Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat!

thewebgal · 07-16-2011, 08:00 AM

I've heard wonderful things about growing your own bananas, but or those of us who live far north of the usual places like the tropics, or California, Florida and such, how many folk growing northern Bananas (like Ohio, DC, PA, MA and such) actually have a long enough outdoor season that you get to enjoy the fruits of your beautiful plants?

I saw Sandy's greenhouse ice cream banana fruit in Muncie IN - they look very cool, but I mean really outside, or perhaps in moving containers ...

If its not going to happen with my pot bound ice cream bananas, thats ok to, its an amazing looking plant that we are having great fun with, but if there are actual cool climate plants we can get fruit from, that would be very nice as well.

No flames meant to anyway, just seeking enlightenment on these delightful darlings ...

Gabe15 · 07-18-2011, 12:45 PM

For now, the best chance you have is to get a nice small variety, such as 'Dwarf Cavendish', and grow it in a large container, either inside all the time or moving the container outdoors for the summer. Small cultivars can actually grow quite well in containers, even comparable to in the ground if the right conditions are met.

There are some cultivars out there that may suit northern growers outdoors, and some are even being developed and more may be developed in the future, but for now they are not an option for the hobby growers to go out and find somewhere.

Many people are interested in this magical hardy, quick and edible banana, but the fact is bananas are tropical, and so its not so easy to just find or create the magic hardy banana, but perhaps one day it will become a reality.

saltydad · 07-18-2011, 03:35 PM

I had high hopes for a dwarf cav that I had for 2 years, potting it up in the fall to go inside, then planting it again in the spring. This last fall I brought it in and stored it bare root in my basement. It was at least 6 ft. p-stem, and with double p-stems from the same corm! It made it through the winter fine, and indeed started to put out new leaves. I brought it out when the nights were at least 50 (my usual sign to start replanting) and sited it at the same location as last year. All looked great, but after around 3 weeks both p-stems started to turn to mush. I finally cut to good tissue at almost the corm level. It has now put out 9 p-stems, but since they're new again I guess I've missed my chance for fruit, at least for a year or so.

George Webster · 07-18-2011, 04:42 PM

I have a friend here in St. Louis that has half dozen varieties that get, maybe, 3 to 6 feet tall (dwarf and super dwarf?). He has them in pots. He plants the pots in the front yard and brings them into an attached garage and places the on the side next to the house for winter.

The other side (east) has high windows which permits the sun to pass across them each day.

He has a spare set of pots which he puts in the holes when he brings in the potted bananas.

He gets bananas every summer.

thewebgal · 07-27-2011, 07:30 PM

Well I saw an Ad for a sale at Sandy's place last week, so I ordered a pair of Dwarf Cavendish plants from Northern Tropics - they just arrived today and I rushed them into pots and out into the sun right away.

They are very nice looking healthy and large plants, I'm quite impressed with the sale!

While they may not grow huge like the Java Blue beside them, they do have a great start and will hopefully acclimate before I have to bring them in for winter ...

I'll figure out next year if I'll pop them into the ground ... but the pots will be fine to start with!

Thanks for the great plants, Sandy!

Bob · 07-28-2011, 03:06 PM

I wish I was in zone 7 I could really do something! Here's a bunch of Ice Cream bananas( from Sandy) I grew last summer In New Jersey zone 6a. The pup I kept from this plant is in the ground and now over 9' tall( measured at the p-stem height) already.

Another variety to grow in the north is veinte cohol. Here's last years bunch:

It can be done you just have to go the extra mile and baby them over the winter. Check out the "Time to put the bananas to sleep for the winter thread I believ in the cold hardy section. There's lots to learn there to start.

john_ny · 07-28-2011, 03:45 PM

Neat pix, Bob.

venturabananas · 07-29-2011, 12:47 AM

Bob, I can't recall, did you ever get the Veinte Cohol fruits to ripen?

kcj1219 · 07-29-2011, 11:39 AM

Very nice!

