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Grow a Bean in a Jar

Watch a seed wake up, split open and reach for the light.

⏱️ 10 min + 10 days watching👍 You can do this solo

What you need

  • A dried bean (butter bean or runner bean)
  • A clean jar
  • Kitchen paper
  • Water

What you do

  1. Scrunch kitchen paper into the jar so it lines the sides.
  2. Pour in a little water — damp, not a swimming pool.
  3. Slide the bean between the glass and the paper so you can see it.
  4. Put the jar somewhere light and keep the paper damp.
  5. Draw what you see every day for 10 days.

What's really happening

The bean holds a tiny plant plus a packed lunch of starch. Water wakes it up, the root always grows down (gravity) and the shoot always grows up towards light.

Stay safe

Don't eat raw beans — many are not safe uncooked.