I'm really interested in growing tea plants in colder climates, specifically Zone 6 or even colder. I'm wondering what varieties of tea plants folks have had success with outdoors or maybe even kept partially indoors during winter. I drink tea pretty much every day and would love to cultivate my own to be more self-sustaining. Any tips or experiences would be great!
2 Answers
Tea plants, specifically those from the Camellia family, can be tricky to grow in colder areas. In the US, the only commercial tea plantation is in Wadmalaw Island, SC. If you have camellias thriving in your area, you might try growing tea. Just keep in mind that you'll need to prune the plants to encourage new growth, and it typically takes 2 to 5 years before you can start harvesting the leaves. Overall, it does take a bit of time and effort before you see any return on your investment.
Are you looking for true tea plants or just herbal alternatives? If it's herbs, last year I experimented with different types of mint and planted lemon balm from seeds. I even got some decent results with chamomile later in the season. I winter sowed lavender—it's been in my garden and I'm curious to see how it fairs. For Zone 6B, timing is key, so maybe we can swap some growing tips!
I've mostly grown flowers and tomatoes before, so jumping into herbs feels like a whole new world! Mint sounds great, and I'd be excited to try any herbal teas. What do you think about growing mint since it seems pretty hardy?