December 14, 211

Welcome to our Castor Bean page...
a special section of Wuv'n Ares




First and foremost we emphasize the seeds (same as 'beans') and plants of the Castor Bean are poisonous.


We encourage you to read and research and be aware of what you are growing. These seeds are not for irresponsible gardeners.

Scroll down to order. For detailed information about ordering, click here.


Tyson and Cody standing by the Zanzi Palm. Photo by Karen Manasco 2010

Tyson and Cody standing by the Zanzi Palm. Photo by Karen Manasco 2010


Merlin, a gorgeous Airedale belonging to one of our fun customers, Tom Kanhofer

This is Merlin, a beautiful dog standing proudly next to Zanzibar Castor Bean plants.
Many thanks to Merlin's human; Tom Kanhofer, for sharing such a great picture!


Photo by Mr. and Mrs. Esau 2006 Photo by Mr. and Mrs. Esau 2006

A grand example of what our customers grow!

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Esau of Nebraska were kind enough to share a few photographs
of the castor bean plants they grew from our seeds.
Mr. Esau reported growth of 16-18 feet tall with leaves 3 feet across!

You can see for yourself that a majestic and beautiful plant will emerge and grow
from a small seed about the size of a fingernail.

Indeed grand! Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Esau, for sharing these glorious photos with Wuv'n Acres.
If you have photos you'd like to share on our website, send them our way and we'll be sure to credit
the photo for you.



A few of the beautiful hues of the castor bean, one of many varieties we grow each summer.
The growth progress of a few castor beans in 2007:
(Click on images for a larger view)


Planted and sprouted, small but determined. April 2007
Not much going on, May 2007
Getting bigger by the day, with all the rain we've had. June 2007 July 2007

Purchase your seeds at any time of the year.
They will keep in a cool dry place until spring.
Be sure to keep them away from anyone who might consume them, as they are poisonous!

Don't forget, we have a very diverse garden thanks to our Honeybees!

PLEASE NOTE
We reserve the right to refuse shipment of these oilseeds out of the United States.
Certainly we do not wish to imply a thing by such a rule, please understand many countries
prohibit import of garden seeds, with Castor Beans no doubt on top of such a list. For additional
information before ordering out of the U.S. click here.

These seeds are sold for the sole intention of ornamental foliage in a garden setting and prevention
of garden pests such as moles. We keep records of all sales for castor beans and will not hesitate to provide such records to authorized law enforcement or other professionally licensed investigative parties
in the event these seeds have been used in a manner other than which they were intended, which is strictly
for garden beauty.

Basically, if you are gardening with them and have no ill intent, there should be nothing to worry about.


_______________________________________________________

- Castor Bean - OUR GIANT RED - 5 SEEDS - $3.00 Ricinus communis
We've been growing this one for a few years, and although we're not quite certain which variety
it may be, we simply call it Our Giant Red. The pictures speak volumes about what you will grow with a little TLC.




- Castor Bean - SANGUINEUS - 5 SEEDS - $3.00 Ricinus communis
This is another of our favorites, grown at the front of one of our Koi ponds each year. Two small seeds began growing. Six months later...wow! In the image to the left, Rog and Cody measure a Castor Bean by the road. Fifteen feet tall and counting! No fertilizer, no chemicals. Just ordinary soil. Imagine if we had fed the silly thing!

The seeds were planted in April, and the plants were still standing, frost bitten nevertheless, in late November.





- Castor Bean - NEW ZEALAND PURPLE - 5+ SEEDS - $3.00 Ricinus communis
Gorgeous, deep colors ranging from deep maroon to what some might call bronze. They aren’t ‘purple’, but rather a wonderful blend of hues. A smaller plant than our other Castor Beans.


- Castor Bean - ZANZI PALM - 5+ SEEDS - $3.00 Ricinus communis
If you live in an area with a very long growing season, I highly encourage you to grow this one! The Zanzi Palm changed our minds about seed size. This is by far the smallest seed we’ve grown, yet produces the largest plants. We absolutely love this one! Sadly, we were unable to achieve maturity to gather our own seeds, though we live in a long growing season area. However, a few friends have provided seeds for this year’s harvest, fresh and ready for your garden! A ‘must grow’ in our garden every year.
Castor Bean - CASTOR BEAN VARIETY PACKAGE - 5+ SEEDS - $3.00 Ricinus communis
For the variety package, I will specifically pick out five + seeds of different varieties.
You may very well end up with a Zanzibar, a pink, a red, etc.
I will try my best to only include different seeds for this package. Enjoy!


Seeds above which are labeled with numbers are special selections. We grow many castor beans and we try to keep them labeled correctly according to variety. However, in all the research I have done, I have come to the conclusion that there are many varieties out there which are mislabeled, and yes, I may even unknowingly do the same for some. This creates a problem in selling seed, because what one calls Carmencita Red, another calls pink and so on. It is also my opinion that several varieties are not widely grown, and thus not many know exactly what the proper names should be. As the numbered seeds do not truly fit into any of the named cultivar categories I have yet to find, they are simply listed by a number, which is a specific plant in our garden. We are not claiming to have created any new species, we're simply acknowledging the fact that some of these vary in height and color pattern too much to be considered a specific cultivar.



