When we think of tea, our minds usually turn to exotic places, far from American soil. But that long-held geographical reference may be changing. From the volcanic soil of the Big Island of Hawaii and a sea island off the coast of South Carolina to the relatively rural Yolo County of northern California and the fields of northern Washington State, Camellia sinensis and assamica varieties may be thought of as an agricultural product grown closer to home.

To listen to the tea master/grower William Hall tell it, it’s been a long road from the Charleston Tea Plantation’s original incarnation as an agricultural tea station to its current-day status as a commercial tea estate in partnership with Bigelow, producing from 127 acres, in his words, “light, bright, and mellow” teas for a limited regional distribution, attuned to American tastes. Combining horticultural knowledge and a well-trained, fine-tuned palate, Hall has helmed the operation at Wadmalaw Island for more than 20 years.

A relative newcomer, Tea Hawaii’s Eva Lee, enjoys the hands-on involvement in cultivating and processing tea leaf on the Big Island of Hawaii in the shadow of the volcanoes of Kilauea, where the climate favors growing activity nearly year round – even at lower elevations – a situation that most of the world’s tea-growing countries can’t claim to enjoy. (Stay tuned for a future post on some culinary uses for fresh tea leaves, which arrived in my kitchen in perfect condition, thanks to Eva, from Tea Hawaii).

Spurred by a visit to the Hawaiian tea-growing region, Chinese tea expert and importer Roy Fong sees the potential for growing tea in California’s Yolo County, where he will add 10 acres of tea plants to his newly purchased 23-acre parcel of land not far from Sacramento. But patience is the name of the game, as the plants will take approximately three years before they produce harvestable leaves.

Richard Sakuma has looked to his Japanese heritage for inspiration, devoting 3.5 acres on his family’s berry farm to the cultivation of tea plants. In truly artisanal fashion, with the help of tea-processing equipment from Taiwan, he currently produces small quantities of white tea, green tea, and a lightly oxidized oolong for sale on the farm. Time will tell which direction Sakuma will take in tea horticulture.

Though the returns aren’t all in on the domestic tea-growing front, which is truly in its infancy in the U.S., there is change afoot. Rest assured that American horticultural ingenuity and a hunger to return to the land on the part of passionate, brave, and dedicated tea growers and tea lovers, along with the foodie public’s increased interest in consuming locally grown products will all fuel interesting developments along these lines. Remember that it was just 30 years ago – a blink of an eye when compared to the long history of tea – when the French thought that the only good sparkling wine came from Champagne, France, that is, until they found the microclimates and soils of Napa to be perfectly suited to growing grapes that yielded Champagne-style wines that would rival the best of French bubbly. Who says that the same may not be true for tea?

1. Use freshly harvested seeds

2. Soak seeds in water for 24 hours.

3. Use sinkers as your primary batch sowing.

4. Separte the floaters, these may germinate but could become weaker plants.

5. Spread seeds over a black tarp out in full sun but keep moist by frequent watering.

6. Plant seeds which have developed a crack in the seed coat after a day or so.

7. Sow seeds with “eyes” in a horizontal position or parallel to the surface of the media. Sow to a depth of 1 inch.

8. Shade newly planted seeds.

9. Keep the media moist but with good drainage levels.

10. Seeds germinate in about 1 month.

11. Gradually move plants to full sun in preparation for transplanting.

All you need to get started are tea plants of your choice. You can get potted Tea plants from local nurseries, or you may propagate from cutting or seed. The USDA Pacific Basin Agriculture Research Center (PBARC), and The University of Hawaii, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resource (CTAHR) on the Island of Hawaii. has limited cutting material that is made available from time to time. If you live in Hawaii, you may opt to participate in our (Hawaii Tea Society) rooted cuttings program.

Selecting a Site

One of the important considerations during site selection is the dampness in the area. Tea plants cherish the morning and afternoon moisture or fog and grow well. Both afternoon shady areas and sunny spot in the morning and afternoon are the ideal location for growing tea.

Tea plants have a natural resistance to most insects and pests. However, insects and pests may be still one of major problems for growing tea. When this happens, plants are usually affected only periodically and will "grow out' of the damage.

Tea plants are currently being grown at higher as well as lower levels in Hawai`i. Some varieties perform better than others at different elevations.

Preparing the Soil

For pot planting, buy a quality sterile planting mix to fill the pot. For garden or acreage planting, the soil should be crumbly, mix in compost or leaf mold equal to approximately one-third the volume of your garden soil. Make sure your planting area drains well.

In order to prevent over grown weeds in the tea field, using plastic film to cover the field is highly recommended. There are many kinds of groundcover plastic films available in all major farming supply stores.

Most tea species and varieties adore full sun during the day, but some like partial sun or even shade. Generally, tea plants tolerate not-too-rich soil, little or no fertilizer.

Tea plants prefer soil pH ranging from 5.5 to 7.0. To prepare the site for planting, remove soil from an area 18-24 inches wide and 24 inches deep. Add organic matter to the soil you've removed.

The two most popular ways to plant tea: by seed and by propagated cuttings.

There are some pros and cons to plant tea by seed. The pros may be saving time and money at the beginning of planting.

The cons include that it may take very long time to grow. The germination of seed may take three to four months. Seed selection is very important for having a healthy tea plant. Seeds from the same mother plant may produce very different tea plants. Some of the seeds may never germinate.

Before planting seed, you need to dig a 1-2 inch deep hole in the ground and leave one seed in the hole. If the hole is too deep, it will prolong the germination process. If the hole is too shallow, the seed may not germinate at all.

After planting seed, you need to cover the hole with organic matter and keep the seeding ground moist.

Propagating tea plants by using cuttings will result in initial uniformity of tea plants. Propagation of tea plants needs a facility where constant temperature 75º – 85º and humidity (80%) are maintained. Bacteria and fungi control is very important during propagation. Most propagation failures are due to dryness, bacteria and fungi infections.

When the propagated tea plants have developed roots, they should be replanted in bigger pots to establish a strong root base for ground planting.

Before ground planting, you may need to prune the top of the plant, leaving 8-12 inches. Also, remove any dead or damaged wood. (If necessary, lip root tips back about ½  to 1 inch to promote rapid growth.)

While planting, making sure all root branches are properly stretched out in the ground and covered by organic materials.

After planting, it is strongly recommended to build a protective mound of earth or mulch around the them of the tea plant to prevent damage from wind.

Like all other plants, tea plants like to be watered often. There are two popular ways to water tea plants: (1) close to root watering, water directly applied on the base of the tea plant and (2) top dampening, water directly sprayed on the leaf of the tea plant. The best time to water tea plants is early in the morning and later afternoon. It is not a good idea to apply to much water on the plant. The rule of thumb is to keep the soil dampened.

Pruning

Pruning is very important for growing tea because you want the tea plants to grown in a way that is easy for harvesting and generating more young shoots that carry more tea leaf. When the plant reaches on to two feet tall, you may start the first pruning, cut the top growing branch and let more branches start.