{"product_id":"tennessee-red-valencia-peanut-organic-seeds","title":"Tennessee Red Valencia Peanut Seeds | Organic Heirloom Sweet Red Peanut","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMinimum: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e10+ Seeds\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eMost people have never grown a peanut. That is a shame worth fixing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe peanut is not actually a nut. It is a legume, botanically closer to a bean or a pea than to a walnut or almond, and it does something in the garden that very few crops do: it feeds the soil while it feeds you. Like all legumes, peanuts fix nitrogen from the air and deposit it into the ground, improving the soil for everything planted after them. George Washington Carver understood this better than almost anyone. Born into slavery during the Civil War, he became one of the most important agricultural scientists in American history, dedicating his life to teaching Southern farmers how peanuts could rebuild depleted, overfarmed soils while providing food, oil, and income for communities that had almost nothing. His 1916 bulletin on growing and preparing peanuts was reprinted and distributed widely for decades. The peanut's place in American food culture is inseparable from his work and his story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eTennessee Red Valencia dates back to before 1890, making it one of the oldest surviving peanut varieties in cultivation. It comes from the Valencia class, a category known for smaller size, higher natural sugar content, and a sweeter, richer flavor than the large Virginia types that dominate commercial production. The red papery skin on each kernel is the variety's signature and its name. Shells contain three to five plump kernels, generously packed and deeply flavored, with a sweet nuttiness that tastes nothing like a commercial peanut and everything like what a peanut is supposed to be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eTHE PLANT\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eCompact and bush-forming, reaching about 18 inches tall with a spreading habit that looks beautiful in a garden bed. One of the most forgiving peanut varieties available, tolerating clay soils that would defeat most other types, requiring minimal hilling, and maturing in approximately 110 days, which makes it accessible to gardeners well north of the traditional peanut belt. The flowers are small and yellow, and here is where the real magic happens: after the flower fades, a small tendril called a peg grows downward from the base of the plant and buries itself into the soil. The peanut develops underground from that peg, which is why peanuts are sometimes called groundnuts. Watching that process happen in a garden bed for the first time is genuinely one of the more remarkable things you will see a plant do.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eIN THE KITCHEN\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eTennessee Red Valencia is exceptional roasted whole in the shell, boiled fresh in salted water in the Southern tradition, pressed into oil, and made into peanut butter. Homegrown peanut butter from a variety this sweet needs very little added to it. Roast, shell, grind, and taste the difference between something grown in your own garden from a 130-year-old variety and anything sold in a jar at a grocery store. The gap is significant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eOrganic. Open-pollinated. Non-GMO. Grown using organic methods with no synthetic pesticides or chemical inputs. Shell the seeds immediately before planting as peanuts are sold and stored in shell to preserve freshness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eWHAT YOU GET\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-pre-wrap leading-[1.7]\"\u003eOrganic, open-pollinated, Non-GMO and seed-saving friendly Sweet, red-skinned Valencia class peanut with 3 to 5 kernels per shell Compact bush habit reaching approximately 18 inches tall Tolerates clay soils, requires minimal hilling Early maturing at approximately 110 days, suitable for northern gardens Exceptional roasted, boiled, pressed for oil, or made into peanut butter Nitrogen-fixing legume that improves soil for subsequent crops\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eGROWING NOTES\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eShell seeds immediately before planting. Direct sow after last frost when soil has reached 65 to 70 degrees F, planting one to two inches deep and six inches apart, thinning to ten inches. In shorter-season climates, start indoors in peat pots three to four weeks before last frost and transplant carefully to avoid root disturbance. Full sun and well-drained soil are essential. When plants reach twelve inches, mound soil gently around the base to give the pegs easy access to the ground. Water consistently during flowering and pod development. Harvest when leaves begin to yellow, before first frost. Lift the entire plant with a fork, shake off soil, and hang to air dry in a sheltered spot for two to four weeks before removing pods.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eGrowing peanuts is slow, deliberate, and completely worth it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"terramatergardens","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53420231295294,"sku":"11418","price":3.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/8836\/7166\/files\/candles-5187.png?v=1778095902","url":"https:\/\/www.terramatergardens.com\/products\/tennessee-red-valencia-peanut-organic-seeds","provider":"Terra Mater Gardens","version":"1.0","type":"link"}