Can I Grow Vanilla Beans In California
They like shade and will burn if left in direct sun.
Can i grow vanilla beans in california. Insert the legs of a 6 foot tall pot trellis into the soil of the pot to provide a structure for the vine to climb. I don t have much experience in growing plants but i have grown things before. However it won t bloom in low light conditions. The reason being vanilla plants take three to five years before they can produce pods.
I want to be able to grow my own vanilla beans at home because i know how expensive they are. The vanilla orchid comes from tropical regions of mexico central america northern south america and the west indies but you can grow it in southern california in a greenhouse or other controlled environment where the temperature never drops below 40 degrees fahrenheit. Those in usda zones 10 11 can grow vanilla beans outdoors. Vanilla bean plants do best in environments with regular warm temperatures bright indirect sunlight and high humidity.
You can grow a vanilla bean plant at home. It can be difficult to locate these plants locally. Ideally the vanilla bean plant needs about 80 humidity and the ideal temperature would be 60 70 degrees fahrenheit at night and 80 95f during the day. Growing vanilla at home does require some time and effort but it s worth the reward of fragrant and delicious vanilla beans.
As a matter of fact they seem to grow just fine despite a lot of other information on the internet. These plants are commonly cultivated in hawaii mexico tahiti madagascar indonesia and other tropical locations. Can i grow a vanilla bean plant in california without a green house. Vanilla beans are dried distilled and otherwise processed to make the small bottle of vanilla nearly everyone keeps in the kitchen cupboard.
If your plant doesn t bloom it won t develop vanilla bean pods. It is possible to grow vanilla bean in california. If you don t live in one of those zones grow vanilla beans indoors or in a greenhouse as they have zero tolerance for frost. I picked up a small plant a couple years ago from the orchid estate in santa barbara and left it uncovered and mostly uncared for.
You can search via the internet for either vanilla bean plant or vanilla orchid. When you decide to grow vanilla beans it s best to purchase the plant. Vanilla beans actually grow on orchids of the vanilla genus.