I was wondering how much would be involved in growing one's own coffee and if anyone on this forum has tried it? I live 40 miles north of San Francisco at about 800 feet elevation. Grapes like Pinot Noir would do well in the area.

Assuming it's possible, where does one buy cultivars? Are they cuttings, seeds or what?

thanks,

dan

One of my friends is a coffee importer here in Los Angeles. He grew some in his back yard, processed it and roasted it in his sample roaster. I sampled some with him a few months ago, and it was quite drinkable.

Do you have any rough idea as to yield per plant? I wonder if they are deer proof...?

I have 3 plants but in New England they must be in pots(it was -13 this morning). I take them outside during good weather months. But they don't like the extreme heat or sun of the summer so I'm constantly moving them around. Without better conditions they are much slower growing. Tom at Sweet Marias has a small greenhouse of coffee (Finca West Oakland) his yields are pretty small. He gets enough for a pot of coffee every harvest season. And there is a decent amount of work in the processing. Elevation is also a factor as well as temp. and shade to get any quality. A fun thing to do but not much more than that from what I've learned.
here is a youtube video
Finca West Oakland
ps I'm sure the deer would like them. Ripe cherries have a layer of a sweet gum like substance, the mucilage. I like to suck on them and assume deer would too.

I found some unidentified Arabica seedlings at Loews near my house late this past summer (~$3). They were planted about 10 per 4inch pot and it took a lot of effort to separate them. I put them in a 36 inch window planter with a mix of cactus potting soil (for drainage) and regular houseplant soil from miracle grow. They have since grown a few leaves but are not particularly fond of the dim house near a cold window. Small apartments are not particularly conducive to agriculture, it would appear. Fertilizer burns their leaves too, make sure none splashes on them. This is my first attempt at growing them but they seemed happy as clams during the summer in NJ and have nice shiny green leaves. I don't have much hope for a harvest any time soon but they are nice and low maintenance. I also tried sprouting greens by soaking them for two days and had about 10% actually germinate. I've read it takes a few months to send out leaves after the putting them in soil. Mine sadly died as I forgot to keep them moist. Buying some SO greens would be a good way to try and grow beans of a particular variety. Since the whole endeavor seems quite futile judging from the video, I'd skip the difficult germination step and try and find some at a plant shop because you're not going to make enough to care what it tastes like.

Is the climate in Oakland a bit too cold at times... is that why they don't yield a lot for Tom?

I'm curious, why is it not mass grown indoors across the US? Can't the proper climate be controlled that way?

Is it that it's not practical due to the length of time it takes to get production out of it? ...therefore, there's no way u can produce it at prices comparable to what countries that have proper outdoor conditions (and cheap labor) can?

benm5678 wrote:Is the climate in Oakland a bit too cold at times... is that why they don't yield a lot for Tom?

I'm curious, why is it not mass grown indoors across the US? Can't the proper climate be controlled that way?

Is it that it's not practical due to the length of time it takes to get production out of it? ...therefore, there's no way u can produce it at prices comparable to what countries that have proper outdoor conditions (and cheap labor) can?

Tom keeps his in a greenhouse. Coffee wouldn't pay or survive well in continental US. You need elevation to produce decent arabica. I'd quesstimate it would cost over $30.00/lb to grow 75cent/lb quality coffee in a commercial greenhouse with picking and processing. I heard rumors a few years ago that someone was going to try in Florida but most likely realized it wasn't worth it when far better greens can be had so cheap. Nestle is doing a lot of GE coffee work and maybe someday they will engineer something.

another_jim wrote:Last time I checked, I was told that growing them as a decorative indoor plant (with pruning and some expertise) is perfectly feasible, but that getting beans or coffee is much harder.

My Dad made a similar comment to me a few years ago. He grew up cultivating coffee, oranges, bananas, etc. at my Grandparents' "finca" in the central mountains of Puerto Rico.

I've been tending a single plant from Kona this past year.

Pros:
* its interesting to see just where/how our coffee comes from
* impress your friends

Cons:
* they're finicky (read: PITA). Its the only plant I have to move indoors for winter, and I live in a more temperate climate than you.
* its unlikely the coffee you produce will be in great quantity or quality (see the Sweet Maria's video above)


In short, if it doesn't fruit and somehow get more interesting this year, it'll have to fend for itself next winter!