Bob · 07-29-2011, 03:00 PM

Mark , I did get some of the fruits to ripen. Since it was late October when it flowered I had to dig it up and move it to a nearby friends sunroom in a huge pot where it continued to produce hands for a short while. There were over 100 fingers Unfortunately a lot of the fingers died off no doubt due to the transplant shock even though I kept a huge amount of soil and didn't dig near the corm. The fruit that did ripen tasted like Hawaiian apple bananas to me. I'll definitely be growing that variety from now on.

thewebgal · 07-29-2011, 03:21 PM

That's a great picture Bob. Love the machete!
Also, thanks for all the archival info too! I went back and read through all the "Time to put the Bananas to sleep for Winter" - thread - you are MOST impressive!! But I don't have the back for that kind of work anymore - whew!
Thanks for sharing tho - it does give me an idea of what's required ... maybe if we can move some books and speakers around in the front room, I can fit our Ice Cream Banana inside for the winter ... in its pot!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob

I wish I was in zone 7 I could really do something! Here's a bunch of Ice Cream bananas( from Sandy) I grew last summer In New Jersey zone 6a. The pup I kept from this plant is in the ground and now over 9' tall( measured at the p-stem height) already.

It can be done you just have to go the extra mile and baby them over the winter. Check out the "Time to put the bananas to sleep for the winter thread I believ in the cold hardy section. There's lots to learn there to start.

venturabananas · 07-29-2011, 05:18 PM

Bob, thanks for the report on the Veinte Cohol fruit. Hawaiian apple (=dwarf Brazilian) is a delicious banana, so VC must be good. Congrats on getting it to produce fruit.

thewebgal · 07-30-2011, 09:57 AM

This Ice Cream banana is growing like gangbusters ... likes the hot weather!

Emma is not short, but its dwarfing her in this July 30th picture.
We have 2 Super Mini dwarf cavendish plants (thanks Sandy!)
we just got this week in the pots beside it.

sandy0225 · 09-17-2011, 04:08 PM

I just now saw this post, what a latecomer I've been. I'm so happy you all are having good success with my plants, but it's due to your efforts, not mine! I'm just glad they went to such good homes.
Bob that is awesome about your banana bunches!
My big ice cream had put out another flag leaf, but it blew over in a windstorm the other day. Guess which stem broke off at the base? We chopped it open with the knife, there was the bloom, right at the top

That is three years in a row that at least one stem in that "mat in a pot" has bloomed, or was going to
2011 the ill fated one, there are two more large ones still in the pot left though and a small pup.
2010 fall, 1 stem, 2010 mid winter 1 stem
2009 1 stem

venturabananas · 09-17-2011, 04:39 PM

Sandy, how big is the pot you have this mat in? It must be huge. Sorry about that stem with the bud you lost. That hurts.

Barry4208 · 10-09-2012, 04:46 AM

That's a huge tree.

pushak513 · 10-09-2012, 07:12 AM

My buddy Brian has a Saba that has about 30 fingers on it now in zone 6 but its already frosted 2 days in a row here so I doubt they will get ripe before its time to go inside. just have to cut it down and let it go. Hoping at some point I can produce a little fruit in zone 6

George Webster · 10-09-2012, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pushak513

My buddy Brian has a Saba that has about 30 fingers on it now in zone 6 but its already frosted 2 days in a row here so I doubt they will get ripe before its time to go inside. just have to cut it down and let it go. Hoping at some point I can produce a little fruit in zone 6

An acquaintance tells me that if the fruit has most of its size; He leaves the stalk on the plant when he brings it in. He claims that still attached to the corm it will grow some more (even without leaves) and he can harvest them in January or February. I am still waiting for my first bloom.
George

austinl01 · 10-09-2012, 01:58 PM

I think some of the best varieties for northern growers are not the Cavendish but the Orinoco and related species. Why? Because the pseudostems tend to overwinter without dieback.

pushak513 · 10-09-2012, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by austinl01

I think some of the best varieties for northern growers are not the Cavendish but the Orinoco and related species. Why? Because the pseudostems tend to overwinter without dieback.

