Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

[Rolley]

Hey everyone!

As we all do.. I looooove coffee.. A couple of years ago I planted a few of my own arabica trees, and finally Im having my first "little crop"!  Its really exciting.  My biggest tree has tons of cheries, up almost all of the branches, the other couple only have a few here an there.

Everyone sorta laughs at me as you can imagine - but I reckon Ill be able to get a couple of hundred grams out of the trees each year, and that to me is great!  Processing should be fairly straight forward - and Ive already been practicing my home roasting with a top quality ceramic titanium pan over a gas burner (labour intensive but still fun!)..

Anyway, SUSS these pics out!!  Id like to introduce my trees and their little cheries.  As they ripen Ill take some more pics, Ill also take some of my processing and roasting for yas!  Man I cant wait!

p..s..... I cant figure out how to put more than one photo up, so Ill have to be content with just one..

[Thundergod]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

Congrats!

[lucinda]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

Oh well done.

Id love to try growing coffee, but I think Adelaide has the wrong climate.

[TC]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

Oh well done.

Id love to try growing coffee, but I think Adelaide has the wrong climate.

I have some in Melbourne- So long as theyre protected from frost, no problemo. Mine are circa 3yo and around 50cm high!

[lucinda]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

mmmmmmm may have to have a wee chat with my gardener, I am sure he can be persuaded.

[poddy66]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

can you buy established coffee plants ?? or do you buy beans to plant in the grunnd cheers steven poddy66

[Rolley]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

Hey Steve (poddy66), I got all mine already established, at a nursery out of town. They werent expensive or anything, but not many places sell them.. I wouldnt have a clue how to raise them from seeds..!!

Its all a bit of fun ay!

[robusto]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

Congratulations, Rolley, you are taking snobbery to a new level. I joke that since buying our bread machine, we should go all the way and grow our own wheat! When your home-grown produce can be done effortlessly and produce superior results...whats wrong with growing your own beans?

--Robusto

[grendel]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

Hey doesnt the AIS have some chamber that simulates high altitude? Wonder if you can get plans for a low pressure greenhouse". . .

[Presso]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

Or you could come and put a few in the ground at our place in the hills above byron bay!

[grendel]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

Wouldnt take much convincing there Presso! Shares in a plantation anybody? Ill have the 400 bushes at the top of the slope nearest the rainforest canopy please!

[Presso]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

That is handy to the WOOFs quarters. At the moment we have a dedivated team of Swedes woking/sweating. They are a lovely bunch though they were ill prepared for our sun!(They came with bikinis and singlets and no hats or sunscreen.

You might like to volunteer for the OH&S postion Grendel, it involves a few informal lectures on outdoor prodection, if the recent batch of girls are anything to go by the new Dutch arrivals will need assistance applying the 30+ etc

[grendel]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

I just know that soon after my arrival to take up the position your new team would arrive from somewhere near kazakstan - all men named Borat, Boris, Baruk, Boyach and Brajavich and all demanding OH&S sunscreen applications.

Even writing that gave me the horror shudders!

[rgow6208]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

...all men named Borat...and all demanding OH&S sunscreen applications.

Well, ill happily prostitute meself to Borat :-* for a share in your coffee plantation! Ooooh, Im excited! Our very own coffee plantation! From which country shall we buy our slaves? I reckon Americans might make good slaves. Shall we go overseas and catch some or just nab some tourists? Pls excuse my ignorance on these matters, Im new to this whole plantation thing.
Cant wait till the March Slave Bay opens and order online my very first bag of slaves!

But seriously, if 2muchcoffeeman can grow em in Melbourne, I reckon some of us Sydneysiders have half a chance! Wonder if any nurseries round here can help me? (coz i really need help!)

Love to see yer pics, Rolley, as they ripen and especially the harvesting and processing!

P.S.- Does anyone know how many slaves Id need to tend to just two plants in pots? :-?

[Thundergod]

Re: Coffee from the ground up - growing your own!

2 oompahloompahs should be enough or one very small Texan.