How to Plant Coffee Beans

Growing your own coffee beans is a fascinating and relatively simple process. For those living in regions outside of the general coffee producing countries, this task will need to be undertaken on a small scale indoors. A nice bonus to growing your coffee beans is that the plant is pretty and makes for great conversation during an afternoon java break with friends.

Things You'll Need

• Green coffee from supplier Vermiculite Terra cotta pots Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Procure your "seeds" from a green coffee supplier. Make sure the product has been both recently harvested and shipped to ensure successful growing. It is best to use full coffee cherries but if you do not live in an area that commonly grows coffee plants, this may not be possible.

2. Pre-germinate the seeds by soaking them in water for 24 hours.

3. Sow the seeds. First, moisten the sand or vermiculite (drain off excess water). Alternately, place seeds in the middle of two dampened coffee sacks. Water the sacks twice daily and allow them to drain.

4. Remove coffee seeds from pre-germination substrate once they have germinated. It generally takes between 12 to 24 hours before you find a very small white bump on the end of the seed (now an embryo).

5. Plant your embryos in vermiculite. Use a pot that is 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches deep. Terra cotta pots work well. The root will develop very deeply. Water the plants well. Make a cover for the plants using plastic wrap or commercial plant tents.

6. Avoid over watering but make sure to keep the plant embryos moist during the next 60 days, or more. You can add a thin layer of well-mulched grass over the soil to help preserve moisture. This is a critical time period when too much water or too little moisture can kill the embryos, so check the soil often.

7. Remove sprouts carefully from the substrate (you will generally begin to see sprouts after two months) and transfer them to an acidic soil with a high nitrogen concentration. Make sure the soil is porous by adding in some sand or gravel dust.

8. Fertilize with manure or an orchid fertilizer to help maintain acidity (low pH) and sustain mineral levels.

9. Maintain moist conditions and use artificial indoor plant lighting to help growth. After about four months you should start seeing leaves on your plant.

10. Re-pot your plants as they grow too large for their containers. Maintain watering and fertilizing to keep your plants healthy and growing. Be patient; it generally takes a few yeas before your plants will produce fruit.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider purchasing 3- or 4-year-old coffee plants from a nursery if you want to enjoy the harvest without waiting years for seedlings to grow.