Legendary Plants

Earlier this spring I decided that I wanted to grow Castor Bean Plants. (Well, really it was my mom's idea, and I just joined in.) If you're not familiar with these plants, they are very large plants. I mean GIANT! They can grow anywhere from 6-8 ft in one growing season, and they start with a seed about 1/2" long. My daughter would call this a family tradition. All the women in my family have grown these monsters, and it was about time for me to take my place in the lineage of the Castor Bean Planters.

So shortly after Mother's Day my friend K gave me some of his seed pods and we split them up with Mom. The kids and I got them planted sometime around the middle of May. As of this morning here's our progress...

At this point I'm getting a little nervous. Keep in mind these are supposed to grow as tall as the house, and as of now they don't even reach my boy's knees. I was just at Mom's house earlier this week and hers are a little taller than this.

But here's the kicker. My great grandmother (Granny) grew these plants and they were the stuff Legends were made of. (Actually Mom's were too, but I don't have any photos of hers) Granny would plant these Castor Bean Plants in the same spot every year. Just take a look, and you'll see I'm not kidding...
That's me and my little brother c. 1970.

Oh man, I've got some work to do! I'm off to give my little Castor Bean babies some food...