oldhippie01
12-12-2010, 09:08 AM
Hi all, glad to be with you. I am oldhippie01, or "Hippie", or Kirk. My Wife and I bought this little place, 02/ 09, ( containing approx, 3/4 Acre ), to be close to the Grand Kids AND where the Weather suited our Clothes, LOL. Apparently we jinxed that however, because last Winter was the Coldest on record and we had our first hard Freeze on the First of Dec. this year, followed by five or six more and it's not even the fifteenth yet.
In spite of that though, I managed to clear 14 large,(60 ft.), "Sand Pine" Trees,( so that I could get some of this "Florida Sun" on the Ground), Planted five various types of Citrus Trees, ten Black Berry Bushes and ten "Thorn less" Black Berries, Two Cavendish Banana "Pups",( from a local Nursery) and a" Raja-Puri" , that Fruits in nine months in Zone's 8 and 9, from ( justfruitsandexotics.com ) in Crawfordville Florida, South of Tallahassee. We are in Zone 9 in SE Marion County Florida. Well having never grown Bananas before, but doing a lot of research on them, from various sources and doing my best,( on short notice) to protect my Plants from 17 degree Temp.'s, I never dreamed that I would get Fruit this Year. To my Surprise however one of my Cavendish Plants took off and reached ten foot, prior to throwing a Fruit Flower, early enough to fully develop six large "Hands" of Bananas, prior to our Freeze,( which I have hanging in a Closet, presently). My Raja-Puri started Fruiting about a Month after the Cavendish and I knew that it probably would run out of time, unless we had an unusually warm Winter,( which we obviously aren't. So I converted it to Compost, as well as one of it's "Daughters" that started throwing a "Fruit Flower" the day before our first Freeze. All is not lost though, because I had previously harvested a Large "Daughter Plant" and Transplanted it in a lower location, on the South side of the Property and it is insulated in Hay and Plastic, waiting to make its debut next spring .
Well that about covers it, I am looking forward to conversing with all of you, picking your Brains and imparting any Wisdom ,( from experiences), I have had.......Kirk
In spite of that though, I managed to clear 14 large,(60 ft.), "Sand Pine" Trees,( so that I could get some of this "Florida Sun" on the Ground), Planted five various types of Citrus Trees, ten Black Berry Bushes and ten "Thorn less" Black Berries, Two Cavendish Banana "Pups",( from a local Nursery) and a" Raja-Puri" , that Fruits in nine months in Zone's 8 and 9, from ( justfruitsandexotics.com ) in Crawfordville Florida, South of Tallahassee. We are in Zone 9 in SE Marion County Florida. Well having never grown Bananas before, but doing a lot of research on them, from various sources and doing my best,( on short notice) to protect my Plants from 17 degree Temp.'s, I never dreamed that I would get Fruit this Year. To my Surprise however one of my Cavendish Plants took off and reached ten foot, prior to throwing a Fruit Flower, early enough to fully develop six large "Hands" of Bananas, prior to our Freeze,( which I have hanging in a Closet, presently). My Raja-Puri started Fruiting about a Month after the Cavendish and I knew that it probably would run out of time, unless we had an unusually warm Winter,( which we obviously aren't. So I converted it to Compost, as well as one of it's "Daughters" that started throwing a "Fruit Flower" the day before our first Freeze. All is not lost though, because I had previously harvested a Large "Daughter Plant" and Transplanted it in a lower location, on the South side of the Property and it is insulated in Hay and Plastic, waiting to make its debut next spring .
Well that about covers it, I am looking forward to conversing with all of you, picking your Brains and imparting any Wisdom ,( from experiences), I have had.......Kirk