How to Grow Vanilla Beans Indoors

Rehydrate cuttings that have been shipped to your home in water by immersing for 10 minutes and then soaking the roots only for three-five days prior to planting.

Lay the cutting on the surface of the orchid bark medium with two nodes, or small tip-like projections along the end of the stem, placed just under the soil.

Stake the cutting against a stake firmly secured in the pot. The vanilla orchid will grow along this support and will need continual monitoring and additional staking as the V. planifolia varieties can grow up to 15 feet tall.

Water the plant to keep potting medium moist, and do not allow it to dry out completely between watering.

Steady temperatures of around 60 degrees F and almost 50 percent humidity are optimum conditions. If a temperature of 60 degrees cannot be maintained indoors consistently, grow in a terrarium or a greenhouse for best results.

Allow vines to mature for up to three years, when flowering will likely begin in optimum conditions. Typically starting in early spring, these delicate blooms open mid-morning and then close at night, signaling death of the bloom. Pollination must occur within the brief blooming period of the capricious orchid.

Use a small instrument to pollinate by hand, carefully removing pollen from the male part of the flower stylum and applying it to the female portion (note reference 3).

Harvest beans nine months from successful pollination. Mature beans will have yellow tips at the end of the growth period.

Blanch harvested beans in water between 140 to 150 degrees F for several minutes to reduce risk of mold during curing process. Curing process will vary depending on the climate in which you live. The Organic Vanilla Bean Company in Papua New Guinea wraps their beans in canvas and stores them for 48 hours in high heat in a wooden box. After this, the curing process requires constant attention, alternating between sun drying, night sweating, and rack ventilated storage.