Growing Tea
Hello Good Gardening People
I have an idea that I think is very interesting.
I was watching Guy Martin in India on the TV the other day and he visited a tea plantation. This gave me an idea why don't we grow tea in our gardens or allotments in the UK? I did some research and found it was possible to grow tea in the warmer regions of the UK. Camellia sinensis (The tea plant) is grown in the same way as Canellia japonica a plant that you may have in your garden. You can harvest the leaves of the Camellia sinensis and make tea. This means that you could have a new plant that you could grow and harvest from that is different to anything else you grow.
Anyway I will get to the point.
Does anyone know about growing tea and have you grown it?
Do you know any good places to get hold of these plants that seem to be rare in the UK?
I think this will make a interesting topic.
Thanks
RobertHM
Posts
Don't drink tea but I think you may be pushing it a bit to grow it outside of the warmer, sheltered, south western counties or a walle dgarden protected by the Gulf Stream if you're further north. You also have to consider the drying and bendng and storing aspects and you'd need a lot of plants to get a crop to make a brew given that it's made frm just the newest young leaves..
They grow tea in Scotland so why not?
From what I read on the internet you can drink it as green tea this requires less preparation. I want to grow it in the south east so not sure about the weather.
Tregothnan is a commercial tea plantation which can supply tea bushes as well as an experience day. https://tregothnan.co.uk/plants-trees/tea-bushes/
Tea is grown commercially in Cornwall - https://tregothnan.co.uk/about/tea-plantation/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/10645279/Tea-grown-in-Cornwall-to-be-sold-in-Waitrose.html
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Snap Steephill!!!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Surprised Verdun didn't beat us both to it!
Thanks Guys
I was in waitrose yesterday should of had a look for there tea.
I've often wondered where they grow the mystical Yorkshire Tea. On the great moorland plantations of the north, perhaps?