Mrs. G’s banana nut bread is just a little bit of heaven.

Trouble is, in order to get banana nut bread, you need “mature” bananas, and bananas around the Grubbycup household tend to get eaten before they get old.

So what I need is a quantity of banana that exceeds the current demand so I can have a nice breakfast treat. I’ve done more for less before, so why not?

Urban Garden Magazine’s issue 4 had a nice article on “Grow Your Own Bananas” by Tammy Clayton, which is where the seed originally got planted in my head, but Eliab’s article “Growing a Banana Tree Indoors: The First Year” pushed me over the top. I knew I had to try bananas.

The information I found on exactly which variety would do best for me was spotty and conflicted, so I figured I’d just find out for myself. I purchased five different varieties, so hopefully at least one will do well enough to earn me a loaf of banana bread or two.

Mahpoi (Double) 5-7′ or 152-213 cm tall. May throw double bunches.	Chiquita 6′-8′ or 182-243 cm tall. Commercial variety.	Dwarf Orinoco 8′ or 243 cm tall. Most cold hardy of the group.	Dwarf Cavendish 5-6′ or 152-182 cm tall. Popular greenhouse banana.	Super Dwarf Cavendish 3′ or 91 cm tall. Shortest of the group.

The medium I have chosen is a combination of perlite, clay pellets, and a little compost/worm casting mix from a prototype “proof of concept” worm bucket-workstation thing made from 5 gal buckets I’ve been playing with.

My current plan is to keep them inside during the colder parts of the year, and take them outside for summer.

Now, if I can just keep them healthy for the next 18 months or so I may have a shot at getting at least one to fruit.

Stay tuned and wish me luck!

Peace, love, and puka shells,
Grubbycup