Growing Peanuts in Sisaket Province

[oldsailor35]

Does any know anything of , or have experience of growing Peanuts here.

[NeverSure]

Peanuts require very loose and sandy soil. They require very good drainage. They have to be dug up, so even if they could grow in heavy soil they'd be almost impossible to harvest.

In the US peanuts are grown in the deep South where the soil is very sandy. Much of Florida and even parts of Georgia literally have sand instead of what we think of as soil. In Florida your yard would seem like sand that you are trying to landscape.

Peanuts are now harvested by machine as manual harvesting is very labor intense. Any crop that requires digging to harvest such as potatoes, carrots, beets to include sugar beets, peanuts and so on are grown only in areas where the soil type invites them. All of the above require different climates of course and I would think that Thailand's climate would grow them. I just haven't seen soil that would. Maybe there is some in places.

Rice is grown because the soil, drainage and weather almost requires it. It can withstand wet feet, doesn't have to be dug, and likes hot humid weather. "Peasants" the world over grow and eat what their land circumstances allow.

Cheers.

[IsaanAussie]

Peanuts was one of my original test crops back in 2008. I was interested in the soil and what would grow with a minimal amount of effort. (Inlaws to tend the crop should explain the effort used) . Well peanuts grew and we probably harvested twice the amount we planted.

Yes you can grow peanuts in Sisaket.

[NeverSure]

Peanuts was one of my original test crops back in 2008. I was interested in the soil and what would grow with a minimal amount of effort. (Inlaws to tend the crop should explain the effort used) . Well peanuts grew and we probably harvested twice the amount we planted.

Yes you can grow peanuts in Sisaket.

I don't know many of the soil types in Thailand. What I have seen in rice paddies looked pretty heavy and wet to me. You might expect to plant one and get a plant that would yield dozens of peanuts. I've heard there's better soil in Thailand but it's just that I don't know that much.

I tried to find some pics of peanut harvesting to show how little soil clings to the peanuts due to it being so sandy. The peanuts of course are "green" and need to be roasted to taste good. Often they are soaked in a salt brine first.

Cheers.

Edited March 13, 2016 by NeverSure

[khwaibah]

Have grown peanuts in Surin and the soil is the same.

[kickstart]

Peanuts are grown here in central Lopburi ,manily in one area of red sand , that has never grown rice, as NeverSure said they like sandy free draining land , with rice paddies you would not get the drainage unless a lot of work is done to field to improve soil draiage which could prove expencive.

Most Thai's use the 3 disc then a 7 disc plough for a seed bed , but on sand land not difficult to produce a seed bed , you could just use a set of discs one good pass should do the job , and cheaper , but trying to find a set of discs ,they are about ,but not popular.

Most crops are drilled using a peanut drill ,it is a drill that has narrow row spacings , a lot narrower than a maize drill, and can also be used for drilling soya beans ,can use a maize drill ,but you would have to drill one way then come back down the middle of the rows , give you the row spacing's. you could use a 7 disc plough ,with a drill attachment and almost plough them in , but like sun flowers you do not get an even crop ,the seeds end up at different depths .

Some fertilizer is needed, mainly P and K and a top dressing of N, being a legume some fungersides will be needed .

Harvest here in Thailand, is done by hand no machine is used ,normally a team come in pulls the plants and the peanuts are sorted out , and put in to sacks most are sold straight away.

The harvester's are paid on a per kg rate , that they pick . the buyer does the drying ,you should get a crop in about 90 days .

This area has a lot of dairy cattle , tops are often feed to cattle , not a bad feed , better than rice straw growers sell the tops for a few hundred baht buyer collects the tops ,have seen them being baled ,buyer selling the bales ,would have thought better to plough them in ,add some much fibre in to the soil.

Peanuts being a legume will put something back in to the soil.

[oldsailor35]

Peanuts was one of my original test crops back in 2008. I was interested in the soil and what would grow with a minimal amount of effort. (Inlaws to tend the crop should explain the effort used) . Well peanuts grew and we probably harvested twice the amount we planted.

Yes you can grow peanuts in Sisaket.

Thanks mate, at least you know what you are talking about rather than some yanks who think that the good ole USA is in fact "the world" We grow a hell of a lot of peanuts in Queensland, i was just thinking that there might be room for a second crop after the rice is finished as they only take around 115 days from planting.

[samuijimmy]

Next time you pop by to see me....Oldsailor35 .... I will show you the crop my neighbour has....

They need a bit more water than they are getting!

They are a very popular crop in parts of Burma ... (can't say I have heard of Sisaket Province b4! so can't give specific info for there! )

[kickstart]

Peanuts was one of my original test crops back in 2008. I was interested in the soil and what would grow with a minimal amount of effort. (Inlaws to tend the crop should explain the effort used) . Well peanuts grew and we probably harvested twice the amount we planted.

Yes you can grow peanuts in Sisaket.

Thanks mate, at least you know what you are talking about rather than some yanks who think that the good ole USA is in fact "the world" We grow a hell of a lot of peanuts in Queensland, i was just thinking that there might be room for a second crop after the rice is finished as they only take around 115 days from planting.

As I said were I am .conditions not so different from Issan should get a crop 90- 100 days ,last year round here was a drought year ,all the first crop of planted maize died , May /June time , so did a good few crops of peanuts, if growing after rice ,that would be getting in to the dry season , you would need some sourse water ,especially on light land .