafed plant about 18 inches tall. Unlike most plants, the peanut plant flowers above the ground, but fruits below ground.
“Yellow flowers emerge around the lower portion of the plant about 40 days after planting. When the flowers pollinate themselves, the petals fall off as the peanut ovary begins to form.
“This budding ovary is called a ‘peg’. The peg enlarges and grows down and away from the plant forming a small stem which extends to the soil. The peanut embryo is in the tip of the peg, which penetrates the soil.
“The embryo turns horizontal to the soil surface and begins to mature taking the form of a peanut. The plant continues to grow and flower, eventually producing some 40 or more pods.
“From planting to harvesting, the growing cycle of a peanut takes four to five months, depending on the type and variety.”
Commenting on this revelation, one user said: “I could have lived my whole life thinking there were peanut trees…” Another user added: “Cashew nuts grow even more ridiculously.”
A third user said: “Peanuts aren’t even nuts. They’re legumes, like peas or beans.” And one more person added: “I assumed they grew on a peanut bush because of that episode of SpongeBob…”
Another commented: “Whoa. I’m 34 years old and today I learnt.”