Ann, the species of banana that I grow is called "basjoo". I have had the grove now for about 7 years, starting out with one little plant, you have seen the pics of it right that I have posted? It is majestic and beautiful. The "mother" plant lives for 4 years and then dies, but there are babies that are borne each spring, probably about 12 per year, I don't know where they all go (hee, hee) cause I never have that many that come into the winter, so I think they die off somewhere along summer's dog days. I have yet to have any bananas grow on them, but I do know it is possible.
One person told me that if you cut out all the new shoots that come up in the spring, it will force the bananas. I don't have the guts to do that, because I am afraid that I will have an insignificant banana grove, not the beauty that I am so proud of each year. But, maybe next year I will cut out half the new shoots, I could live with that, maybe that will force the flowers that produce the fruit. By the sounds of the amazing flower shoot that is produced, it would be worth it to venture down this path.
Did you ever see the pictures of the banana plants that Abejaruco put on the forum? If you missed his posts of these beauties, go into that forum (member photos) and have a look, they are beyond your wildest dreams!!!!!
Still lots of work to do here. I am building a new bed up near the bees to plant my garlic there this year. My garlic was a fiasco this year. Out of about 500 cloves planted, I have about 30 bulbs that matured to a half decent size. I will have to purchase store bought garlic for my kitchen this year and that is gonna kill me, haven't done that in years.
We had such a cool and damp summer and the garlic was planted in a rather lower lying garden bed. This garden is excellent for the curcurbits, but certainly not for garlic. I know now that for sure.
So I am digging, throwing rocks (you should see the rocks that I have pulled out of this small space). When I am done with it and have the garlic planted, I will post pictures to show my new soil achievement for this year. I have piles and piles and piles of chicken poopy stuff (with straw) that I am going to amend this soil with for the garlic, I know garlic loves the chicken crap and this new garden will get sun from sunup to sundown and it will have excellent drainage because it is high, built up and I will be making a stone wall to support the raised bed. It is directly above the blueberry bushes, so the drainage from this garden will be excellent for the blueberries too. I think the chicken poopy stuff will leach into the soil and travel downwards to feed the blueberries, and by the time the water drains to the ditch, all the nutrients will have been sucked up by the garlic and blueberries (not to mention all the bee flowers that will have set their pretty little seeds for next year, heee, hee). Oh brother, a'ramblin' I do go. Have a wonderful and beautiful day. Ann, get to work, you have work to do in this world today!!!! Cindi