Yeah I will keep the cavendish types I have now just to have them but I think I am going after the orinoco family for fruit production next year

07-16-2011, 08:00 AM	#1 (permalink)
thewebgal thewebgal's Photo Gallery Location: ... near Wash, DC Find me on the map! Zone: 7A Name: Heather Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 95 BananaBucks : 7,421 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 96 Times Was Thanked 127 Times in 37 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! I've heard wonderful things about growing your own bananas, but or those of us who live far north of the usual places like the tropics, or California, Florida and such, how many folk growing northern Bananas (like Ohio, DC, PA, MA and such) actually have a long enough outdoor season that you get to enjoy the fruits of your beautiful plants? I saw Sandy's greenhouse ice cream banana fruit in Muncie IN - they look very cool, but I mean really outside, or perhaps in moving containers ... If its not going to happen with my pot bound ice cream bananas, thats ok to, its an amazing looking plant that we are having great fun with, but if there are actual cool climate plants we can get fruit from, that would be very nice as well. No flames meant to anyway, just seeking enlightenment on these delightful darlings ... __________________ -= )-(eather =-

07-18-2011, 12:45 PM	#2 (permalink)
Gabe15 Moderator Gabe15's Photo Gallery Location: Oahu, Hawaii Find me on the map! Zone: 12 Name: Gabe Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,892 BananaBucks : 13,370,218 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1 Times Was Thanked 8,243 Times in 2,200 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 8 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! For now, the best chance you have is to get a nice small variety, such as 'Dwarf Cavendish', and grow it in a large container, either inside all the time or moving the container outdoors for the summer. Small cultivars can actually grow quite well in containers, even comparable to in the ground if the right conditions are met. There are some cultivars out there that may suit northern growers outdoors, and some are even being developed and more may be developed in the future, but for now they are not an option for the hobby growers to go out and find somewhere. Many people are interested in this magical hardy, quick and edible banana, but the fact is bananas are tropical, and so its not so easy to just find or create the magic hardy banana, but perhaps one day it will become a reality. __________________ Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

07-18-2011, 03:35 PM	#3 (permalink)
saltydad saltydad's Photo Gallery Location: Silver Spring, Maryland USA Find me on the map! Zone: 7a Name: Howard Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 4,552 BananaBucks : 201,076 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 14,712 Times Was Thanked 4,662 Times in 1,778 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 824 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! I had high hopes for a dwarf cav that I had for 2 years, potting it up in the fall to go inside, then planting it again in the spring. This last fall I brought it in and stored it bare root in my basement. It was at least 6 ft. p-stem, and with double p-stems from the same corm! It made it through the winter fine, and indeed started to put out new leaves. I brought it out when the nights were at least 50 (my usual sign to start replanting) and sited it at the same location as last year. All looked great, but after around 3 weeks both p-stems started to turn to mush. I finally cut to good tissue at almost the corm level. It has now put out 9 p-stems, but since they're new again I guess I've missed my chance for fruit, at least for a year or so. __________________ Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men" "Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon "If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal." John F. Kennedy, September, 1960 http://flickr.com/photos/saltydad/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/saltydad http://s751.photobucket.com/albums/xx151/saltydad/ Last edited by saltydad : 07-18-2011 at 05:00 PM.

07-18-2011, 04:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
George Webster Location: St. Louis, Missouri Zone: 6 1/2 Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 137 BananaBucks : 26,515 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 302 Times Was Thanked 139 Times in 70 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 99 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! I have a friend here in St. Louis that has half dozen varieties that get, maybe, 3 to 6 feet tall (dwarf and super dwarf?). He has them in pots. He plants the pots in the front yard and brings them into an attached garage and places the on the side next to the house for winter. The other side (east) has high windows which permits the sun to pass across them each day. He has a spare set of pots which he puts in the holes when he brings in the potted bananas. He gets bananas every summer.

