From Joe Real: I have basjoo and California Gold growing in pots and left them outside for the winter about three years ago. Potted plants are more susceptible to cold than when planted inground. Musa Basjoo died to the ground level and never came back while California Gold's stem remained intact and was among the first ones to sprout leaves during the late winter. Non-scientific tests. I bought about 85 known cultivars of bananas, spent around $2000 to collect them all, and when my wife booted me out of the third car garage, I left them all out in the cold winter, still potted. Only 24 plants survived that single non-replicated episode of non-scientific experiment. So without much ado, here's the result of my $2,000.00 worth of information: Here's the listing of cold hardy bananas at their pseudostem during the winter. Arranged from the most reliable producer or cold hardiest to the milder ones, but all should be cold hardy at their pseudostems in most winters in zone 9. WARNING: Your mileage could vary depending on your microclimate arrangement in your yard. ÂCalifornia Gold ÂThousand Fingers ÂMonkey Fingers ÂOrinoco ÂBrazilian ÂGolden Rhinohorn ÂDwarf Orinoco ÂDwarf Brazilian ÂMisi Luki ÂMysore ÂNamwah ÂRajah Puri (best tasting but often chokes) ÂManzano ÂIce Cream ÂGold Finger ÂDwarf Namwah ÂSweetheart (FHIA 3, best tasting cavendish, cold hadiest among the cavendish types) ÂNamwah Pearl ÂPraying Hands ÂSaba ÂCardaba ÂWilliams ÂBelle ÂValery

Funny story. Almost 30 years ago I moved from Wilmington, North Carolina to Tampa Bay. A friend told me, you are moving to Florida, take this banana plant. Up there, they keep them in containers and put them in their houses crawl space for the winter. This variety is not short; they run about 25 feet. But, they are not bothered too much by 27 degree nights. They get burned but come back and even give fruit the same year. The one in the photo had 29 degrees last winter. Others we have already harvested. I guess I could send a plant to someone really interested and willing to pay the expense or trade another fruit. I guess you could call this my North Carolina orinoco banana.

I have one (or a clump) in my back yard in Westchester (West Los Angeles), and it has never grown large. It gets plenty of water and food but will not grow tall, even after three years. They are NOT cold tolerant. A couple of winters ago, we had the coldest winter in many years, and when the temperature down to 36 degrees, the tips of the leaves turned brown. I probably had the tree in the coldest part of the yard, as the tomatoes and basil next the the house were not affected, and I grow tomatoes every winter (when they do best for me). Try growing a cherimoya instead - I have been having better luck with that and I am getting fruit on mine now. Lars

The other crops are pretty boring like number one in beets, we have a sugar industry here. 6th in peaches I guess my point any place you live is what you make it. I have an orange tree, a black peppercorn plant, cacti, and fig trees. I can grow anything I want. I have a limited season, but the plants don't know that. Peppers and tomatoes are tropical plants yet grown everywhere. Both originating from South America. I hate our winters, but we don't have poisonous spiders or snakes, no hurricanes, or earthquakes, just an occasional tornado. Cost of living is really decent here too. I own waterfront property but am middle class, hard to do in CA or FL. Everyplace has it good points and bad, it is what you make of it. I have often thought of moving but many of the things mentioned changed my mind. I'm excited this week I have all kinds of new plants coming. Spring is at last here, and after the hard winter, the roses never smelled sweeter! I have Nadia the cherry-plum hybrid tree coming. It's like a huge cherry! Developed in Australia. You couldn't grow that in FL, not enough chill hours. Two elderberries new cultivars from the Netherlands that are pruned like raspberries, making management and harvest rather simple. Two new currants, a pink, and a red one. Again cannot be grown in CA or FL due to these cultivars not taking the heat. I picked up three more blackberry plants, and a tropical fruit tree, that produces the sherbert berry. I will have to overwinter inside. This cultivar is from India. I added two plum trees Satsuma, and a weeping Santa Rosa plum. Both are very good Japanese plums. My raspberry crop is going to be huge this year, as is my strawberry and blackberry crops. I have garlic, and onions planted out already and have 15 tomatoes, and 15 pepper plants ready to be planted out. My Spice Zee nectaplum has swollen blossoms, about ready to bloom, As does my pluot tree, and Indian Free and pf-Lucky 13 peach trees. Also my Arctic Glo nectarine is loaded with fruit buds. The blueberries are going to produce a large crop, as our my currants too. Getting ready to plant beans, cucumbers, melons and watermelons. I'm growing orange, yellow and red watermelons this year. Have a good spring everybody!