Growing your own tea is possible!

Learning how to grow your own natural tea at home is not rocket science and is within everyone's reach. With only tea plant cuttings, a few tools and a little space at home, you can make delicious, all natural, chemical-free drinks.

But first of all, what is the tea plant? The tea plant, also called Camellia sinensis, is a species of shrub native to the Far East. It is generally cultivated for its leaves, which, once dried and more or less oxidized, are used to prepare an infusion: tea. All the production of your home tea will come from the cultivation of this particular plant!

To start your tea production at home, we advise you to start planting your tea bushes at the beginning of autumn so that your plants can take advantage of a rather mild weather to be well establish in the ground. Your plantation will also benefit from the rain that will make it grow its roots.

 

1. First step: planting your tea plant

To start, you can find tea cuttings at a nursery, either in a store or by ordering them on the Internet.

Then it is time to plant. In your garden, on your balcony if you live in an apartment or even in a large pot, your tea plant will need light above all! Place it in a sunny place so that it develops properly. In their natural state, these shrubs can reach more than 10 meters high! In fact, to facilitate their cultivation and harvesting, which done is by hand, they are usually pruned and kept at a height of about one meter.

The soil is also very important to take into account. As you know, tea is grow in Asia, so in order for your tea plant to be healthy, you need to provide it with a very specific soil and environment. We suggest you use heather soil in addition to "normal" soil and line the bottom of the pot (or the place where the tea plant will be placed) with small pebbles, then with a layer of sand before pouring the soil over it.

Alternatively, you can get a mature shrub and plant it in the same way, taking into account all the above indications.

 

 

2. Second step: taking care of your tea plant

It should be note that the ambient temperature for your plantation must be higher than 68°F. If you place it outside, you will have to protect it in winter by bringing it inside, under a veranda for example, or by covering it with bubble wrap to constitute a barrier against the cold.

The most important information to remember is that the tea tree loves water! Water it with rainwater, which is ecological, and your tea plant will feel like it is in the mists of an Asian tea garden.

 

3. Third step: harvesting and preparation of the tea

It is not with only one tea plant that you will be able to start a large tea culture. Indeed, it takes about 5kg of tealeaves to obtain 1kg of dried leaves (so it will take you a long time to get that much-desired kilo). However, once a year, you can harvest the leaves and buds to make your own tea.

Then, all you have to do is let your dried tealeaves steep in hot water and enjoy your delicate preparation. Make sure to use a pesticide-free culture (much better for the planet and for your own health).

 

There you have it, you now have all the cards in hand to easily grow your own organic tea at home. Finally, all you have to do is to take good care of your tea plant to harvest the fruit of your work :)