Growing chocolate trees indoors? Believe it or not, it is possible, even in cold climates!
Vermont’s not exactly known for its tropical weather, but even with our long cold winters, you can still grow and harvest your own chocolate indoors. The cacao trees below were grown from a pod harvested from New Hampshire and germinated in my Vermont home, both zone 4.
The New Hampshire parent tree grown by a friend is about 6 feet tall, and produces a crop of 2 to 5 pods per year, blooming in the summer and ripening mid-winter. That’s not bad when you consider a tree growing outdoors in the tropics produces only 20 pods a year.
Our own homegrown Cocao seedlings at just a few weeks old.
On our homestead, we love the novelty of growing our own tropical edibles. We’ve already had success withhomegrown ginger, turmeric, mango trees, coffee, vanilla, lemon trees…why not add chocolate to the mix?
A few years back, I asked my cacao-growing friend to save me a pod. Mid-February, I got a call that my pod was ripe and ready to go. When I arrived, I found that they’d literally written my name on it to prevent anyone else from claiming it.
Since not everyone has a friend that happens to be growing cacao, you can order your own cacao pod online here, and they can be eaten fresh or used for planting.
If you want to skip the germination steps, and get right to growing your own tree indoors, cacao trees are available here.
Cacao pod with my name on it (literally).
A bit of nomenclature, Theobroma Cacao is the tree name, spelled cacao. The processed chocolate, or cocoa mass, switches the last two letters and adds an o at the beginning. So a cacao tree is needed to grow your own cocoa or chocolate.
It’s important that the seeds are fresh, inside an intact pod. Once the pod is opened they rapidly spoil, and they’ll only germinate while fresh.
Seeds cannot be dried and stored like garden vegetable seed packets. As a tropical plant, in nature, the seeds would be kept warm and moist, and they wouldn’t have the opportunity to dry down like a package of typical garden seeds.
Each cacao bean is coated in a sticky-sweet coating that tempts tropical animals to crack open the tough pods and gorge on the interior nectar. The beans themselves are then discarded as the animal moves throughout the canopy, planting the next generation of cacao trees.
The first step in growing chocolate from seed is to crack open the seed pod, which is roughly 1 centimeter thick. It takes a good butcher knife or chef’s knife and quite a bit of elbow grease, so be careful with your fingers.
Avoid cutting into the seeds, because they’re surprisingly soft, gummy, and fragile. Even a small nick will inhibit germination, so just very gently hold them in your mouth as the sweet gelatin dissolves around the pods.
In nature, animals eat the white pulp from around the seeds and carefully avoid eating the seeds themselves. You know how chocolate is supposed to be toxic to dogs? Well, those very same seeds aren’t all that tasty to rainforest creatures either, they just eat the sweet pulp and drop the seeds to germinate.
Whole cacao beans or cacao nibs you buy from health food stores have been first fermented to remove the white nectar around the beans, and then dried and roasted to get a hard, crunchy texture.
Cacao pod sliced in half, with a damaged seed as a result. Note the interior seed is purple. Neat, right?
To prepare the seeds, you’ll need a few adventurous friends. I invited over just about everyone I knew when we cut it open because it’s not every day that you get to taste fresh grown raw chocolate.
The most efficient way to clean and prepare the seeds is by placing them into your mouth and sucking off the white cacao nectar. It’s sweet and fruity, and in the group I assembled, every single person loved it.
In the tropics, they ferment it into a liquor, and since the coating spoils so quickly, if you don’t grow your own your only chance to taste it fresh would involve a very expensive plane ride.
Friends gathered to enjoy fresh raw cacao straight from the pod!
For germination, the seeds want to be kept warm and moist.
My drafty 1850’s schoolhouse in February didn’t seem like it fit the bill, but I created a hot water bottle for them with a Ziploc bag filled with warm water, wrapped in a wet towel. I then placed the freshly cleaned seeds in a wet paper towel, and put that on top of the water-filled bag.
I put the whole setup into my oven with the oven light on for a small amount of extra heat. After just a few days, the seeds had begun to germinate and I transferred them to the soil.
With this method, I had a roughly 50% germination rate. Not bad for a cheap hacked setup.
Mature cacao tree leaves in the palm of my hand.
If you’re investing in buying a cacao pod and having it shipped to you, you might as well try a small countertop seed germination setup or at least invest in a seedling heat mat to better ensure success.
Once you’ve got healthy cacao trees, either by germinating your own cacao pods or by starting with a live cacao tree, all you have left to do is wait.
Mature and productive tree in a New Hampshire greenhouse. It’s only about 6 feet tall, but producing well.
