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ChocoTaco369 · 06-26-2017, 10:24 PM

I have been a Philadelphia area resident ever since I went to college in 2004.

Thanks to early indoctrination by my father and grandfather, and 7 years working on a farm as a kid, I've been gardening for quite awhile. There isn't much land here in the concrete jungle I live in, so I've used all sorts of buckets and bags to make ends meet over the years (usually Home Depot buckets jammed in the corner of a parking lot). I've been growing my own makeshift gardens since I was probably 23 (I'm 30 now) and have gotten quite good at it. The place I live now has the best microclimate I've been in to date.

I'm in a temperamental 7a currently, but I have a big advantage - I live in a row home with a south-facing roof deck. Due to the elevated deck, the perfect view of the southern sky and the entire block being row homes that completely block the north wind, using frost blankets, I had tomatoes til December last year and was able to plant my seedlings the 2nd weekend of April this year - almost unheard of for this area.

My fiance and I have been traveling to the coast of North Carolina for almost half a decade and it has always been our dream to spend our later years on the Carolina coast - we just love everything about the area. Well, we finally decided that there is no point in waiting, and we have worked very hard over the past year to make a big move. She has found new employment down there already, and I am transferring down October 1st.

The prospect of being in a Zone 8a - occasionally an 8b - is very exciting to me. Aside from a much longer growing season, my world opens up as to what I can grow down there. I'm not the world's biggest fan of bananas, but I'm a huge fan of challenges and the idea of growing bananas and citrus in coastal North Carolina excites me.

Through a lot of research - many thanks to the posters on this site - I've narrowed down a few varieties I'd like to attempt to grow. I decided to start by ordering a Dwarf Orinoco - it seems to be the ideal combination of size, cold hardiness and fruiting cycle for the climate I'll be moving to. I purchased a small plant from Wellspring Gardens on Amazon, which arrived today. My plan is to age the rhizome now to give my best chance for fruiting next year. Why waste time?

My little naner showed up today and it's a real looker. I've heard lots of reports of people not getting what they paid for, so if anyone that's experienced with Dwarf Orinoco could verify it would put my mind at ease.

The plant was packaged very well and arrived in the exact condition below with a free little packet of fertilizer.

The roots look strong.

I placed mine in a 3 gallon pot. Some may say that's too large, but in my experience the #1 enemy is transplant shock. I'm minimizing the damage.

Happily potted next to my Canary Island Date Palm, which I potted several months ago in preparation of the NC move (I've been planning this for some time, and almost positive a CIDP will be quickly killed down there).

I plan on periodically updating this thread with progress as time passes. I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to my hobbies and tend to go overboard, and I have big plans for this move. I know there are a lot of people in the south interested in growing hardy bananas in areas that experience routine frosts, and coastal NC is pretty much the northern Zone 8a border to even have a shot - meaning if I can do it, you can do it, too.

06-26-2017, 10:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
ChocoTaco369 Location: Leland, NC Zone: 8A Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 17 BananaBucks : 8,172 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 4 Times Was Thanked 65 Times in 14 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	The North Carolina Banana Experiment I have been a Philadelphia area resident ever since I went to college in 2004. Thanks to early indoctrination by my father and grandfather, and 7 years working on a farm as a kid, I've been gardening for quite awhile. There isn't much land here in the concrete jungle I live in, so I've used all sorts of buckets and bags to make ends meet over the years (usually Home Depot buckets jammed in the corner of a parking lot). I've been growing my own makeshift gardens since I was probably 23 (I'm 30 now) and have gotten quite good at it. The place I live now has the best microclimate I've been in to date. I'm in a temperamental 7a currently, but I have a big advantage - I live in a row home with a south-facing roof deck. Due to the elevated deck, the perfect view of the southern sky and the entire block being row homes that completely block the north wind, using frost blankets, I had tomatoes til December last year and was able to plant my seedlings the 2nd weekend of April this year - almost unheard of for this area. My fiance and I have been traveling to the coast of North Carolina for almost half a decade and it has always been our dream to spend our later years on the Carolina coast - we just love everything about the area. Well, we finally decided that there is no point in waiting, and we have worked very hard over the past year to make a big move. She has found new employment down there already, and I am transferring down October 1st. The prospect of being in a Zone 8a - occasionally an 8b - is very exciting to me. Aside from a much longer growing season, my world opens up as to what I can grow down there. I'm not the world's biggest fan of bananas, but I'm a huge fan of challenges and the idea of growing bananas and citrus in coastal North Carolina excites me. Through a lot of research - many thanks to the posters on this site - I've narrowed down a few varieties I'd like to attempt to grow. I decided to start by ordering a Dwarf Orinoco - it seems to be the ideal combination of size, cold hardiness and fruiting cycle for the climate I'll be moving to. I purchased a small plant from Wellspring Gardens on Amazon, which arrived today. My plan is to age the rhizome now to give my best chance for fruiting next year. Why waste time? My little naner showed up today and it's a real looker. I've heard lots of reports of people not getting what they paid for, so if anyone that's experienced with Dwarf Orinoco could verify it would put my mind at ease. The plant was packaged very well and arrived in the exact condition below with a free little packet of fertilizer. The roots look strong. I placed mine in a 3 gallon pot. Some may say that's too large, but in my experience the #1 enemy is transplant shock. I'm minimizing the damage. Happily potted next to my Canary Island Date Palm, which I potted several months ago in preparation of the NC move (I've been planning this for some time, and almost positive a CIDP will be quickly killed down there). I plan on periodically updating this thread with progress as time passes. I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to my hobbies and tend to go overboard, and I have big plans for this move. I know there are a lot of people in the south interested in growing hardy bananas in areas that experience routine frosts, and coastal NC is pretty much the northern Zone 8a border to even have a shot - meaning if I can do it, you can do it, too.