mikevan

Til this year, all I grew were a couple of unidentified dwarfs (or regular nanners that were just stunted by the containers) that resided in my greenhouse quite amicably. They did get a bit big and was a little bit of a squeeze but they didn't seem to mind tho sometimes the edges of their leaves would brown on me during nights that froze the condensation on the glazing.

This season I've gained quite a few more nanners - many that will get pretty tall like the Saba, Brazilian and Orinoco, so this will be the last nanner-greenhouse year for me, excepting for dwarfs and backup pups. I'm even raising the greenhouse up by 4' for a larger nanner of mine - all are still containerized. But I can only go so tall!

This winter I'll be preparing their bed using sheet composting methods. Next Spring, all my babies are going in the ground - even the dwarfs. I'll keep backup pups and dwarfs in the greenhouse after that but I'm leaning to wrapping my trees with bubble-wrap and burlap over the winter. Shorter ones may make use of the hay insulating method too. As to what works and what doesn't - that's something I'll find out here in the next couple of years or so as I experiment... Nevertheless - I will get bananas without having to resort to the greenhouse to do so - running out of room with all my tender tropicals...

The CG has gained my interest with all the glowing reports here and on Gardenweb - one of these years I may end up getting one and see just how it does here in Zone 8.

Here, when an arctic front blows thru and it gets cold - which is infrequent - the nights get down to the low 20's and sometimes high teens. Days are almost always short-sleeve weather with few if any freezing days in the year. Sometimes the only freezing that ocurrs is a few nights. It's so warm during the winter that the few freezing nights really makes growing tropicals here infuriating!

I'm hoping that by planting a lot of bamboo in my growing area I'll be able to create protected micro-climates to further help with protecting the nanners over the winter. I'm starting with Moso and Henon boo. I have an acre to play with until the wife lets me start playing on her half. "Gee honey, I didn't know that bamboo would spread so fast."

I noticed that Jeff's nanners are up against his house too in a narrow alley twixt his house and his neighbor - a nice little micro-climate for certain. My nanners have both survived 20F in my greenhouse before, one year when the heater went out and last year in a temporary unheated leanto greenhouse in a pit I'm converting into a walipini - so protecting from wind and keeping humidity up is no doubt key to their survival during cold snaps. Both tank when exposed topside to the freezing cold unprotected. He's also, amazingly, growing a macadamia nut tree in his front yard! I have a yearling that's really hating the Texas heat. Sigh...

What zone are you in? 9? You should require even less protection than me - perhaps the burlap-bubblewrap layering would work? When the leaves go, cover the top with a sturdy bag to keep moisture out. Zone 7 seems a popular zone to dig and store over the winter, but I don't think I can keep their storage reliably cool here and am afraid of rot because of that. Some experimentation is certainly in order - thankfully nanners pup fairly prolifically.

Be well,
Mike