karunasagar108

I just got into growing bananas earlier in the year and they totally made me crazy(only in good ways). I live in A southern enough part of Florida to where I can enjoy the outside of bananas all year round. Though I have to consider a yearly freeze, I am sure that the plants will be fine with a little cold.

Anyway, while reading around here it seems that there are a lot of other people on this site that enjoy growing bananas as much or even more then I do and I want to know why. What did it, how ever simple or complex of a reason. How did the banana plant turn you on to seeing a different part of life? Also, I encourage all members that live in temperate regions to answer this question.

thank you everyone.

-Karuna

island cassie

Well Karuna - I am more tropical than temperate - but the beauty of the plants and the delight of the fruits had me hooked immediately! Can't get enough of them and I have only been growing them for a couple of years so I am a complete novice. This is a great site as there are so many experienced people willing to share - the information freely available is amazing.

Cassie

D_&_T

the looks of the plant and the possibility of FRESH fruit

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harveyc

I think it is awesome how quickly they can grow during the warm summer months. I got many pleasant surprises this past summer when I saw new leaves coming faster than I could count!

Also, my father's parents came from Madeira, Portugal and many people there grow bananas in their gardens so it feels like a family tradition.

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BabyBlue11371

My addiction started with citrus.. I like the idea of house plants that provide oxygen, pretty green to look at and I might get fruit as a bonus..
Then I bught a Nanner with a shipment of citrus.. I gave it away as a gift. but had plans for more.. I am also addicted to getting others addicted!!
Share the love!!!!

Gina *BabyBlue*

mskitty38583

im a newby to the bananas. im just a regular ole gardener. anybody can grow most anything. it was time to try something new and a little more complicated. the tropical plants require a lot more dedication to get them to flower and produce fruit, then most other plants. the leaves, flowers, the fruit, just the excitment of a new leaf unwraping itself, the hint of a bud, maybe even the way that a seedling looks pushing up through the dirt, wondering if the weather is gonna let the fruit rippen on the tree or if theres gonna be a frost, which could ruin what you worked so hard for. and the possibility of eating something that you grew with your own two hands. it is what makes you hurry home to see if theres a new leaf that came up while you were gone 30 mins to the grocery store. maybe thats why its so addictive....well for me anyway.

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AnnaJW

Well, for me, I've always been a Nature lover. Plants, animals, rocks, etc.
We got our first banana plant when we bought a new house in 2001. It was a "pretty plant".
Then one day, I saw a big purple thing coming out of the plant! Immediately started researching banana plants. I found out that it was a bloom. Anyone I told about the bloom told me that we can't grow bananas in Southern California. This includes nearby nurseries. (They now know otherwise)
I was totally hooked!!!
We were afraid to try the first bunch because we didn't know if they were safe to eat.
But I found Bananas.org, and the rest is history!

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-Anna Banana -

Living my life in MMORPG's

momoese

Besides what has allready been said, I enjoy sharing the fruit with friends and family.

AnnaJW

Yes! That, too! People are so interested in trying the local bananas; and it's so nice to share!

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-Anna Banana -

Living my life in MMORPG's

mskitty38583

i wish i had a neighbor who grew nanas.... heck i wish i had neighbors who grew plants. my neighbors grow: spare tires, junky old cars, and parts of houses. oh yeah they do grow weeds 15 ft. tall.

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AnnaJW

I've lived there, HERE. I totally know what you mean.
Maybe you will rub off on some!

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-Anna Banana -

Living my life in MMORPG's

mskitty38583

the neighbor rite up from me actually cuts his grass when he cant see his kid if they lay in the grass. i keep hoping!!!!

