Peanuts grow underground

LEGUME: Peanut plants pulled out of the dirt showing nuts attached. PICTURE / THINKSTOCK

Peanuts are a plant that can be grown in the home garden and produce nuts. Many people imagine that peanuts grow on trees like walnuts or chestnuts, but they way they actually grow is something that they don't realise or expect.
The peanut is a herbaceous plant that grows about 45cm tall. It is part of the legume or bean family. Peanuts grow best in light, sandy loam soil of which we in Wanganui have plenty of!
The process of the nuts forming starts with the flowers which grow about 2-4cm across. The flower stalk then elongates and bends over until the ovary touches the ground. The stalk then continues to grow, pushing the ovary underground where the peanut develops. The nuts are then harvested by digging up the whole plant and hanging it upside down to dry for two to three weeks.
They are technically not nuts but a type of vegetable forming a legume pod. However, since they are served in a manner similar to true nuts, we refer to them as peanuts.
Rhubarb is a vegetable that will often conjure up childhood memories of rhubarb crumble, Grandma's garden and such like. It is a hardy and adaptable edible that is easy to grow, so much so that it can grow in an untamed garden for years and still produce good quantities of harvestable stems.
The humble rhubarb has made a massive comeback in popularity over the past few years as many that have ventured into developing home vegetable gardens have looked for "what else" that they can grow and be productive with in a small space in the home garden.
Rhubarb might be a favourite pie plant, but it has interestingly been described as an "uncommon vegetable" that's used as a fruit in sauces and pies. Either way, it's easy to grow and super-yummy to eat. Grow it in a sunny to partly shaded spot in the garden or planted in a container - just as long as the container is large enough to accommodate a season's growth because it will get quite large.
Unlike most vegetables, rhubarb is a perennial so it can be left in the ground and will return a crop for many, many years. Once it's ready to harvest, from mid to late summer, you'll be ready to bake a few rhubarb pies or perhaps freeze some fresh for later use in winter. In colder areas rhubarb will die down completely during the winter months, however in a warm spot, particularly in more frost-free gardens in Gonville and Castlecliff, plants will sometimes not die down at all during a warm winter.
A question we have often fielded in the garden centre is "how do I make the stems turn red?" Stem colour is actually related to the variety and the particular characteristics of the plant, not soil type, fertiliser regime or time of the season. Rhubarb is often grown from seed which adds to the variability of stem colour. However stem colour and sweetness are not related; it is a common misconception is that the green stems are tart and the red stems are sweeter. Greener stemmed varieties do tend to be more vigorous growers, sometimes producing thicker stems than those with redder stems.
There are a two main varieties that are widely grown in New Zealand; "Victoria" and "Glaskins Perpetual". Victoria and Glaskins are often both described as red stemmed and while both possess some traces of red, Victoria, particularly in New Zealand is more green stemmed.
Generally red stemmed varieties are the favoured choice because of the visual appeal, and a variety released in New Zealand last year fits the bill perfectly. "Moulin Rouge" rhubarb is an old heritage variety, handed down from generation to generation. It has exceptional winter holding and its colour is deep red - exactly what people want in a rhubarb plant. It's a great cropper, with juicy stalks ready to harvest from early season, and it has a lovely, sweet flavour.
When harvesting stems they must be pulled downwards and twisted removing them from the plant. Never cut stems from the plant as the remaining cut stalk can be a source of disease or rot into the crown of the plant.
Rhubarb leaves are poisonous and must never be consumed. They can be harvested and boiled in water and then used as a naturally derived insect spray.
When a clump has been grown for a number of years it can be lifted and divided in late winter or early spring. Older, less productive parts can be thrown away and the rest replanted.
Rhubarb benefits from an annual feed with a highly nitrogenous fertiliser to promote stem and leaf growth. An excellent organic-based product for rhubarb is Yates Dynamic Lifter for Leafy Vegetables. This will also help improve soil structure as it adds organic matter. Rhubarb also responds well to blood and bone. Deep watering during dry periods is recommended but watch that plants never sit in water as this can cause the crowns to rot.
Have a good week
¦Gareth Carter is general manager of Springvale Garden Centre