jen

There is a goldfinger I want to buy but I'm not sure about the timing. It's in a one or two gallon pot so not too big but it's got some height and great leaves. It is getting cooler by the day here and the nights have really cooled off. I know October always warms up a little. Do you think I would be okay to plant it in the ground? I could put it in a pot and just wait until spring.

Jen

mskitty38583

i have one that is in a pot i will be bringing it in because its young. i would leave it in a pot and bring it in till spring. jmo.

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Dean W.

Jen, you live in zone 10 don't you? I would't worry about it then.

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jen

Yes, I live in zone 10. It does get pretty chilly here at night during the winter. I'm just worried because it would be such a baby still. I'm not sure if it has enough warm months to get established good. Hmmmmm???

Thanks for the input. I'm not sure what I will do. I might just pass on the whole thing until spring. I think if I bring it in my 2 year old might think it is a toy and dig in it all the time.

Jen

Richard

Jen, you can grow Goldfinger just fine in your location, but there are several other better tasting naners that would thrive there too.

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Chironex

I just had some Goldfinger fruit from Matt in SD, it was delicious! I would definitely get it and pot it for now if you have any concerns. I plan on growing lots of them and I am in Z9.

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jen

Thanks for the info on the taste Scot. I keep reading how yummy they are. I really want one of every kind but I seriously only have room for maybe 2 more and that is pushing it. It's hard to narrow it down. I read so much about the goldfinger and it sounded really good, I'm pretty sure I want one of those. I know Richard you had suggested 3 to me...D.Brazilian, sweetheart, and namwa. Are those the ones that would grow well on the coast and taste yummy? I have a Mysore, Jamaican Red, and Gluay Namwah and I'm very excited about that Namwah (thanks Jon).

I need a bigger yard.

Jen

Magilla Gorilla

I agree with Dean. I am in Santa Barbara in zone 10a. I have lots of new bananas in the ground and they will be fine. Where are you located?

Andrew

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Andrew

Richard

I think Goldfinger gets a lot of publicity because a lot of vendors -- esp. established nurseries have it for sale. And there is no doubt that it tastes better than bananas bought at the store. But given that you are in an excellent location for growing bananas and have very limited space, I would not give it such a high priority.

I still haven't been able to identify your house from the aerial photos I have, but I did drive by on the 5-freeway on my way to and from Gardenia last Friday. I waved for good measure, just in case someone was paying attention.

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jen

I'm on the coast in southern california....San Clemente, it's right next to Dana Point, Ca. I can run to the beach from my house about a mile and a half. I'm pretty coastal with weather. We have a very mild climate here. I actually would prefer a tad warmer not colder. Hmmmm I wasn't going to plant and now I'm tempted.

Don't hold out on me Richard. Tell me what your thinking.

Jen

harveyc

Jen, I think you're just too logical for most of us. Even though your climate is better than mine, a new pup won't do much all winter if you plant it now. I've been one to get enthused by seeing my bananas grow vigorously all summer and I bought a lot of plants late last year and lost quite a few of them because they take more care. Some got too much water and some didn't get enough. Patience is a virtue which I am short on. It looks like you've been gifted with more than most of us so use it!

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Richard

The winter temperatures in your location rarely, if ever drop below 40 (F). So it is an excellent location for many banana cultivars. Now it is true that you do not have the heat units (amount of heat accumulated during the year) of other locations. This is not a serious problem, because you have more bananas to choose from than I at the cost of longer gestation periods. There are heat-loving bananas which you won't be able to obtain quality fruit from, but there are plenty of good people here to guide you and me away from these (thanks Jon!).

When I set aside an area in my yard to grow bananas, I figured there is at most enough room for five or six varieties. Realizing there is more to bananas than "yellow-skinned dessert", I wanted to represent some different flavors, different fragrances of fruit, cooking types, etc. As Jarred will tell you, I went totally hog wild cataloging about 450 named varieties of edible bananas, of which about 165 are unique names and the remainder are synonyms. From these I sought shorter varieties (10 foot or under pseudostem) and various categories of taste and type among them. From there I prioritized them based on those I've tasted and also recommendations from others whom I know have similar tastes. Goldfinger was certainly in the top 20 of the dessert varieties, but not the top 10. But that fits my tastes, someone else might have a completely different experience.

Here's the varieties I ended up choosing:
1000 Fingers
African Rhinohorn
Dwarf Brazilian
Dwarf Orinoco
Dwarf Namwa
Sweetheart

I also have a few other varieties acquired serendipidously, such as Manzano which I will either sell or trade away next year.

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harveyc

Come on, Richard, you need something more different than those. Ae Ae comes to mind!

Boy, your term "seredipidously" describes the way I buy most of my things!

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chong

Richard,
Are any of these other plants 8ft or under? Hardy to 8a?

Thanks.

Chong

Richard

Dwarf Orinoco is reportedly hardy in zone 8, with an average subtropical height of 6.5 ft. Joe Real rates it #7 (7th most hardy) on his cold tolerance scale.

The 1000 Fingers has been reported hardy in zone 8, and Joe Real rates it #2 for cold hardiness. The average p-stem subtropical height is reportedly 8 ft, I would guess on the short side in zone 8a.

Other fruiting bananas of short stature that are reportedly hardy in zone 8:
Texas Star (zone 7a !)
Amistad (zone 7b)
Carolina King (zone 7b)
Golden Rhinohorn (zone 7b)

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jen

Richard I just love your banana brain. Thank you very much for all the great info. I printed it out and I will keep until I'm ready to purchase and plant (Harvey, I'm going to wait it out).

Harvey, I'm new but I'm not that new...those little buggers (Ae Ae) are $$$$. Very funny! Hey, who knows what I will come across but I love this site and I love all of the great people here that are always willing to help. I have learned so much in just a short time. I can't wait to learn more.

Thanks everyone.

Jen

NANAMAN

If I had to list my favorites, based on taste alone, they would be:
Namwah
Belle
Manzano
Mysore
Niño

I have several more varieties that I have'nt tasted yet, so I'm sure the list will grow! There are other factors to consider though, such as plant height, amount of pups produced, length of time for the fruit to ripen, ect... There are a few plants that may have excellent tasting fruit, but I won't grow them due to other undesirable traits. I'm growing SH-3640 and the fruit are good, but I will probably keep it due to it's growth habit and vigor more than taste.

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modenacart

Orinoco has done very well for me in zone 8. I wrapped some plants with bubble wrap for the winter and they fruited for me this year. All the others I have tried have not come close. I has some I kept under the house last winter that had green leaves when they came out and everything other type i had rotted to the corm.