07-27-2011, 07:30 PM	#5 (permalink)
thewebgal thewebgal's Photo Gallery Location: ... near Wash, DC Find me on the map! Zone: 7A Name: Heather Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 95 BananaBucks : 7,421 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 96 Times Was Thanked 127 Times in 37 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! Well I saw an Ad for a sale at Sandy's place last week, so I ordered a pair of Dwarf Cavendish plants from Northern Tropics - they just arrived today and I rushed them into pots and out into the sun right away. They are very nice looking healthy and large plants, I'm quite impressed with the sale! While they may not grow huge like the Java Blue beside them, they do have a great start and will hopefully acclimate before I have to bring them in for winter ... I'll figure out next year if I'll pop them into the ground ... but the pots will be fine to start with! Thanks for the great plants, Sandy! __________________ -= )-(eather =- Last edited by thewebgal : 07-27-2011 at 08:45 PM.

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07-28-2011, 03:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
Bob Orang Puteh Bob's Photo Gallery Location: Washington Twp N.J. Find me on the map! Zone: 6a Name: bob Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,528 BananaBucks : 216,369 Feedback: 12 / 100% Said "Thanks" 9,537 Times Was Thanked 4,058 Times in 1,694 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 565 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! I wish I was in zone 7 I could really do something! Here's a bunch of Ice Cream bananas( from Sandy) I grew last summer In New Jersey zone 6a. The pup I kept from this plant is in the ground and now over 9' tall( measured at the p-stem height) already. Another variety to grow in the north is veinte cohol. Here's last years bunch: It can be done you just have to go the extra mile and baby them over the winter. Check out the "Time to put the bananas to sleep for the winter thread I believ in the cold hardy section. There's lots to learn there to start. __________________

07-28-2011, 03:45 PM	#7 (permalink)
john_ny Member john_ny's Photo Gallery Location: Staten Island, NY - southernmost county in NY State. Find me on the map! Zone: USDA7- Sunset34 Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,014 BananaBucks : 661,663 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,057 Times Was Thanked 2,284 Times in 832 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 37 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! Neat pix, Bob. __________________ John

07-29-2011, 12:47 AM	#8 (permalink)
venturabananas venturabananas's Photo Gallery Location: Ventura, CA Find me on the map! Zone: 10 Name: Mark Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 2,845 BananaBucks : 250,675 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,752 Times Was Thanked 3,969 Times in 1,713 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 39 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! Bob, I can't recall, did you ever get the Veinte Cohol fruits to ripen? __________________

07-29-2011, 11:39 AM	#9 (permalink)
kcj1219 kcj1219's Photo Gallery Location: Hales Corners, WI Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Ken Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 299 BananaBucks : 24,927 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 259 Times Was Thanked 100 Times in 57 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 19 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! Very nice! __________________ KJ

07-29-2011, 03:00 PM	#10 (permalink)
Bob Orang Puteh Bob's Photo Gallery Location: Washington Twp N.J. Find me on the map! Zone: 6a Name: bob Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,528 BananaBucks : 216,369 Feedback: 12 / 100% Said "Thanks" 9,537 Times Was Thanked 4,058 Times in 1,694 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 565 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! Mark , I did get some of the fruits to ripen. Since it was late October when it flowered I had to dig it up and move it to a nearby friends sunroom in a huge pot where it continued to produce hands for a short while. There were over 100 fingers Unfortunately a lot of the fingers died off no doubt due to the transplant shock even though I kept a huge amount of soil and didn't dig near the corm. The fruit that did ripen tasted like Hawaiian apple bananas to me. I'll definitely be growing that variety from now on. __________________

