Jack must have climbed this bean plant: overy 3 m tall!

UPDATE: it's too tall for my 3m tape measure!

Castor bean plant (Ricinus communis)

I saved the seed in a jar all winter.
The dried husks protect the black bean inside.

How do they start? With a seed!

March 26 - took a month to germinate!

For my regular readers, you might recall the 2012 bean plant. I saved the seeds from the plant last fall. Poisonous, if the seed coat is penetrated, they have been used in assassinations over the years. Animals can get to them, like rabbits who visit my garden. I carefully harvest them.

The ricin within the seed is water soluble. We know about poisonous plants (natural and invasive species) such as the Giant hogweed, Poison ivy and oak, Marsh Marigold, and the latest I've found: Wild parsnip, and Water parsnip. I'm on a course of Prednisone for boils the size of toonies. Self-inflicted, as I told them in the ER. Playing in the frog pond. They took hold when the pond dried up in the drought last year. 

Aug. 14th, 2012, it flowered

I planted the seeds early (April), about 5 in a pot. Only one germinated indoors, and I subsequently planted the entire pot of soil outdoors. The first plant grew well until two others began to sprout and the first one died. (?) The other two have been growing like stink. By September 1st, it has grown to 2.7 m tall, the 'wing span' of the largest leaf in 87 cm.

Daisy guards the first bean plant

Yep: 87 cm (34") wing tips to wing tip.
Cat on the cedar rail fence on the left.

wasp dwarfed by the leaf!

I planted these later, and they
just didn't grow as much.
Likely they needed more sun!

growing and growing

It's beautiful!

It dwarfs my hydrangea.

2.6m tall Sep. 1