How to Grow and Harvest a Vanilla Orchid

The vanilla orchid (Vanilla planifolia) is an orchid plant native to Mexico that now also grows in other subtropical regions, including Madagascar, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Indonesia, Réunion Island, Tahiti, and regions in Central America. The plant is a member of the orchid family (Orchidaceae), and is epiphytic, meaning it produces long vines that grow on trees for support. The orchid’s name translates to “small pod" in Spanish.

Vanilla beans—the origin of a spice for flavoring dishes like cake and ice cream—are the fruit of the vanilla orchid plant. The Aztecs first harvested vanilla beans, using them as a food flavoring.

Vanilla beans are the second most expensive spice globally (saffron is the most expensive) due to the intricacies with harvesting them from the vanilla orchids. First, vanilla orchids take a long time to mature—the point at which they will be able to produce seed pods. Second, the pollination required to produce the seed pods is labor-intensive, as each commercial orchid must be hand-pollinated. After pollination occurs, vanilla pods take up to nine months to mature, and they require another two to three months to age and dry.

You can grow vanilla orchids, but they require particular growing conditions to bloom. As a houseplant, a vanilla orchid will take about four years to mature and grow a flower. Here are some areas of orchid care you can focus on to ensure your plant thrives:

• Climate: Vanilla orchids grow best in a high-humidity environment. If you grow them indoors as houseplants, a small greenhouse or similar structure where you can control humidity works best. You can grow them outdoors in warm regions like southern Florida, where the air is moist, and temperatures don’t typically drop below 55 degrees.
• Fertilizer: Use specially formulated orchid fertilizer every two to three weeks during the spring and summer months.
• Potting mix: Acquire an orchid potting mix that you can keep well-drained to ensure air circulation. Home gardeners who buy orchid plants should consider removing any sphagnum moss in the orchid pot. The moss might retain too much water and can lead to root rot.
• Support: The orchid is a vining plant, and its vines will grow as long as one hundred feet in the wild. At home, you can limit them to ten to fifteen feet with pruning. You can train a vanilla vine to grow along supporting structures like a trellis.
• Water: Keep the potting medium lightly damp but not wet. The plant will develop aerial roots that seek water from the air and the soil.

Typically, only commercial farmers harvest vanilla beans. While you can grow your own vanilla plant at home, the orchid flowers won't produce fruit (seed pods) unless each flower is hand-pollinated. If you are able to pollinate the orchid, vanilla beans take about nine months to grow to about six inches in length.

After you harvest the vanilla beans, you must cure them before you can use the seeds to make vanilla extract or other vanilla flavorings. To cure the vanilla pods, expose the beans to bright, warm sun (or a sun lamp) all day, then wrap the vanilla pods in cloth at night to encourage condensation. After the vanilla pods become dark and shriveled, you must store them in a dark, dry place for another month before the curing process (which enhances the flavor) is complete.

Grow your own garden with Ron Finley, the self-described "Gangster Gardener." Get the MasterClass Annual Membership and learn how to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables, keep your house plants alive, and use compost to make your community—and the world—a better place.