Coffee plants grow naturally in the tropics in what is referred to as the coffee belt. If you are fortunate enough to live in a place like the Colombian Eje Cafetero you can grow your own coffee. Of course you will need land for growing your coffee crop but the environmental conditions will be ideal for producing great coffee. If you live outside of the coffee belt you will not be able to grow coffee out of doors. However, growing coffee in your greenhouse is a possibility. What you need to do is to create an indoor, year round environment similar to where coffee grows naturally.

Coffee Growing Environment

Coffee plants are perennial but do not survive a frost. Thus anyone living outside of the tropics needs a protected environment for coffee plants to survive winter. The average temperature where the bulk of coffee is grown in Colombia ranges from a nighttime low of 57 degrees Fahrenheit to a daytime high of 73 degrees Fahrenheit or 13 to 22 degrees Celsius. Days are generally overcast with some rain most days. Coffee grows on slopes where it never stands in water and grows in naturally fertile volcanic soil. For growing coffee in your greenhouse you will need to mimic these conditions.

Growing Coffee in a Greenhouse

Although folks in places like Colombia, Brazil, or Vietnam are experts at growing coffee they do not necessarily know much about growing coffee in a greenhouse. However, folks in the far north, like at the University of North Dakota have experience doing just that. Courtesy of NDSU in Fargo, ND, here is some useful information about growing coffee in greenhouses. Start by choosing the right coffee to grow, using the right nutrients, and then maintaining the right indoor environment for growing coffee.

Growing High Quality Coffee in a Greenhouse

You have two basic choices for greenhouse coffee. Robusta coffee is hardy, produces well, and has a high caffeine content. It also does not have the best flavor or aroma. Arabica coffee, on the other hand, can be more fragile and prone to plant diseases, has a lower yield than robusta, and a lower caffeine content. However, the excellent flavor and aroma of arabica makes the effort of growing it worthwhile. As a rule we would suggest that if you are going to the trouble of growing coffee in your greenhouse that you grow a superior coffee variety.

Nutrients for Greenhouse Coffee

Coffee grows best in loamy soil that is well drained so that is what you will want to recreate in your greenhouse. Plan to provide extra phosphorus to younger plants up to the third year. For mature plants use a 10-5-20 fertilizer mix at one thousand five hundred pounds per acre per year. A mix of magnesium, zinc, and iron is also necessary. All of these are natural ingredients of volcanic soil.

Greenhouse Conditions for Growing Coffee

For best results greenhouse conditions for growing coffee should mimic those in the premier growing areas. Air for nighttime lows of sixty degrees and daytime highs of seventy degrees. Rainfall (misting) should be six inches a month on average with a yearly high and low. Plants grow in the peak wet season but require a dry season for cherries to ripen before the harvest. Your greenhouse should have adequate airflow and plants should be spaced sufficiently that the leaves and stems remain reasonably dry. Try to recreate a mountain mist, diffuse lighting and little direct sunlight.

Where Can You Get Coffee Plants for Your Greenhouse?

Fortunately, you do not need to send to Colombia, Brazil, or Vietnam to get seedlings for your greenhouse coffee plants. Many commercial nurseries either have them in stock or can refer you to someone who does. If you have access to fresh coffee cherries or seeds you can plant your own coffee. The cherry is ready when you can rub away the flesh. Set the seeds aside for a few weeks on a plate lined with a paper towel. Then soak the beans in water for a day before planting in four inch pots filled with a commercial potting soil. Plant the seeds just a quarter of an inch deep. Keep in a warm location without direct sunlight. Seeds will germinate in about a month and a half to two months. As plants grow you can replant into larger containers.