Surprisingly peanuts are not "nuts" like almonds and pecans, and they do not grow on trees. Crazy, right? They actually belong to the legume family which includes beans, peas and lentils. The unique thing about the peanut plant is that it flowers above ground but the peanut actually grows below ground, within the soil. They require anywhere between 120-150 days to mature as most peanuts are planted in the spring and are ready to harvest late summer/early fall. Now, that’s pretty cool!