Minimally edible cold hardy bananas?

General Fruit Growing
21

13 years ago I saw the unthinkable a Banana with fruit growing in the front yard of someone’s house in Washington DC.

For the past 12 years I have been trying and failing to grow my own. I have no problem with over wintering in the basement but when I try protecting them they usually die.

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(Thanks google maps)

I usually try with Dwarf Orinoco and Dwarf Cavendesh. Since I moved to Jersey I picked up the bakers creek dwarf collection. I lost all the tags and have no idea what they are at this point. I put them all in grow bags and they all grew very well but in the last two years I never gave them any time in ground. I will have to plant them out somewhere next year.

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22

Sometimes i get the really bad idea of planting the blue java ice cream banana and building a enclosure for it

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23

In my view it’s a bad idea because the true Blue Java is not a top-tier tasting banana. Further, most people who think they have blue java are actually growing Namwa.

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24

Are they any good for banana hearts? Would it be possible to get a few of those that are good for cooking, even if you get no good fruit? I’d be interested in growing bananas more for the “vegetable” than for the fruit.

25

If you were someone who was just full of bad ideas and in a zone 5 location with good sun year round what is the shortest best tasting banana that could handle cold? And how tall would it be?

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@RichardRoundTree - there are no seedless bananas that fit that criteria. The few seeded bananas that might work there only have ornamental value.

27

That was a better answer that helped me with a full stop. I was thinking of building a mini solarium with those temperature openeing windows for greenhouses!

Ok better questions what month do i have to be in southern california or hawaii to get a fresh banana?

28

Bananas are bulbs, not trees. They do not have a harvest month. I’ve harvested bananas here in all months except Jan., Feb., and possibly March.

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29

I Have never eaten a fresh banana, I do get that the warm places i visit are almost too cold for them however

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30

Next year I’ll have a perfect chance to harvest my dwarf Orinico (finally). It’s ready to flag early next spring.

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31

Updated link:

Fruiting Banana Cultivation In Non-Tropical Climates

32

so you’re saying in 6b I’ll need a 30 foot tall greenhouse.

(I’m joking, I’m just jealous of places that can get fresh bananas)

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33

I planted Dwarf Cavendish (not Super Dwarf) in my greenhouse that’s about 12’ 8" at the peak, but I did strategically plant it under the roof hatch “just in case” I need to let it grow out the top… :joy:

It’s currently about 5’ to the top of the p-stem, it was about 2’ tall or less when I planted it a year ago… I’ll report back in a couple years about whether it flowers before running out of space!

(I’m in Seattle, so not z6, but that just means you need to spend more to heat a similar sized greenhouse than I do)

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34

I have a hoophouse that’s 8’ tall. I am overwintering figs and olives in there it stays at 40° in the coldest months. I know, I know that a banana will not make bananas in it. but my heart wants them to.

I have a dwarf Cavendish that’s 3 feet tall and 4 years old. it’s a houseplant.

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