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natedogg1026

Karuna, Here in Kansas you don't see a lot of Banana's. In fact, most of the houses that have them stand out to passerbyers. Ya see I like to be a little different in the things I do, and Nana's are "different" around here. I kind of like it that way. Not seeing them growing everywhere. It really makes me appreciate them a little more. Don't get me wrong, a wall of nana's growing near the beach is beautiful but I'm afraid I'd take it for granite if I saw them all the time. Welllllll, maybe I wouldn't. But also, no one knows much about them here and are amazed that they can be grown in this area. Do they produce bananas everyone asks. That's part of it, but also the general "growing" of the plant. I can be impatient at times, though my children have improved my skills dramatically, but the speed at which they grow is truly amazing!!!! You can check on them everyday in summer and see change and really, they are pretty simple to grow. Lots of sun and water, a little TLC, and watch em go! And for me, watching them blow in a windy summer rain storm is beautiful. Ya it may shred a few leaves but well worth it. The flowering part is new to me. I've only had an Ornata flower but have grown Nana's for several years. That will all change next year and I should see several flowers and maybe even eat some fingers! I'm sure it will be very satisfying to eat Nana's knowing I produced them myself. Not to mention, they are so dang good for you. Upset stomach, depression, Stress, Mosquito bites ,Warts, hangovers, just all kinds of stuff . http://www.banana.com/medicinal.html
There's a lot of reasons I like nana's, but in general they just seem to make me feel better. Maybe that sounds strange but maybe some of you can relate. Good luck to all of the Nanahead in spring 08 We got Nov. under our belt. ----------NNNNNNNNAAAATTTTEEEEEEEEEE

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Banana's are a safe addiction. Right?Maybe I need classes.

bencelest

At first I grew bananas for the leaves to be used for cooking.
Now I am hooked to harvest some fruit by hook or by crook!

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Banana Nut

PAJ53

Hello Karuna - Many years ago when I was in the military I fell in love with the tropics and jungles and probably went a little bit crazy And now I love the way bananas and bamboo shade my yard. I truly got banana fever on my first trip to Jamaica when I visited a Banana plantation on the way to Ocho Rios coming from Montego bay and went back three more times on other trips to see the blue mountain coffee being grown and harvested and to a pineapple plantation. Jamaica is were I also got interested in growing Bamboo and Pineapples. Since then I have visited many other islands Grand Cayman, St kitts, Cozemel, Hawaii. The last trip to Hawaii I carried back a case of six dole pineapples and has to hold them as they did not fit in the above storage, what a long flight back that was but all of tops off them are still growing some have suckered and I am expecting several to bloom this year if I can get them through the winter successfully. Bringing the tropics to zone 7b is hard and it would probably be a lot cheaper to move to a island and retire but I am kind of locked in here with family so I dream of a really big tropical climate controlled glass green house with about a forty or fifty foot ceiling height covering about a half acre of my land here I guess that would make the cost of growing bananas just about worth their weight in gold when they can be bought for less than fifty cents a pound and that is crazy so I guess its a kind of insanity-growing bananas is going bananas
My question of the group How many of you have hidden from your spouse buying a hundred dollars or more single plant of any kind and his or her reaction when they found out
and you had to face that are you "nuts" look--Philip

mike

I love the look of the big beautiful leaves. I love how fast they grow. You can almost sit outside with them and watch them grow if you treat them right. I love that there is some thing else to look forward to when I get home from work besides my family. There is something new to look at everyday. I love the fact that it’s a challenge to get a plant to produce fruit and a challenge to produce a lot of fruit. I love the fact that most people don’t believe you can grow bananas. I love the fact that there are so many different varieties with different taste. I can go on.

asacomm

Hi every one,
What drives me to grow bananas is an endless enthusiasm and fantasy to
grow and harvest edible fruits of bananas in a marginal region and to taste
home made DIY bananas. Every effors to select species, to think over the
wintering methods are all deeply connedcted to this enthusiasm and fantasy.


So far I have succeeded in harvesting of Cardaba, D.Cavendish, King Banana
and a local species of Okinawa Islands.

Stan

klemmthamm

I had 2 choices.... do drugs or grow bananas... I chose bananas.

Just kidding!

But for serious, I think they are one of the easiest and fastest ways to give your landscape that "tropical feel". I love all tropical plants but bananas and elephant ears are definately the easiest for me to grow in my zone... if it was a bit warmer in the winter here I would really focus on more species of palms but I am pretty limited in Z-7a.

Plus they just have some sort of surreal appeal to me and I don't know why.

Regards,

-James-

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kenboy

Why do fools fall in love.

Randy4ut

I got into it when my family and I moved into our house 3 years ago. It already had a pool but I wanted to have a more tropical feel to my backyard. I started with palms and a couple of folks that got me into hardy palms, had nanners growing in their also. So, knowing that palms don't grow that fast, I decided to give bananas a try also. For two years I only had basjoo, and velutina. They did great in my area, so I decided to try to expand my collection, and now I can't seem to stop. Same way with palms. I honestly cannot think of anywhere I would rather be on summer nights than in my little piece of paradise I created with my family. It's AWESOME!!!

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