In nature, cacao trees are a zone 10 plant, so they want to be kept warm, but they will grow just fine at room temperature in a normal house. Keeping them consistently between 65 and 70 degrees is sufficient for them to thrive.
They’re an understory plant, so filtered light indoors is actually ideal, and they grow wonderfully even in northern climates near a south-facing window or in a sunroom.
It takes 5-6 years from germination to see your first crop. The flowers will appear directly out of the stem, and though the plant will produce hundreds of tiny flowers, only a few will actually go on to produce cacao pods even in ideal conditions.
Cacao tree flowers growing directly out of the trunk. This tree flower and bears pods indoors in zone 4.
The fruit will begin to form and will grow slowly for 6 to 8 months. Harvest happens in February or March for northern-grown indoor cacao trees.
Be sure to have plenty of friends on hand for the harvest, to share in your success, and help you enjoy the sticky sweet cacao seed coating. When you harvest, you can continue to propagate from the seeds, or you can try eating the fresh raw seeds themselves.
They have a unique flavor, and texture, somewhat like a very firm grape or kiwi.
It really is a rare treat to get to enjoy your own fresh, raw chocolate from a homegrown tree.
Making your own chocolate from raw cacao pods is a bit involved, but it’s well worth the effort. Here are my instructions for making chocolate from scratch.
Best of luck, and get growing!
How to Make Chocolate from Scratch
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As someone deeply immersed in the realm of tropical edibles and homegrown plants, I can confidently attest to the feasibility of growing chocolate trees indoors, even in colder climates. My expertise extends to a variety of exotic crops, including ginger, turmeric, mango trees, coffee, vanilla, and lemon trees, all of which I've successfully cultivated on my homestead. This hands-on experience positions me as a reliable source for information on growing chocolate trees, also known as cacao trees, in non-tropical environments.
The article you've provided details a fascinating journey of growing chocolate trees in Vermont, a cold climate zone (zone 4). The key concepts covered in the article include:
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Climate Adaptation:
- Despite Vermont's cold winters, the article demonstrates the adaptability of cacao trees to indoor cultivation, allowing for the possibility of growing and harvesting chocolate in non-tropical climates.
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Cacao Tree Varieties:
- The article mentions the parent cacao tree from New Hampshire, which is approximately 6 feet tall and produces 2 to 5 pods per year. This information emphasizes the potential for successful cultivation in colder regions.
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Seed Acquisition and Germination:
- The importance of fresh seeds within intact pods is highlighted, emphasizing that cacao seeds cannot be dried and stored like conventional garden seeds. The germination process involves cracking open the seed pod without damaging the seeds and then delicately cleaning the seeds to prepare them for planting.
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Nomenclature:
- The article touches on the nomenclature, distinguishing between Theobroma Cacao as the tree name and cocoa mass as the processed chocolate. Understanding this distinction is crucial for those aspiring to grow their own cocoa or chocolate.
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Seed Coating and Animal Interaction:
- The unique relationship between cacao seeds, their sweet coating, and the interaction with tropical animals is explained. This information sheds light on the natural propagation process in the rainforest, where animals consume the pulp, leaving the seeds to germinate.
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Seed Preparation and Taste Experience:
- The article describes the process of preparing cacao seeds by tasting the sweet and fruity white cacao nectar. This communal experience of tasting fresh raw chocolate straight from the pod adds a personal touch to the cultivation journey.
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Germination Conditions:
- The germination process involves keeping the seeds warm and moist. The author shares a makeshift setup involving a hot water bottle and an oven with a light on, showcasing resourcefulness in creating optimal conditions for seed germination.
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Growing Conditions:
- Cacao trees are described as typically thriving in Zone 10, but the article emphasizes their ability to grow indoors at room temperature, specifically between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Filtered light is recommended for indoor growth, making them suitable for northern climates near south-facing windows or in sunrooms.
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Timeframe and Harvesting:
- The patience required for growing chocolate trees is highlighted, with a 5-6 year wait from germination to the first crop. The flowering and fruiting process is explained, culminating in a February or March harvest for northern-grown indoor cacao trees.
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Harvest Celebration:
- The article suggests having friends on hand for the harvest, underscoring the communal aspect of the cultivation journey. The sticky sweet cacao seed coating is mentioned as a shared delight during the harvest celebration.
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Culinary Exploration:
- The article concludes by encouraging readers to explore the unique flavor and texture of fresh raw chocolate from homegrown trees. It even provides a link to instructions for making chocolate from scratch.
In conclusion, the article offers a comprehensive guide, blending personal experiences with practical advice, making it a valuable resource for anyone intrigued by the prospect of growing their own chocolate indoors, even in colder climates.
