Quick answer: You can grow coffee at home from fresh, unroasted seeds or cherries. Soak the seeds for 24 hours, germinate them in damp sand or vermiculite (this can take two to six months), then plant them in rich, well-draining soil indoors in a warm, bright spot. Expect to wait years for flowers and cherries, and only a small harvest.
Growing your own coffee is slow, but it is possible, and a coffee plant makes an attractive houseplant along the way.
To grow coffee beans at home you will need coffee cherries, but if they are not available you can buy unroasted green coffee beans from a supplier. Buy seed from a recent harvest so it can still germinate when they reach your home.
In this guide 5 sections
How do you germinate coffee beans at home?
Green coffee beans will be able to germinate for almost four months after being harvested. However, the longer you wait the lower the germination rate of the beans will be.
To germinate your coffee seeds, first, you must soak them in water for 24 hours. Then, leave the beans in a damp medium such as sand or vermiculite and water it twice a day. Make sure there is good drainage for your coffee beans. Fresh seeds should take around 2 – 3 months to germinate while older seeds can take up to 6 months to germinate. Be patient with your coffee plant!
Planting the seedling
Once you see the coffee seed germinate you have to transfer it to a friable loam soil with high humus content. Bury it 1.25 cm deep. Optionally, you can add manure, bone meal, or dried blood to help your plant grow. If you do not have this type of soil available choose a porous soil that will easily drain. Make sure you place your bean flat side down and lightly cover your bean with soil. Do not compact the soil.
You have to water the seed regularly every day. Make sure the soil remains damp, but not too wet at all times. The plant will grow slowly. You can transfer it to acidic soil with low pH and high nitrogen content (like blueberries).
Coffee plants naturally thrive in warmer temperatures. If you live outside the tropics it will usually be too cold to grow coffee outdoors year-round, but coffee plants can do well indoors in a bright spot or under grow lights. Once the plant develops into a small tree you only need to water it twice a week and make sure the soil is moist, but well drained.
How long does a coffee plant take to produce beans?
Once your coffee plant has grown into a small tree you can expect flowers and cherries only after several years of growth. If you have an arabica coffee plant it is self-pollinating so it will fruit and flower by itself. These cherries will have coffee beans within that you can harvest and process into coffee beans for brewing.
To get your coffee plant to flower wait until Winter and reduce the amount of water it gets for around 2 – 3 months. Water it around once a week. When Spring rolls around water the plant normally and this will signal the plant to produce flower and cherries.
All you have to do after that is harvest, pulp the fruit, ferment, dry, and roast the beans. Then you will have a home grown & brewed coffee.
Common Problems and Pests
Yellowing Leaves
If your coffee plant has yellowing leaves that means you are either watering it too much or too little. Make sure you feel the soil and water accordingly.
If there are brown spots in addition to the yellowing this is a sign that you are underwatering your plant.
Dropping Leaves
If your coffee plant has been dropping a few leaves here and there you should not be worried. Older leaves will fall off naturally. However, if your coffee plant is dropping new leaves quickly it may be due to not enough water or a change in temperature.
Low growth rate or small pale leaves
If your plant has been growing very slowly and has been growing small pale leaves it may be because it has not been getting enough sunlight. Move it to a sunnier area and water it regularly.
Brown edges around leaves
If your leaves have a brown edge it means that your plant is over watered or the soil is not draining properly. It can also be a sign that it is not humid enough for your plant. To solve this leave your plant in a green house and make sure the soil is draining properly and water it less.
Pests and Diseases
- Leaf fungal diseases (Hemileia vastatrix = coffee rust)
- Nematodes invasion of the roots (eg Meloidogyne coffeicola)
- Insect attack of the leaf (Leucoptera coffeella = bicho mineiro)
- Insect attack of the cherry (Hypothenemus hampei = coffee berry borer)
- Fungal disease of the seed (eg Colletotrichum coffeanum = coffee berry disease)
Can you grow enough coffee to drink every day?
Not from one houseplant. A single coffee tree produces a modest crop of cherries a year, and roasting shrinks the beans further, so a daily coffee drinker would need a small orchard of mature trees. Treat a home coffee plant as a rewarding project that yields a few special cups, not your main supply. If you are curious how the coffee you buy is grown at scale, see coffee beans from around the world.
Frequently asked questions
Can you grow coffee from store-bought beans?
Not from roasted beans: roasting kills the seed. You need fresh, unroasted green coffee or coffee cherries from a recent harvest.
How long do coffee seeds take to germinate?
Fresh seeds usually take about two to three months; older seeds can take up to six months, and germination rates drop the longer seed is stored.
Can a coffee plant grow indoors?
Yes. Give it a warm room, plenty of bright light or a grow light, and moist but well-drained soil. Water less often once it is established.
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I’m glad to know that it’ll take me 16 plants to supply my habit. I have 20 plants that are several years old now and are between about 2-1/2′ & 4-1/2′ tall above soil line. One of them made flowers for the first time this spring. They are all sending out new branches and leaves, a beautiful light golden brown. I bring them inside for the winter as they seem to dislike temps below 46 degrees. They’re starting to take up lots of room so I have them all bunched together. Maybe I can buy my neighbor’s back yard. I live in deep south Louisiana and am wondering if the temps here along with the sun is too much and if so, should they get more shade than sun?
Coffee plants actually naturally grow in indirect sunlight because they are understory plants (the understory is the underlying layer of vegetation in a forest or wooded area). They can survive in direct sun, but if you notice any browning in the leaves move them indoors or under your porch.