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coffee & tea
Hi guys, I have been trying to grow coffee and tea this year. I was wondering if anyone out there has tried and succeeded? Whether there is any advice from sowing through to care of the plants. Its too early to say whether my current attempt has worked as germination can be up to 2 months. The coffee I'm trying is the full size plant not the Nana house plant version. The long term aim is to see if I can get to usable coffee and tea. Thanks
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What is your motivation? Challenge? Green living?
Do you have a heated greenhouse to over winter plants? Where did you get your seeds?
Tea like ericaceous soil, so be sure to pot it up with that.
The seeds came from Amazon (maybe not the best place in the world to get them)
They may not work then haha, I just put the tea in regular compost.
Challenge!?!?!?!
Aren't tomatoes, courgettes, runner beans and potatoes enough of a challenge?
Anything harder would be like banging my head against a brick wall LOL
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Tea comes from a Camelia and is grown successfully in Cornwall. Growing from seed will take you many years.
I don't think coffee will grow here.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Ca you set up a micro-climate like that of Brazil? Or Kenya/Guatemala/Costa Rica? And have you any idea how tall a coffee bean tree gets before it bears fruit?
Tea may be easier as the camellia bush is lower growing and kept low by constant picking of the new leaf shoots that make the tea. Good quality acidic soil, water with rainwater only, no frosts and no early morning sun when it has been cold should do the trick.
I'll bring the cake
There are tea gardens in Scotland too! A tea farmer from there walked off with the top award from the Paris Salon de The (you'll have to imagine the accent, I don't know how to do them on here!)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-2929524/Tea-grown-Scotland-named-best-world.html
A micro climate sounds like alot of work, my other half may kill me if it takes over and the decorating stops haha.
Neither show much in the way of anything at the moment, I did think if nothing else I may try and find a ready grown tea plant.
Obeilxx - thanks for the info, I think I may give it another month then if there's still no life I'll find a little plant somewhere.
I've decided also that due to most of my lawn is going to die through treating hogweed I want to have a look at growing a moss lawn, does anyone know any sites or shops where they sell varieties of Moss?
Thanks
I suggest that first you google about to find out what moss needs to grow well - shade, poor drainage, poor fertility. Do try and research ideas before committing your time and money to projects..