The beautiful hues of the CARMENCITA BLOOD RED CASTOR,
one of many varieties we grow each summer.
You would think we’d have enough seeds to keep up with the demand,
but each year even though we add more plants, wow, do you folks eat ’em up!
Okay, let me clarify, not EAT them up, but you get my drift.
Summer 2005 we will have to plant even more castor bean plants.
Not a problem, we love them, and so do our chickens!
SEEDS HAVE BEEN ORDERED LIKE HOTCAKES, WE’RE ALMOST OUT OF EVERYTHING!
We encourage you to order early. Even with a bulk supply we seem to run
out very early in the year. You may order seeds as early as September or October each year.
Make payments with PayPal – it’s fast, free and secure! Castor Bean – VARIETY PACKAGE – 10 SEEDS – $2.50 Ricinus communis
A wonderful mix of all the varieties we have. Big ones, little ones, dark, light, mottled and more!
Generally, the larger the seed, the larger the plant, so you can separate them by color and size for planting.
Make payments with PayPal – it’s fast, free and secure! – Castor Bean – GIANT ZANZIBARENSIS / ZANZIBAR – 5 SEEDS – $2.50 Ricinus communis
This gorgeous hunk of a plant features the largest leaves, largest seeds, and biggest show!
A tough stalk supports all the huge leaves and big clusters of seed pods!
Make payments with PayPal – it’s fast, free and secure! – Castor Bean – CARMENCITA BLOOD RED – 10 SEEDS – $2.50 Ricinus communis
Please note that while the stems, stalks and seed pods are beautiful red, this year
the foliage produced in a shade of green with mottled red veining. They are simply gorgeous!
Make payments with PayPal – it’s fast, free and secure! – Castor Bean – CARMENCITA PINK – 10 SEEDS – $2.50 Ricinus communis
Very attractive stalks in a beautiful pink hue! Even the seed pod shells exhibit that pink glow!
Very pretty and especially beautiful when planted en masse.
Make payments with PayPal – it’s fast, free and secure! Castor Bean – MINIATURE GRAY – 10 SEEDS – $2.50 Ricinus communis
The smallest plant featuring the smallest seeds in a light grayish green color.
Sadly, we are out of stock in this one as it is so highly requested!
Or you may order the old-fashioned way of the postal system:
Then and now, beginning in May 2003 and updated June 2003.
Click any of the images to view a larger version:
A side by side taken a few months apart in 2002
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Seeds are $2.50 for a package of 10 seeds
We have four different species of castor bean – Ricinus Communis Carmencita Red – c. Sanguineus – c. Zanzibariensis, Dwarf Gray / Grey
A castor bean is often given a bad rap and left out of gardens
because of it’s toxicity. Yes, it is poisonous.
But why would you eat it???
Tyson next to Zanzibar leaves 2001
A very thick stalk
Cody with a yard stick and a big castor 2000
Tyson holding Mr. Sexy 2000
RICINUS COMMUNIS (ry-cih-nus ka-myu-nuhss)
Scared of planting these because of what you’ve heard?
Egads, poisonous? Harmful? Deadly?
Yes, if you eat the seeds.
Simply cut the seed stalks off before they grow. Now wasn’t that easy?
Let’s get back to gardening, shall we?
Beautiful hues of purple, bronze and red!
Cody amongst the foliage 2001
Castor bean “ristras” saved from the approaching frost
Various shades of the stalk colors we grow
Beautiful seed pods forming, taking on a red-pink tinge!
A member of the spurge family…
Euphorbiaceae
Ricinus communis
Image by Thomas S.
Tyson by the castors 2001
Top of photo shows young castor plant
Emerging seed * Young seedling
Photo on right shows castors killed by frost
The various hues in the leaves are amazing!
Short growing season in your area? Start them indoors for a big jump start!
Gigantic and fast growing.
Assorted varieties of castor beans / seeds
This is such an interesting plant! Soak the seeds overnight and bury them.
Note the white filmy tissue which coats the seedling leaves.
This will fall off or you can assist if your seedling
doesn’t seem to be able to shed it before it dries.
Below is a castor just a few weeks old:
Variety packages of 10 seeds are available now for $2.50 per package
Order any time of the year!
Soon your large leafed beauty is on it’s way.
Best treated as an annual, though often volunteer here in Oklahoma.
Each Spring I find them popping up in my garden!
Seed pods typically have three seeds, but I grew this five seed pod
in the summer of 2001.
A hardy perennial in the warmer climates.
