I'm excited for you! Good luck! every year I lose my bananas to the cold.

Hi tinael01, glad to hear there's another banana farmer out there trying hard to grow these delicious ( and healthy ) fruits ! Also sorry that you are having so much trouble. I think you are in an area that is north of Tampa,...right ? Thought up there was 9a country,...just goes to show you I still have a lot to learn ! Hope the future is kinder to you.

In the 10 yrs I have been puttering around here in my 10a zone ( on the Gulf Coast, just south of Venice ) I could count the nighttime temps under 49 degrees on one hand,..and even then they're fairly brief.

Will include here a few pics of my two newest stalks that I had difficulty posting before !Nothing gets me quite as excited ( well almost nothing ) as detecting the 1st glimpse of a new flag leaf.

These will take months to ripen, but would be glad to send up a few hands when that happens ! Nothing like the store bought bananas,...NOTHING !!! LOL

First Ice Cream stalk, has only 7 hands

Close up of 2nd stalk ! MMMMMM....

Jofus, I hope that your banana plantation is doing great! My banana bunch was bent when Irma hit us, so we took a chance and cut the bunch. I had no hope because it was not ready yet but to my surprise it ripening nicely and had the chance to make banana breads and muffins.

Silvia

mmmm,... my mouth is watering, - great looking muffins Silvia ! We here got lucky with Irma, - she veered to the east at the last minute as she headed north ! Only minimal damage hereabouts but my heart was in my mouth just the same ! Did have to tie up one large Ice Cream banana plant, ( with the large stalk shown above ), as Irma tilted it over about 30 degrees, but easily managed to save it.

Wow I'm so jealous! I am in Largo near the beaches...Which is 10A really but I do get a few cold days. what really gets those nanners is I live in a desert and my well water is full of salt. The bananas always fruit in the dead of Winter and I lose them between the cold and the lack of rain.