Growing Tea

Somewhere in your local garden centre, quite possibly between the azaleas and the pieris, sits a glossy camellia labelled Camellia sinensis. It is the plant behind every cup of green, black, oolong and white tea, and it is rated hardy through most of the UK. If you can grow a rhododendron, your soil will very probably suit it, and if you can’t, a large pot of ericaceous compost will do nicely.

This book takes the tea plant from the garden centre bench to the teapot. It covers choosing, planting and caring for a bush outdoors or in a container, then shows you how to turn fresh shoots into tea using a steamer, a microwave, a wok and an oven. The second half turns to caffeine-free herbal teas, many of which you may already grow without knowing they belong in the teapot, and explains how to grow, harvest, dry, store and brew them safely.

What you’ll find inside

• The hardier China type and the larger-leaved Assam type, named cultivars, and RHS and USDA hardiness ratings explained
• Acid soil, rainwater, raised beds for limy gardens, and tea in pots and under glass, with winter and frost protection
• Propagating from fresh seed, cuttings and layering, then training a young bush into a plucking table
• Pests, diseases and disorders, treated as a food crop throughout
• Plucking the right shoots, then making green, white, oolong, black and red tea at home by several methods
• Brewing, storing, iced tea food safety and a plain account of caffeine
• Mints, chamomiles, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemongrass, roselle, ginger, tulsi, sage, thyme, lavender, bergamot, fennel, nettle, elderflower, lime flowers, rose hips and more
• Drying herbs in bunches, bags, dehydrators, ovens or microwaves, with storage and blending
• Safety throughout: look-alikes such as foxglove and poison hemlock, official cautions on pregnancy, children, medicines and allergies, and pet toxicity listings
• The law on picking wild plants, plus a month-by-month calendar, at-a-glance tables, troubleshooting and a glossary

Who it’s for

It is written for beginners first, but experienced growers will find plenty here, from rooting cuttings under mist to the detail of withering and oxidation.

Start with one tea plant and a few herbs by the kitchen door. The kettle, as they say, is on.