A number of years ago, a listener sent a note to Charlie, letting him know she was having some success growing peanuts in Vermont. The listener even sent along some seeds so he could plant the crop in his backyard garden.

After some experimentation — and failures, thanks to hungry mice — Charlie came up with a system that does, indeed, work for growing peanuts in our region.

This warm-season legume, native to South America, was a food staple for Incan and Aztec civilizations, who ground it into a paste.

Peanuts eventually made their way around the globe, due to colonization and trading routes. And now many places worldwide grow peanuts to use in a variety of culinary dishes, from savory and spicy to sweet.

Peanuts need four to five months of hot, sunny weather to mature — not exactly h

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