Seedlings of Ricinus communis Sanguineus at a mere two weeks old.
Check out the root system on those little boogers!



Out of stock??? What do you mean, out of stock??? These seeds seem to be out of stock all the time, why?

Over the years, our customers have learned that if they want the cream of the crop, they have to get the seeds at harvest time.
Many gardeners realize finding castor bean seeds can often be very difficult, and so they have learned to order early.

In late summer, and typically by at least September / October, we have harvested just about all of the seeds.
It is this time the orders for seeds roll in. While we have had to raise our shipping rates, please know the one time charge
pays for your entire seeds order, and we are always generous with seed count.

If you are hoping to get a particular package of seeds, you might consider checking back to our site in August of each year.
I try hard to keep the site updated as we harvest and as we run out of stock.


Will these seeds get rid of the moles or voles in my garden?

Over the years, this question has come up many times. People from all over the country have written letters to me
asking about moles and castor beans. Moles are in your yard seeking grub worms and earth worms. Voles eat seeds and roots and such, which is where the rumor may have initiated.
They burrow and tunnel in search of a meal. The result is a maze of humps in your yard.

Some people claim planting castor beans in these areas will encourage the mole to eat the plants and die. Others suggest placing seeds into the
tunnels, the mole is thought to eat the seeds or other item set out for them, and die. The trouble with this is the extensive underground system. Unless a hungry
mole encounters a seed in a specific spot, your seeds will either lay where you put them or will sprout, depending on whether
viable seeds were placed.

Unfortunately, I cannot vouch for the validity of any claims. Many a gardener has used Castor Beans with varied results.
Because we are not fans of using chemicals, killing the earth worms just to kill a few grubs to get rid of a few bumps in the yard is not an issue for us. We'd rather have the earthworms.




Click any of the images to view a larger version:







  • A side by side taken a few months apart several years ago



    • When things are very busy for me, I often leave the carpel (hard shell) on the seeds. Fear not, you can easily remove them. Be sure to use
    common sense and be careful when using any tool, folks. Simply place the edge of a knife blade (or other strong tool with a flat edge)
    on top of the section where the knife tip rests in this photo:



    Pull the blade towards yourself, using the edge of the blade to pull back on the little nub on the castor bean. The nub will release,
    then you can separate the dried carpel from the seed. You can also use a strong thumbnail to do this. Be careful, you may even wish to wear
    gloves - the spines of the carpel are often sharp. Be sure to wash your hands after touching the seeds and / or carpels.

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    We politely request that you refrain from taking images and text from any of our website pages, thank you.



    Or you may order online instantly with Paypal!

    Note....many pictures are on this webpage. Be patient. Go get yourself a cup of coffee or let the dog out.
    When you return, the page should be loaded. You'll love all the pictures we provide, we promise!

    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.



  • Seeds of the Ricinus communis Sanguineus


    • 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 if
    doesn't seem to be able to shed it before it dries.

    Below is a castor just a few weeks old:



    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 our garden!



    Seed pods typically have three seeds, but I grew this five seed pod in the summer of 2001.
    Four chamber pods are pretty common oddities around here as well.

    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 when facing northern winds.

    Dense leaf coverage, excellent shade for poultry.
    We have many pets and have yet to find one of them interested in eating 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 self-seeding annual!

    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; they 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...

    Plant them, water them. It's that easy.

    If you want to get technical or live in a cold area, you might play around with different methods, but they do
    require warm soil to germinate. While they tolerate drought, they perform quite well in warm weather with regular watering.


    If you begin your seeds indoors in peat pellets, watch out.
    Some of the castor bean varieties seem to take off like crazy, while others may just sit there doing nothing for weeks.
    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. If they are developing roots which have grown outside the peat pot,
    transfer them to a plastic pot. When warm weather arrives, simply transplant them to a full sun location.

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    New project underway to help sort the multitude of names out there for castor beans:

    BLACK BEAUTY DARK BROWN LEAVES TURN GREEN?
    CARMENCITA DEEP RED, REDDISH BROWN LEAVES 6' TALL
    COCCINEUS BRONZE LEAVES
    DWARF RED SPIRE
    GIBSONII MIRABILIS 4' TALL DARK RED LEAVES AND STEMS
    GREEN SPIRE
    IMPALA 4-5 FEET, REDDISH PURPLE , MAROON TO CARMINE YELLOW BLOOMS
    NEW ZEALAND DEEP COPPER RED IN ALL PARTS
    RED SPIRE
    ROYAL THAI
    SANGUINEUS DEEP RED
    SCARLET GREEN BURGUNDY
    SCARLET QUEEN BURGUNDY