Bananas?

[claras_mom]

Anyone here ever tried growing bananas? I'm pretty sure it would work, at least hypothetically (found an article online talking about someone who grows bananas in Ohio), but would be interested in hearing from someone who actually tried it.

It's either that or buy stock in Dole or whatever; we go through bananas like crazy around here!

[Arduinna]

Well what are you going to do with all the extras? Cause they grow in HUGE bunches. Dh worked on a kibbutz when he was young that grew them. I can't imagine being able to eat them all before they go bad.

[mama_daba]

could freez a lot of the extras for making banana bread later

i never grew them but i have seen them in gardens in oakland ca, with bananas on them close to ripe, was thanksgiving day a few years ago

[marsupial*mama]

I don't grow bananas - yet - but my friends do. They do require quite a lot of space but some varieties are smaller than others. They take quite a few years to establish. Once the tree has fruited you cut it down and allow the next sucker to establish. They are very sappy and will ruin your workclothes. If you live in a banana growing region there may be growing restrictions.

[Red]

Ok, and here I was laughing about someone thinking they could grow bananas.........


The jokes on me, cause now I NEED to know. How far north will they grow?

[marsupial*mama]

They won't tolerate frost. They'll grow just fine in California. Sub-tropical/Mediterranean climates are about as cool as you can go but if you have a frost-sheltered area of your garden it's worth a try.

ETA the friends I was referring to are in Australia. Not MA!

[claras_mom]

The article I skimmed about the person growing in Ohio mentioned that he brings them indoors in the wintertime.

I hadn't thought about the huge numbers but besides freezing (not just for banana bread but for smoothies, yum!), there would be giving them away, dehydrating, giving even more of them away. (Considering that my tiny freezer is usually overflowing with surplus tomatos, peaches, chicken stock etc. it's probably time to again think about a chest freezer in the garage.) In the spirit of the thing, Dh suggested trying a variety that yields tiny bananas...and also reminded me that there is or was in our area a banana plantation or farm or something. So not unheard of.

Might be time to call county extension or the master gardeners' program and see what I can discover.

It's a great area to be in, where I live, and while there are some things that don't grow well, in compensation, I find myself thinking about growing things I never thought possible. Like bananas! I have plants in the yard--established when dh bought the house--that are just a bounty I never even worked for: avocado, meyer lemon, oranges, plums, peaches, a struggling lime tree and I think even a pineapple guava or two.

Gophers got the tangerine tree <sigh>...

It's good to be reminded to think about how to deal with the crop, so thanks, Arduinna!

[cravenab00]

I want to get one of those dwarf banana trees that only get 5 feet tall or so.