We can’t promise a magic bean like Jack and the Beanstalk, but growing beans at home is lots of fun.
You can grow a bean plant using an old jar. Why don’t you try having a race with someone else at home to see who can grow theirs the quickest! It could take two weeks, so lots of time to watch and see what happens!
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Ask an adult to help you find these things:
Ready to start growing?
Soak the broad bean seed in some water on a saucer for one hour.
Swirl some water around in your jar, then tip it out.
Leave the jar wet – don’t dry it.
The seed will need that bit of water to begin to grow.
Roll up a piece of kitchen towel or a napkin and put it inside the jar, pressing it against the glass.
Then, slip your bean seed in between the napkin and the glass.
Put the jar with the bean in it on a windowsill where it will get plenty of light.
Use a plant spray or a spoon to sprinkle a little water on it every day. Too much water can be bad for plants so make sure it’s damp rather than wet.
Can you name two things that plants need to grow well?
After a few days your bean should start to sprout roots.
This is called germination.
Then, the bean will start to grow a stem too.
The stem should grow upwards, as it looks for the light.
After about 10 days your bean seed should have grown a bigger stem and some leaves. It is now a little bean plant.
To make sure it keeps growing and produces broad beans you can eat, carefully take it out of the jar and plant it in a large pot with some soil, watering often.
You can keep you pot inside during the winter, or outside during the summer.
Enjoy your growing!
