How to Plant and Grow Vanilla Beans

A tropical plant and member of the orchid family, the vanilla bean plant can be grown at home with the right conditions and care. You will have to simulate the plant’s native growing conditions, as plants in the orchid family are quite sensitive to heat, moisture and light, but with the right planning, you can cultivate vanilla beans in the comfort of your own home.

Step 1 – Source a Plant

You will have to order either the plant or a cutting of a plant from the internet or from a plant company that specializes in tropical plants. If you know anyone with a vanilla plant you can also take a clipping and transplant it to your home.

Step 2 – Plant the Vanilla Bean Plant

Once you have found a plant, you will need to repot it in a pot that allows for adequate drainage. If you are using a cutting, put it in the dark for two weeks. After that time, trim the bottom leaf from the clipping and put the cutting in a one-gallon pot. Be sure the pot you use has hole in the bottom. Make a mixture of potting soil and sand and place the clipping or plant in the soil.

Step 3 – Create the Tropical Environment

To grow well, the vanilla bean plant will need its native conditions to be replicated, meaning it will need a warm and moist home. It will need indirect sunlight from a florescent lamp and ideally will be somewhere with regular humidity like the bathroom.

Step 4 – Create a Trellis

The vanilla bean plant is a vine and will need to be secured in order to grow, as the vine will grow to around 25 feet before blooming.

Step 5 – Pollinate the Flowers

Vanilla bean plants require hand pollination for beans to grow. Before beginning, put gloves on to prevent skin irritation from the white sap present on the plant. To hand pollinate, remove the flower lip and take pollen from another location on the flower and place it in the nectar, located in the stigma. The stigma is a flap positioned on the top right column directly behind the flower.

Step 6 – Grow and Harvest Beans

Long green pods will begin to grow after pollination. These pods can either be ripened directly on the plant or they can be removed and allow to ripen from the heat and light of daytime. If you remove them from the plant, set them out in light during the day and cover them throughout the night. When fully mature, pods will turn dark brown and measure 7 to 9 inches. You can now use the pods and beans inside for baking, cooking, or anything else.