Yes, You Can Grow Your Own Coffee
Here in the US, we love our coffee. The problem is that the only place it grows commercially at the moment is in Hawaii. Apparently, it has also been grown in Puerto Rico, and there are some California farmers who are experimenting with commercial growing, though they have a lot of obstacles to overcome.
Why Doesn't the US Have a Home-Grown Coffee Industry?
Anybody who has visited a Starbucks recently may have seen a chart that shows that the best coffee growing regions in the world are close to the equator, have the right tropical conditions, and don't freeze. There just aren't places in the continental US that can satisfy all of these conditions. In California, they are experimenting with ways to simulate the right conditions, but again, they haven't gone into commercial production yet. I wish them luck!
In addition, the cost of labor is higher in the USA. Somebody's got to pick all of those lovely coffee beans. Consumers probably aren't interested in paying that much more for their morning cup of Joe. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but even Hawaiian coffee producers keep cost down by mixing their local coffee with an allowed percentage of imported beans.
You Can Still Have Fun Growing Your Own Coffee
If you want to grow your own coffee for a personal stash or just for fun, you can do it. Most important coffee trees can't freeze, or they'll die. They really like temperatures of about 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, but they'll still grow with a bit wider of a range than that. You can grow coffee from about 45 to 85 degrees , but it won't be ideal on the lower and upper ranges of this.
In other words, they can't get too warm for too long, and they really can't get too cold. They also need plenty of water to simulate rain forest conditions. So, here's what you can do:
- Plant coffee in containers: You might as well start with a fairly large container, so you don't have to worry about transplanting your young tree for awhile. Lots of amateur coffee growers say they do well with Arabica coffee plants, so you might start with those. You can either purchase seeds or a seedlings. If you're lucky, you might find seedlings at your local hardware or garden store, and you can also purchase seedlings online.
- Keep them watered but not soaked: Coffee plants like to get watered with warm water to mimic tropical rains. It's better to water then frequently just until the earth is wet, but don't drench them.
- You can use fertilizer: You don't have to fertilize your plants, but you may enjoy faster growth if you do it right. Choose either 10-10-10 fertilizer or orchid fertilizer, but use it sparingly.
Obviously, the point of planting coffee trees in containers is that you can move them inside when it gets too cold or even too hot. Some people have kept them in the shade of an avocado tree to keep them from getting too hot and keeping the air more humid.
If you don't want to keep lugging your coffee plants inside and outside, you can also put them inside a greenhouse that you have a way to control conditions for. If you live where the outside temperature is likely to lower the greenhouse temperature too much, you might figure out a way to heat the space to keep your coffee plants alive.