07-29-2011, 05:18 PM	#12 (permalink)
venturabananas venturabananas's Photo Gallery Location: Ventura, CA Find me on the map! Zone: 10 Name: Mark Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 2,845 BananaBucks : 250,675 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,752 Times Was Thanked 3,969 Times in 1,713 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 39 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! Bob, thanks for the report on the Veinte Cohol fruit. Hawaiian apple (=dwarf Brazilian) is a delicious banana, so VC must be good. Congrats on getting it to produce fruit. __________________

07-30-2011, 09:57 AM	#13 (permalink)
thewebgal thewebgal's Photo Gallery Location: ... near Wash, DC Find me on the map! Zone: 7A Name: Heather Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 95 BananaBucks : 7,421 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 96 Times Was Thanked 127 Times in 37 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! This Ice Cream banana is growing like gangbusters ... likes the hot weather! Emma is not short, but its dwarfing her in this July 30th picture. We have 2 Super Mini dwarf cavendish plants (thanks Sandy!) we just got this week in the pots beside it. __________________ -= )-(eather =- Last edited by thewebgal : 07-30-2011 at 10:04 AM.

09-17-2011, 04:08 PM	#14 (permalink)
sandy0225 Northern Tropics sandy0225's Photo Gallery Location: Muncie, Indiana zone 5 Find me on the map! Zone: zone 5 Name: Sandy Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,718 BananaBucks : 380,413 Feedback: 31 / 97% Said "Thanks" 38 Times Was Thanked 1,801 Times in 682 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 9 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! I just now saw this post, what a latecomer I've been. I'm so happy you all are having good success with my plants, but it's due to your efforts, not mine! I'm just glad they went to such good homes. Bob that is awesome about your banana bunches! My big ice cream had put out another flag leaf, but it blew over in a windstorm the other day. Guess which stem broke off at the base? We chopped it open with the knife, there was the bloom, right at the top That is three years in a row that at least one stem in that "mat in a pot" has bloomed, or was going to 2011 the ill fated one, there are two more large ones still in the pot left though and a small pup. 2010 fall, 1 stem, 2010 mid winter 1 stem 2009 1 stem __________________ Sandy Burrell Northern Tropics Greenhouse 1501 East Fuson Road Muncie, IN 47302 www.northerntropics.com specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~ check out our new online store at our website!

09-17-2011, 04:39 PM	#15 (permalink)
venturabananas venturabananas's Photo Gallery Location: Ventura, CA Find me on the map! Zone: 10 Name: Mark Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 2,845 BananaBucks : 250,675 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,752 Times Was Thanked 3,969 Times in 1,713 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 39 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! Sandy, how big is the pot you have this mat in? It must be huge. Sorry about that stem with the bud you lost. That hurts. __________________

10-09-2012, 04:46 AM	#16 (permalink)
Barry4208 Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 3 BananaBucks : 409 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! That's a huge tree.

10-09-2012, 07:12 AM	#17 (permalink)
pushak513 Zone: 6-7 Name: Mike Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 191 BananaBucks : 25,882 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 204 Times in 95 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! My buddy Brian has a Saba that has about 30 fingers on it now in zone 6 but its already frosted 2 days in a row here so I doubt they will get ripe before its time to go inside. just have to cut it down and let it go. Hoping at some point I can produce a little fruit in zone 6

10-09-2012, 01:58 PM	#19 (permalink)
austinl01 Got pink bananas? austinl01's Photo Gallery Location: Little Rock, AR Find me on the map! Zone: 7b/8a Line Name: Austin Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,288 BananaBucks : 183,728 Feedback: 13 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,590 Times Was Thanked 907 Times in 397 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 507 Times	Re: Northern Growers - Bananas you can eat! I think some of the best varieties for northern growers are not the Cavendish but the Orinoco and related species. Why? Because the pseudostems tend to overwinter without dieback. __________________ Austin Arkansas River Valley Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

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