How to Grow & Harvest Castor Beans

Cultivate an area in your garden that gets plenty of sun for most of the day, as early in spring as the ground can be turned. Amend poor or clay soils with equal parts garden soil, peat and sand to improve drainage and add nutrients.

Plant castor beans 1 to 3 inches deep and 18 to 24 inches apart. Moisten the soil with water to the planting depth. Seeds will germinate within 10 to 21 days.

Cultivate weeds carefully around seedling castor bean plants with a spade. Keep the cultivation shallow, because the root system spreads wide and stays near the soil surface.

Water castor bean plants frequently during the growing season, especially during dry periods. Their fast growth requires a good deal of moisture on a steady basis. Wilt is a sure sign that you are not watering enough on hot, dry summer days.

Add a pinch of nitrogen-based, all-purpose plant fertilizer to your watering once a month. Avoid fertilizers that contain phosphorus, which will decrease growth and seed production.

Watch for seed pods to develop after flowering in the late summer. Let them remain on the stalk until after the first frost of late fall. Be sure to harvest seed pods before they pop open themselves, broadcasting the seed all over your garden.

Break open the seed pods and collect the seeds outdoors, if possible. Do not allow pets or children near this process, because castor bean seeds contain ricin, a deadly poison. Store seeds indoors in a cool, dry, safe place until spring.