How to Raise Castor Beans

Dig a 12-by2-inch space, 12 inches deep in the garden for each bean plant. Fill the hole back up with one inch of sand and pebbles, one inch of compost and one inch of garden soil in layers. Mix the layers lightly with a garden fork to create a rich, well-drained planting bed.

Soak seed-grade castor beans overnight before planting. Place the soaked seeds one inch deep and 12 inches apart directly in the prepared soil bed in the spring when temperatures have reached 60 degrees Fahrenheit consistently for three weeks. Water twice a week or more frequently to keep the soil moist until seedlings emerge.

Start castor beans earlier in the season by planting them in a plastic cup with a hole poked in the bottom and filled with potting soil. Set the cups on a tray near a sunny window and water at least twice a week, keeping the soil moist to the touch. Transplant into the prepared bed when seedlings reach six inches tall and have two sets of developed leaves.

Pull weeds as they emerge. Water the growing castor bean plants twice a week until late summer when the bean pods are long and plump. Reduce watering to once a week through the end of the growing season.

Fertilize the castor bean plants once a month with an all-purpose garden flower fertilizer. Spread a one-inch layer of aged compost around the base of the plants as the flower buds begin to emerge.

Pick the bean pods when they start to dry on the plant or immediately following the first autumn frost, whichever comes first. Remove the castor bean plants from the garden after the frost and discard. Wear garden gloves, long-sleeved shirt and long trousers when harvesting castor beans and disposing of the plants.