Castor Bean Planting

Start seeds in peat pots or other larger pots because the seed grow very quickly.

Castor bean plants are rapidly-growing tropical plants with exotic foliage. Even in climates with short growing seasons, castor bean plants started indoors then planted in the garden after the last frost date will grow rapidly into large, showy plants. The seedpods on the species are nondescript, but some hybrids have pods that are showy. They cannot tolerate frost, so plant the seedlings after the last frost date of spring. The seedlings will wilt and die with the first fall frost if you haven't moved them indoors.

Things You'll Need

• Paper cup
• Peat pots or 4-inch pots
• Seed-starting potting mix
• Watering can
• Castor bean seeds

Instructions

Starting Seeds Indoors

1. Soak the seeds in a paper cup of warm water for 24 hours before planting them.

2. Fill the pots with a seed-starting mix.

3. Poke two holes about 1/2 inch deep, near the center of each pot. Space the plants 3 feet apart.

4. Put a castor bean seed into each hole and cover it with soil.

5. Water the pots until water begins to drain from the pot's bottom drain-hole, or until the peat pot is completely wet. Water when the soil or the peat pot dries out.

6. Plant the castor bean seedling in a sunny, well-drained location in the garden after all danger of frost has passed. Tip the seedling, rootball and soil out of the pot and into your hand. Plant it at a depth that leaves the garden soil at the same height as the soil line of the planted seedling. Firm the soil around the plant, then water the surrounding soil until it is moist to a depth of 2 inches.

7. Water the castor bean when rainfall drops below 2 inches per week. Water until the soil is moist to a depth of 2 inches.

Direct Seeding

1. Soak the seeds in warm water for 24 hours before you plant them.

2. Poke a 1/2 inch deep hole in the soil in a sunny, well-drained part of the garden after all danger of frost has passed. Cover the seed with soil.

3. Water the seeds until the soil is moist to a depth of 2 inches.

Tips & Warnings

• Castor bean seeds are toxic. Ingesting as few as three of them can be fatal. Consider another plant, or remove the immature seed pods as soon as they appear, if you have small children or pets.

References

• University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension: Plant of the Week: Castor Bean or Mole Bean
• "Annuals for Every Purpose: Choose the Right Plants for Your Conditions, Your Garden, and Your Taste;" Larry Hodgson; 2002
• "Irwin and Rippe's Intensive Care Medicine;" Richard S. Irwin, 2008,