Submitted by groovygardener42069 in magicplants

Caffeine is great. I love it. It makes me happy. It also comes from unethical plantations in faraway places and leaves a huge carbon footprint. Luckily, there are a number of options for growing at least some at home, reducing dependence on the global supply chain for coffee and tea. Best results in warmer, wetter climates, but these aren't impossible if you live up north.

Coffee - To my understanding, the berries, beans, and leaves are all usable. Raw beans can be roasted to your preference in an oven

Tea - Leaves can be brewed fresh or dried

Ilex Spp - Various plants in the Ilex species contain caffeine, including Ilex Vomitoria, or Yaupon Holly the only caffeine-producing plant native to North America (does not make you vomit). This genus also includes Yerba Mate and other caffeine-producing holly shrubs

Those looking to grow caffeine in their garden may also want to look into Ephedrine-producing plants as well, including various plants in the Ephedra genus and Sida cordifola, a Florida native plant

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Ennui wrote

I wouldn’t really recommend ephedrine as a regular caffeine alternative. It’s linked to various health issues. I didn’t know about Sida cordifola, though. I only have Sida acuta (wire weed) in my yard, which doesn’t contain enough ephedrine to be worth producing.

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groovygardener42069 OP wrote

Yeah, definitely worth noting, though I probably consume way too much caffeine to be any kind of safe, to begin with.

And even with a serious caffeine addiction, I still have to say that for actually waking up and taking a shit in the morning, nothing beats a tall glass of cold water

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topa wrote

Ok cool how does one grow coffee?

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groovygardener42069 OP wrote

Never started from seeds, but several nurseries in my area have coffea spp. for sale. If you don't have a green thumb yet, I would maybe start with the Ilex spp unless you live in a tropical area

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