Originally Posted by wordwiz

I want to sell some banana plants this spring, starting in early May. I really believe in selling big, healthy plants that will bloom/produce fruit by the middle of September, unless I tell the buyer it will take two seasons for fruit.

Anyway, I have several varieties but the main one I want to sell is the Darjeeling, since it is suppose to be cold-hardy enough to survive Ohio winters. I finally got a (one) seed to germinate in five weeks, no idea how long it will take the other four to pop up. Nor do I have any clue how fast they will grow.

Basically, what I want is to have plants that are not lost in a one-gallon container nor too big for it; in other words, plants whose roots come close to filling the container.

I'm decent at raising seedlings and have found watering/fertilizing regimens, along with fertilizers that are conducive to good root growth, more so than foliage - at least for tomatoes, peppers, basil and some flowers.

Assuming an eight week germination period, and a target date of May 1, when should I sow them?

Mike