How did you get started?
The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin? (Dr. Evil line, sorry, I had to do it.)
In 2006 my wife and I were living in Melbourne, Florida and it was great! I loved the weather but we lived in an apartment. I was still living banana free but I was introduced to subtropical plants and weather.
In 2007, my job brought us to Cedar Rapids, IA. We bought a house and the back yard was a basically a clean canvas. Not a single tree, only grass. I was excited about updating the concrete patio that was already in place but my wife pushed for the deck. We built a deck and put up two privacy fences. Spring brought the excitement of starting the landscaping. I made the decision that if I can't live in Florida right now, I will try to bring the subtropical feel to Iowa! I've planted lots of Yucca, Elephant Ear, Cannas, ornamental grasses and Mexican Sunflowers. I needed to find something that would really nail down the tropical feel and my last purchase is what got me hooked, an Ensete Maurelii. At the time I didn't realize what had happened or what would soon follow. I thought one was enough. At this time I also was introduced to bananas.org..
After planting the Maurelii I soon noticed other areas in my yard that would be perfect locations for some Musa Basjoo's. Soon after the Basjoo's I come across some Musa Sikkimensis seeds for sale. The story is now to the present and tonight I will prep an area for a Basjoo I bought from Sandy.
Why?
I think of it as a healthy addiction. I look forward to seeing how the bananas are doing after work, I'll be honest, I check them in the morning too. The plants have an amazing ability to change almost daily and in my head it's a race against time as summers are short in Iowa. I love the fact that in this hobby you can ever say, "I'm finished with my yard, everything is in place." There's always a bed to weed, something to water or that next rare banana that germinated on the International Space Station. Although no such banana exists, it sure feels that way sometimes.
Goals or Projects for this year/summer?
I want to make it through the summer without killing any banana plants. I also want to learn more and become more knowledgable with banana care. At this time I don't think I'll be purchasing any more bananas, but we all know that's not true.