vanilla beans

Helpful Tips to Getting Started Growing Vanilla Beans

Dan Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

How to get started growing your own vanilla beans. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.

vanilla beans
Vanilla cultivation
Public Domain/Wikipedia
Pinterest

Vanilla beans aren’t the easiest plants to grow. It takes some trial and error on your part to figure out what works for you. as a gardener, You also might need to make some adjustments based on your planting zone.

There are different varieties, each having a unique flavor and, as a result, pair better with different dishes. Some options include: Madagascar, Mexican, Indonesian, Tahitian, Indian and Tonga.

When you decide to grow vanilla beans its best to purchase the plant. Otherwise it could take up to 5 years to see your first harvest. Container planting is your best bet. Location is also key. Indoors is fine but the plant needs temperatures around 60°F and they like high humidity and bright, indirect sunlight.

Do your best not to overwater. And fertilize once every 2 weeks during spring and summer.

To produce beans, your vanilla plant will need to be pollinated by hand. And, once completed successfully you should see pods forming in about a week.

Listen to Cathy Isom’s This Land of Ours program here.