Best time to plant peanut in Melbourne
Arachis hypogaea
Also called Groundnut, Goober, Goober pea, Monkey nut
Sow peanut in Melbourne in Oct to Nov.
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 Melbourne
Melbourne, VIC is in the cool zone. The zone also plants in Sep, but Melbourne's frost dates make those months risky for a frost-tender crop.
Matches local guides.
Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.
Frost in Melbourne
Frost usually arrives in Melbourne around mid June and finishes by late August. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as late May or as late as late September, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.
From the average of its 2 Bureau of Meteorology stations, 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.