Sheila

Hoping to gather ideas for ways to grow bananas (and other fruit) on our new property. If you were starting out with a new property, had some money and no one was watching, what would you do?

It is a 1/4 acre city lot in Orlando, FL (9b?) The small home sits a little further back which means I have a smaller rear yard. The back yard is about half sun/half shade. The front yard is super sunny buuuut not sure I want to be those people. Previous owners weren't gardeners so the yard is a blank slate.

In Canada I could confidently say I had a green thumb, but down here I have a black thumb with the little white fuzz and fruit flies drifting around it. I feel confident landscaping, current front yard looks really nice but my blueberries look like Charlie Brown's Xmas tree. So there is a skill to growing food down here that I lack. Probably skills. Ya...probably my landscaping skills are mostly "if you water it, they will grow" which works well down here.

So here I am, new house, okay landscaper, zero luck with fruit/veggies thus far in Florida, with a blank slate, dollar bills, no sense of style and no real desire to have style. And before I lay trowel to sand... any thoughts on what you would do knowing what you know now? Sprinklers? Wind chimes to aid the feng shui?

Let me insert a banana smilie because they look awesome and click send.

cincinnana

Drive around and steal other peoples sht.

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Kat2

Have you checked out garden clubs in your area? The one here I keep thinking about joining doesn't seem to have many members into edibles plus their idea is that you pay your dues, attend monthly meetings and then are guilted into showing up 1 or 2 days a week to weed/transplant plants they sell biannually. Sheesh! They should pay for the free labor or at least not charge worker bees dues! But it could be different where you are. And it may be there's a lot of "green market" trading of seeds/starts/pups and such that I'm not privy to here which evens out the whole thing.

I'm also trying to learn this climate which has knocked this Northerner's "I'm a great gardener and know everything about growing stuff" strut right out of me. (Not that I ever had that attitude but now I feel really stupid even when it comes to compost and such. Seriously, it can't be that different, can it?)

I'm working on a 26x30 veggie garden with cutins now but I have no idea how to plan the rest of my 1/3 acre. I have a neat lot that backs up to woods that will not be taken out (owls, coons, etc are neighbors). I have some huge trees and no plants except what Nature provided but I'm also stumped. Wanna come a bit east for a meet and greet?

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hydroid

Be those people, let your imagination go and feed that desire, you are in an area (climate) that so many folks wish they were in to do just that. I'm sure there are members nearby that would be happy to help you out. Be sure to take before and after pics.
Bo

Botanical_Bryce

My suggestions. Self pollinating pineapple guava, loquat, dwarf everbearing mulberry, arborquina olive, phalsa, cassava, Gynura procumbens, moringa pkm1, cranberry hibiscus, eddos taro, El Paio taro, Xanthosoma violaceum malanga, mololkai sweet potato, lacianto kale, egyptian spinach, malabar spinach, okra, seminole pumpkin, everglades tomato, cape gooseberry, pigeon pea, papaya, a****aba, and veinte cohol banana.
Sources
Yellow Banana Company
Going Bananas
Rareseeds.com
Kitazawa seed company
Seedsofindia.com
Horizon herbs
Growingyourgreens.com
One Yard Revolution on youtube
Urban Farming Guys on youtube
Message me if i can help more.

Botanical_Bryce

Try Azos and Mykos. I love the stuff.Xtreme Gardening