Family: Theaceae
Scientific name: Camellia sinensis
Common name: Tea plant
Origin: South East Asia

Tea out of your own garden? It’s possible.
Young plants still have to be protected against frost, but after, temperatures up to 12 degrees below zero won’t be a problem. Provide a sunny spot and water the plants regularly. Tea is made from the leaves. White, yellow, green and black tea all come from the same plant, but each have their own production method. Especially the flower bud and first three leaves are used for tea, older leaves aren’t picked. The slower the growth, the better the quality of the tea. Hence tea plants are often grown at a greater height in Asia to improve the quality.

Sowing description: Scarify the seeds so that the pericarp is thinner. Then soak them in lukewarm water for 48 hours. Sow them in sowing mix and let them germinate at around 25 degC. Keep the soil constantly moist.

Please notice that the seeds have a short viability, so sow them as soon as possible.

Sowing time: Whole year 
Difficulty: Intermediate
Minimum temperature: -12 degrees Celsius

Photo 1: Sebastian Jude