Yes, they will get really big, so you will want to grow one seedling per 4-5" square. Yes, its normal that the stem will have a stretch, the 8" clearance under your lights will be good for a couple of weeks but thats about it, make more room on your dining room table. LOL

I don't start mine till around April 19th and I don't transplant outdoors till June 1st.

Sharon

Oh no, I've created some more monsters! I have a dreadful habit of doing this, don't I?

Thanks, Sharon. Looks like the banquet table is going to end up in the bay window again. I guess I'd better get used to sleeping on the sofa. lol.

Shauna

I just bought a package of these yesterday at Wal-Mart...It's probably not too late for me to start them, but do you have any pictures of where you placed them? Just to give me an idea of scale...
And...is it difficult to remove the old rootball in the fall? If it is anything like Sunflowers then the root ball would be huge.

If you can find some of Sharon's pictures, she had some in containers - probably with petunias. :) Gale in Thunder Bay just gave me one. I've never grown it before. I've seen them, though, about three or so feet high.

Here's mine from last year, they hit about 8 (when standing in that area outside, the bottom of the window is 5'). I had to saw off them off like tree trunks, and the root balls are still there - I haven't attempted digging them out yet - I'm hoping they'll rot a bit first before I try it.

{{gwi:26029}}

OMG....that thing is massive...
OK so now I am a bit afraid...I have no idea where I could put something that big!

Hunnerbun, you could always just put them in pots too. They'll only grow so big before it's root bound and then they won't get any bigger. I've had them in a whiskey barrel before and they only got about 30" tall.

Holy Castor Bean Pudge!

Hunner, there are shorter cultivars that don't grow as huge as the 'Zanzibariensis' plain green kind. But heck you'll have to try the tall variety just to freak out your neighbors!

Just go to my members page and click on my photobucket link to get to my garden photos ;)

Sharon