Letter Published: 25 February 1909 Germination of the Broad Bean Seed FRANK CAVERS Nature 79, 488 (1909) Cite this article ...

At the end of April sow a single bean seed, 4cm (1.5in) deep, in a 7.5cm (3in) pot filled with multi-purpose compost. Water well, label and place on a sunny windowsill to germinate.

Beans have large, kidney-shaped seeds. Many years back, I learned an interesting tip for getting the best possible germination, or sprouting.

The cytophysiology of the caruncle of Ricinus communis was studied from the fifth day after pollination until seed maturity. The caruncle consists of epidermal and parenchyma cells. The surface area ...