Graycat
04-18-2019, 06:15 PM
Hello everyone! I am new to the forum, I have already received loads of good information from here just lurking. I live near Tampa FL right in the Zone 9a/9b boundary. I have been getting into growing some food crops this year. I am an avid native gardener and have my entire landscape front/back yard densely planted In a habitat garden with almost 60+ species native to my area. My native soils are very sandy, droughty, and low in fertility.
I want to share my banana plan with some of the accomplished people on here for some feedback.
I am planning on planting a Goldfinger or Namwa variety. I want to plant on the south side of my house. There is a multiple layers to this plan. First, this side of my house receives the best light early in the spring. It is sheltered from the strongest NW colder winds that happen in the winter after cold fronts. This area of the house is also one of the spots that gets the winter sun more. Second part of the logic is that this is where I have been composting with multiple bins and burying scraps for a couple years. See photo showing planting location and where I plan on moving my compost pile. My largest concern with the planting location is wind. Though I am protected from the harshest cold winds during the winter fronts, before fronts and usually in the afternoons during the summer winds are strongest from the W/SW. Because it’s a Florida tradition to destroy all tree canopy in residential areas, there isn’t much windbreak. This is perhaps the biggest issue I have fought in converting my lawn/landscape into a native habitat is the convective drying from wind. However, planting behind the fence in this way will be the best I can do. I also have another problem specific to me in that I will not plant anything non native in the back yard or anywhere else outside my veggie area (I am a bit nuerotic about this).
I am a bit conflicted on the soil amendment process ( if any ). My gut tells me I should do SOME kind of amendment to help retain moisture and add organic matter. I have read a lot of information about how you should NOT amend soil, however, when you are planting in basically grey sand......I think I will do an minor amendment to try and hit the 5-10% organic matter. I want to also dig a kind of swale around the tree to and back fill with charged bio char in the bottom and oak leaf mulch ( which I have COPIUS amounts of). I am planning on intsalling two 6” worm towers on either side of the plant(s) to give me a way to recycle waste stream and feed it directly to the bananas. I will also most likely install some soaking drippers to my irrigation.
Let me know what you guys think. Again I want to try and do a Namwa or Goldfinger. I am leaning towards the Goldfinger after doing research on it due to its supposed disease and cold resistance. When I was in Thailand a few years back I think I had Namwa (they were the common bananas there) and I dream about them to this day. They were not really comparable to store bought bananas at all. I was thinking about ice cream but I would rather have a shorter plant due to wind protection.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZGcqT3kPQpbRDaP6A
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UD4tuYBZyCd1243a6
I want to share my banana plan with some of the accomplished people on here for some feedback.
I am planning on planting a Goldfinger or Namwa variety. I want to plant on the south side of my house. There is a multiple layers to this plan. First, this side of my house receives the best light early in the spring. It is sheltered from the strongest NW colder winds that happen in the winter after cold fronts. This area of the house is also one of the spots that gets the winter sun more. Second part of the logic is that this is where I have been composting with multiple bins and burying scraps for a couple years. See photo showing planting location and where I plan on moving my compost pile. My largest concern with the planting location is wind. Though I am protected from the harshest cold winds during the winter fronts, before fronts and usually in the afternoons during the summer winds are strongest from the W/SW. Because it’s a Florida tradition to destroy all tree canopy in residential areas, there isn’t much windbreak. This is perhaps the biggest issue I have fought in converting my lawn/landscape into a native habitat is the convective drying from wind. However, planting behind the fence in this way will be the best I can do. I also have another problem specific to me in that I will not plant anything non native in the back yard or anywhere else outside my veggie area (I am a bit nuerotic about this).
I am a bit conflicted on the soil amendment process ( if any ). My gut tells me I should do SOME kind of amendment to help retain moisture and add organic matter. I have read a lot of information about how you should NOT amend soil, however, when you are planting in basically grey sand......I think I will do an minor amendment to try and hit the 5-10% organic matter. I want to also dig a kind of swale around the tree to and back fill with charged bio char in the bottom and oak leaf mulch ( which I have COPIUS amounts of). I am planning on intsalling two 6” worm towers on either side of the plant(s) to give me a way to recycle waste stream and feed it directly to the bananas. I will also most likely install some soaking drippers to my irrigation.
Let me know what you guys think. Again I want to try and do a Namwa or Goldfinger. I am leaning towards the Goldfinger after doing research on it due to its supposed disease and cold resistance. When I was in Thailand a few years back I think I had Namwa (they were the common bananas there) and I dream about them to this day. They were not really comparable to store bought bananas at all. I was thinking about ice cream but I would rather have a shorter plant due to wind protection.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZGcqT3kPQpbRDaP6A
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UD4tuYBZyCd1243a6