British farmers turning to exotic crops

[otorongo]

From bananas to tea to chillies, many UK producers have turned to plants commonly grown in warmer climates

The British farmers growing exotic crops | Life and style | The Guardian

It's about time. Things like tea are fully hardy can be easily grown in our climate. I'm curious about the bananas though, what species they're trialling and how they're growing them - under cover, with or without heating, as diebacks or keeping the trunks perennial?

[Thelma Sanders]

I notice all the farms growing 'Exotic crops' are in Devon and Cornwall - hardly the average UK climate is it.

[rustylady]

And using polytunnels

[CaroltheCarrot]

I have a coffee plant in my kitchen. Not holding my breath waiting for beans, but its a nice houseplant

[arpoet]

We could do with growing melon boats

[Two_Sheds]

Things like tea are fully hardy can be easily grown in our climate.

If it was that easy, we'd all be doing it.

tea grows best in regions which enjoy a warm, humid climate with rainfall of at least 100-200 cm a year. Ideally, it likes deep, light, acidic and well-drained soil.

[Two_Sheds]

Things like tea are fully hardy can be easily grown in our climate.

If it was that easy, we'd all be doing it.

tea grows best in regions which enjoy a warm, humid climate with rainfall of at least 100-200 cm a year. Ideally, it likes deep, light, acidic and well-drained soil.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I remember seeing a program some time ago may have been Countryfile where they visited a tea plantation down south. They didn't say whether it was commercially viable though.

Colin

[Potstubsdustbins]

Yep its the Tregothnan Estate commercial tea plantation in Cornwall.

First production 2005.

Colin

[peanut]

I used to have a tea plant...really nice evergreen shrub. Grew it in a pot, it did really well and was fine outside all year, I gave it to a friend when I moved house.

[Two_Sheds]

Most of us could grow a tea plant in a pot, which can be moved around to suit conditions but ... it's really only Devon & Cornwall that have enough warmth & rain for commercial scale growing (and the Cornish tea is VERY expensive).

[otorongo]

Well it's fully hardy in most of the UK and you only use the leaves; I would assume heat is not as crucial as it is for fruit crops but I may be wrong.

Cornwall gets mild winters, but rather cool summers. SE England summers (= growing season) are warmer, and the winters (= dormant season) are still warm enough not to kill tea plants. So it would seem SE England is better for tea production than Cornwall.

[Farmer_Gyles]

i want to grow rice ... gotta love a rice pudding ....