Growing in Alice Springs

Best time to plant peanut in Alice Springs

Arachis hypogaea

Also called Groundnut, Goober, Goober pea, Monkey nut

Sow peanut in Alice Springs in Oct to Dec.

Unusually for a legume, the peanut sets its pods below the soil, and those pods hold the edible seeds. Native to South America, the plant hosts bacteria in its root nodules that fix nitrogen, making it useful in crop rotations. The seeds also yield oil and peanut butter.

When to sow in Alice Springs

Alice Springs, NT is in the arid zone. The zone also plants in Sep, but Alice Springs's frost dates make those months risky for a frost-tender crop.

Not yet checked against a local guide.

Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.

Frost in Alice Springs

Frost usually arrives in Alice Springs around late May and finishes by mid September. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as early May or as late as early October, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.

From its Bureau of Meteorology station, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.

On a shared plot: suits a plot

Finishes in a season and stays within its space, so it suits most plots.

Growing details

How to start
Raise seedlings, then transplant
Sowing depth
2.5cm
Plant spacing
30cm
Row spacing
90cm
Height
40cm
Germination
About 14 days
Time to harvest
120 days from sowing
Frost
Frost tender
Sun
Full sun
Life cycle
annual

These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.

Peanut elsewhere

Peanut across Australia