I strap mine to the chain link with cable ties when they are younger
to protect them from strong winds & keep them growing straight.
Dense leaf coverage, excellent shade for poultry.
I have Pygmy goats, dogs, cats, and so much more…
and we have yet to find one of them interested in our plants.
Fear not for Fido.
Gorgeous statement if several are planted together
as a focal point in your yard or garden.
Changed your mind about planting them?
Just cut them down, and they are gone.
Though I live in zone 6-7, I was amazed to see
many castors voluntarily pop up in Spring!
Looks like they’re quite a hardy ‘perennial’ after all!
Stalks may be green, mint, pink, red, mottled and more!
The stalks are incredibly thick.
My Zanzibar castors have reached to 15 feet without fertilizer!
Size depends upon soil and weather conditions.
Wait ’till you see the seed pods!
Gorgeous!
Harvested from my own trees!
THESE SEEDS AND PLANTS ARE POISONOUS
But actually, so are many plants you already have
right now, but you wouldn’t eat them, would you?
Though the castor has a bad reputation for it’s
toxicity, there are number of poisonous
plants right in your own home. You
teach your child not to eat certain
things. Make sure he or she
knows not to eat
plants, too!
Not advised for persons with horses or livestock
which may eat the plants, pods or seeds.
Also known as Castor oil plant / Bush / Tree
Castor bean, Eranda, Gana Garchak,
Higuerilla, Hintyagi Agaci,
Huile Ricin, Jarak,
Christi or Pei
Khirwe, Palma
Sittamoonaka
Ma, Pi Ma,
To-Goma
Tartago
Ricino
But we’ll just stick with ‘castor bean’
HOW TO GROW CASTOR BEANS…or, How I grow them, at least…
I prefer to baby my castor bean seedlings.
The very best method I have found is to use a heated germination mat
(usually available at Wal-Mart)
It will run just over twenty dollars, but this is a wise investment
for all of your plant and seed starting needs which will save you much money
when you find yourself able to germinate many seeds you would normally give up on.
Many seeds require heat, bottom heat, and sticking them into the ground
may not be a particular seeds idea of a happy germinating environment.
HOWEVER…..if it gets pretty warm pretty quick in your area,
dump the seeds, cover them up and wait. It will work!
SET UP MATERIALS
Once you have your heat tray set up, fill the trays with peat pellets,
or purchase the pre-filled Jiffy Greenhouse domes.
PLANT SEEDS
After soaking the pellets as instructed on the package,
place one castor bean into each wet soaked peat pellet.
Be sure to push the castor bean into the soil with the pointed or nub side in first.
If you plant your castor bean upside down, you’re starting out all wrong.
The seeds do not have to be covered entirely, in fact, I prefer to actually leave
the top third of the seeds actually sticking out of the soil.
Keep the plastic dome on unless your heat mat is in direct sunlight.
As your seedling emerges, the seed shell sometimes traps the head,
and although it can shed it’s own head, I like to assist.
In less than one week, viable seeds will emerge, as fast as three days.
Some beans take longer. Have patience!
ASSIST IN REMOVING THE SHELL AND TISSUE
Gently remove any loose shell, do not break the soft white tissue!
You will see a very thin veil of thin tissue which you should gently remove.
This shell often dries hard around the leaves inside, sometimes causing death by beheading.
If you came into the world with a bag on your head, you would appreciate some assistance in removing it, wouldn’t you?
Please note that I am referring to the very thin tissue and not the white head.
KEEP WARM, KEEP WATERED
Don’t allow your seeds to dry out too much, but don’t sog them out, either.
Some of the castor bean varieties seem like they are taking off like crazy.
This is good and bad. The good thing is, that means your seeds are healthy.
But you have to watch the roots, castor beans develop very vigorous roots
in a short period of time. Lift your babies (peat pot and all) out of the heat tray
and check for an abundance of rooting.
Do this often, or you will find yourself having to rip the roots off while
trying to separate them.
If they are developing roots which have grown outside the peat pot,
transfer them to their own Kord-Lite pot. (black plastic plant pot)
Soon your white-headed blob on a stick will begin cracking open,
when the first signs of foliage will try to emerge.
This white coating on the plant will eventually fall off, but if it is loose enough,
you may gently remove it, as it is often heavy for the small plant.
Some prefer to leave this on to make the plant tough,
but hey, I like to lend a hand when I can.
I am still trying to convince myself that the plant somehow benefits from this white covering,
but it just looks so heavy for the poor plant to bear!
