They’re magic. And they’re beans!

Seriously, our magic beans are the ‘Jack Bean’ (Canavalia Ensiformis). These fairy-tale beans are actually a common legume. The ‘Jack Bean’ is a twining plant which can grow up to 1 metre in height through different climbing methods. It has deep roots which helps it to remain drought resistant and likes a bit of warm – best grown between 18 – 25 c. If you popped a ‘Jack Bean’ in the ground it would probably spread via long runners and can flower with a pink/purple bloom. The Mama pods our babies come from can grow up to 36 cm and the seeds (the magic beans that come to you) are large and white.

Look, everything can be eaten, but why would you want to? The magic would disappear!

Also, although the Canavalia Ensiformis is sometimes used for fodder for animals (in Brazil it’s called the ‘Pig Bean’), it is slightly toxic to humans.

In short: no. Leave it on the windowsill, don’t put it in your dinner.

If, by chance, your youngster picked it up and popped it in, they wouldn’t be poisoned. The beans would have to be consumed in large quantities to be truly noxious.

As long as you believe in them….

Or, if unopened, they can last up to 1 year if kept in a cool dry place.

Once planted, your magic bean will grow for about a month in their tin and you can then transplant it to your garden where it will probably repay you for your kindness with a flower. It’ll also produce its own seeds if you pop it in the ground, keeping the magic growing forever.

We have a super fast turnover for magic beans so the ones posted to you are always fresh – at the beginning of their 1 year cycle.

Sing to it.

No, not really. (You can though, if you want!)

1. Put the soil in the tin or a pot
2. Pop beans on top of the soil pushing the bottom slightly into the soil so when the bean begins to sprout it can send down roots. Keep the beans on the top of the soil though, don’t bury them.
3. Dampen the soil and beans without flooding your tin. Ensure you tip off any excess water.
4. Your beans will now plump up.
5. Pop the tin on the windowsill in a friendly, sunny spot. If your house isn’t particularly sunny, you can take them outside for a sunbathe, but remember to bring them back in after a couple of hours each day.
6. Dampen your beans and soil each day being careful not to over water.
7. When the beans begin to sprout you can then just water the soil and roots.
8. Once the outside white ‘skin’ of the central pod becomes loose you can gently pull it off revealing the green pod underneath.
9. The beans will continue to grow into a green, leafy plant which will eventually outgrow its tin. You can then replant your magic beans if you wish. The central pod with the word or image will fall off at this stage.
10. Magic beans allowed out into the garden will continue to grow and eventually produce their own beans and pretty flowers.

Now, wouldn’t THAT be magic? The words or image are laser engraved on the central pod (the seed), not the leaves.

Yes! We love custom orders. We can do custom beans with special, individualised messages (ask someone to marry you with a custom bean!) and we offer custom tins too for special events like weddings, fundraisers, or corporate gifts.

There’s a minimum order of 500 beans (double sided) and a minimum tin order of 50 for custom orders.

If you’d like to have Bean Me Up beans for a fundraiser, just drop us an email to discuss

If your beans don’t sprout it’s because you didn’t sing to them.

There are many factors that could influence the growth of the beans including overwatering, under watering, sunlight, temperature, the cat playing with it, bad 80s music. If your beans don’t grow, please get in touch with us, send us some photos, and we can help or replace your beans.

If one of your beans doesn’t grow, you’re witnessing the power of nature. Like any seed, it’s possible that one bean may have a different destiny. You might have a not-sprouter. This is part of the excitement of growing but we do know Bean Me Up beans have a 97% germination rate so it’s unlikely you’ll not have leafy green from all your beans.