Friday, January 27, 2012

This Sh%# is BANANAS!


Image blatantly from Amazon, where you can buy these seeds
The USDA released a new, updated plant hardiness map this week, for the first time in years.  According to the new map, we are now in zone 6a instead of 5b!  For those in warmer climates, you might not understand how exciting this is in terms of the plants we can grow here (although not exactly thrilling because of the broader implications of climate change!).  I can't even count how many times through my relatively few years of gardening that I've wistfully looked at some plant or another in a seed catalog and wished I could grow it here, but it just wasn't possible, at least not outdoors.  When I saw this change in hardiness status, I had to see what I could add to my possibilities.

Some, like avocados and lemons were decidedly long shots and, as expected, it is still much too cold here (give it 50 years or so) to grow these in Michigan.  I did have one super exciting discovery of something I could grow here: bananas!  That's right: it is possible to grow bananas in Michigan.  Not all varieties, mind you, but there are one or two edible varieties that will put up with the cold temperatures and possibly (with a much increased chance, now that we are considered zone 6!) of actually bearing fruit.  After doing a big of research, I decided I wanted to grow Darjeeling bananas.  From what I've read, it is hardy up to zone 5, but is unlikely to produce fruit in anything lower than a 6 or 7.  Sounds like a worthwhile gamble to me (especially since a reader of this blog was generous enough to fund this project)!
Pretty, too!
Here's a minor hitch though: according to the lease, I can't plant trees, bushes, or shrubs (notice: nothing in the lease says I can't have a garden, like some people who stop by this blog from time to time seem to have trouble wrapping around their brains) without management approval and I don't know that banana trees are part of their vision for the trailer park.   However, containers are allowed.  That's why there isn't an issue with my blueberry and raspberry bushes, because they are in planters.  So, I'll be growing bananas in planters.  Yes, it is possible.  Apparently, a 15-gallon or larger planter is a suitable home for these banana-beasts.  That will also give me more options for winter storage.  I can either mulch the heck out of it (building an insulated box around the base or something to keep the roots warm too) or move it into a warmer location, like inside an out building like a garage or barn.  Plus, when we move, assuming I (or the cold) haven't killed it off, we can take it with us!  How's that for bananas?

I do have one confession though.  I don't like bananas.  I don't see that as a problem with this project though, since A) everyone else in my family loves bananas, B) these are not the same variety as store bought bananas, so I'm sure they would taste different, and C) if you'd only ever had a store-bought tomato, could you actually say that you didn't like tomatoes?

One last thought, further proof I've gone bananas:  I'm also going to grow pineapples this year, but more about that in a future post.

7 comments:

  1. Funny, I'm in central Indiana....so south of you, but I'm still zone 5 mostly. Actually I border 5b and 6a but I'll play it safe and say zone 5. Good luck with the tropicals. I think personally I'd bring them indoors for winter....just get some really big pots or 5 gal buckets and a dolly.

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    1. Is that according to the new map or the old one? I was in 5b according to the old one, but that felt off to me for the past few years and now has been verified by modern data tracking.

      For a banana plant, I need at least a 15 gallon container. Five gallons wouldn't cut it. There is no way I could get that up the stairs into our trailer! Of course, by next winter, we might live someplace completely different, but I'll just see how that plays out!

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  2. I believe you will plant bananas, and for you they will produce! You have the greenest thumb I have ever heard of because you are a bumblebee. (you know, a bumble bee should not be able to fly but...)

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    1. What a great compliment! I LOVE it! Now I'm tempted to find a bumblebee picture in the public domain that I could make my profile picture!

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  3. I am growing a banana plant in a container here in Staten Island. It's my first year trying this, and they say the plant takes 3 years to fruit. So it should be a fun experiment.
    http://nycgardening.blogspot.com/2011/12/banana-plant-grows-in-staten-island.html

    I've always wanted to try to grow pineapple, but I read up on it and it seemed like it would not grow well here. I am looking forward to reading your experiment with it.

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    1. Do you know what variety it is? It doesn't look like the same kind as I'm going to playing with.

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  4. I love bananas and our zones also changed here in Ohio, so perhaps I need to give these a shot!

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