Grow your own vanilla pods

Cultivating vanilla isn't easy, but for the determined home gardener, the payoff is sweet.

Isn’t it amazing that this delicate flower can transform into the vanilla pod we all know and love, with just the right conditions and a little patience?



Vanilla is one of the world’s most loved – but trickiest – spices to grow. It comes from an orchid, Vanilla planifolia, which is native to Mexico and was once reliant on a single bee for pollination. It became viable worldwide after hand-pollination was discovered in 1841. Despite its tropical roots, Sydney gardener Robert Legato proved it’s possible to grow at home. With patience, you might coax a flower and even harvest a precious pod.

HOW TO GROW IT HERB OF THE SEASON

CLIMATE

The vanilla orchid can be grown in Australia anywhere with warm, humid conditions – from tropical North Queensland down the east coast into sheltered parts of NSW. In the west, it thrives from Darwin to Broome and Carnarvon, extending to Perth in protected microclimates. The vanilla orchid needs daytime temperatures between 12°C and 30°C, with cooler nights to flourish. A glasshouse is essential for warmth and humidity. Robert’s vanilla orchid lived in a small greenhouse for two years before he moved it to an east-facing balcony, where a brick wall trapped and released heat, creating a warm microclimate ideal for vanilla.

ASPECT

Position the vanilla orchid in a spot with bright, indirect light.





 

SUPPORT SYSTEM

As an epiphyte, the vanilla orchid grows on trees in the wild, using its aerial roots to anchor itself and absorb moisture and nutrients. To replicate this at home, Robert used a coco-fibre-covered stake. The plant twined up the stake, much like it would on a tree, before eventually attaching itself to the wall.







 

POTTING MIX

WATER

Regular summer watering is essential, but allow the potting mix to dry out between waterings.

FERTILISER

Mist the roots daily with a diluted liquid fertiliser, such as Neutrog’s Strike Back for Orchids, especially during summer.

FLOWERING

Vanilla orchids can grow vigorously, sometimes reaching four metres or more without flowering. To encourage blooms, redirect about one-third of the stems back toward the plant’s base and reduce watering in spring. This stresses the plant slightly, prompting it to initiate flower buds.

HAND POLLINATION

Timing is critical when hand-pollinating flowers as there’s only a 12-hour window once a bud opens. Using a toothpick, Robert exposed the reproductive parts of the flower and transferred pollen from the male anthers to the female stigma. He repeated this process 61 times. Unsuccessful attempts led to yellowing stems; successful ones produced green pods. His first success yielded a 24 cm pod, and in total, he achieved 34 pods from 61 attempts. Impressive!







Image: A toothpick is a great tool to assist with hand pollinating flowers

 

HARVEST

Harvesting occurs 8–9 months after pollination. Look for the tell-tale yellowing tips of the pods to signal they’re ready to pick.





Image: Green pods inidcate successful pollination

 

For you to know

Given the time, skill and growing conditions required – from climate to soil, pollination to pest control – it’s no wonder vanilla is the world’s second most expensive spice, after saffron.