March 3, 2008 in Babble Column by MikeV
If there was a first food-producing tropical plant that I’d recommend for beginners, I think it would be the ubiquitous banana. It is a very tolerant plant, grows in a variety of soil conditions excepting perhaps boggy, is the very image of tropical with it’s large, lush, richly green leaves, and with patience and care they produce super yummies that the whole family can enjoy. No, really – 150 lbs from a Williams Hybrid is gonna require the whole family and perhaps the neighbors and their friends to eat… Realistically, most nanners don’t produce that much, especially grown in temperate regions (with winter protection), but it’s immensely satisfying bringing in something that grew from your garden and bananas are no exception.
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February 19, 2008 in Babble Column by MikeV
Welcome to Taroandti.com. I like bananas. And I like growing bananas. Breaking away from the monochrome grocery selection (cough – that would be just one), I’ve taken a dip in a vast pool of choices for bananas. Big cooking bananas, little fingerling bananas, bananas that taste kinda like apples, bananas that taste like vanilla ice-cream, green bananas, dark red bananas – the list goes on and on and on. And I firmly believe that if bananas can be a crop in Iceland, anyone on the Mainland USA can grow bananas. It just takes a bit of close attention to logistics, knowing your nanner, and satisfying the needs of your plant. I’ll delve into that on this site, going from babying fresh TC nanners to harvesting fruit from mature stems and doing so regardless of how cold it gets. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
MikeV