The Coffea arabica plant is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 20 feet tall.  However,  under normal circumstances, the plants are pruned and kept under six feet tall, to make harvesting easier, and to encourage a heavier fruit set. The leaves are broad, dark-green, 3-6 inches long and have a shiny, waxy surface on them.  Ideally, coffee is grown at elevations between   ft, in sub-tropical environments where temperatures are between 32-100F.  Soils conditions are best when the soil is fertile and well watered, yet also well drained.  A south-east facing hillside, that receives 2-3 hours of direct sunlight a day would be perfect.  Here in Southern California, the coastal foothills provide the best opportunity for growing coffee, and while the elevations are typically not enough to provide for the best conditions, the other environmental factors can be met, and it is still possible to grow a good cup of coffee, at home, in your own backyard.  When you are planting your coffee plant, dig a hole that is both twice as wide and twice as deep as the root ball.  Into this hole incorporate, two heaping handfuls of compost, 3 cups each of landscape mix and worm castings, and one cup of azomite.  Then place the plant down into the hole, and as you are back filling the dirt, add two more heaping handfuls of compost, 2 cups each of landscape mix and worm castings and one cup of azomite, into the soil column.  The addition of a mulch layer under the leaf canopy will keep the soil evenly moist, prevent drying and add valuable nutrients for the soils microbial life.   Your plants will begin to flower 2-4 years after planting and will produce small, sweet-smelling, white flowers that are borne in clusters. The berries are harvested when dark-red, and are usually ripe 19 weeks after pollination.