Coffee

Nearly two years ago I was at a conference for work. During one of the coffee breaks I overheard the instructor of the seminar mention that she was growing coffee and banana's in her greenhouse. I worked my way into the conversation as politely as possible and asked if coffee was easy to grow in New York. She enthusiastically explained that it was if done properly. At the end of the two day presentation she brought in a coffee seedling for me that I still have growing in my kitchen during winter months.

I am not sure if the coffee plant is arabica or robusta. Arabica tends to be better in flavor with a bit less caffeine and is responsible for about 75% of the worlds coffee production. Robusta on the other hand is more. . . .well, robust, but with inferior flavor, the true benefit is its caffeine kick. Either way it was a special gift from a brilliant individual and I look forward to the eventual harvest.

During the summer we put our plant outside and have found that indirect sunlight seems to work best, we then bring it back indoors at night. During the winter, as mentioned, we put it in a sunny, warm location, which is typically the kitchen. As time goes on I would like to get a couple more plants so that some day we can get enough cherries to roast our own coffee!

The point that I am trying to make with this is that it can be a lot of fun to think outside of the box in regards to gardening. There are a lot of fun plants that you can grow indoors during the long winter months to keep your green thumb, so to speak. If coffee is not for you even consider some culinary herbs for your winter stews or pasta dishes.