siege2050

LOL!

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sunfish

coconuts

siege2050

I wish I could grow palms here, I have thought about buying a majesty palm because they are cheap, and large for the price, cutting off all the leaves, wrapping it in burlap, and sticking it in my unattached garage for the winter to see if it would live.

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siege2050

I did get some windmill palm seed but it seems palms are just as stubborn as Bananas to germinate.

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Richard

In the nursery trade "companion plants" are considered a ploy to sell more plants, and not anything horticulturally relevant.

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Kat2

Agreed. Under the normal stupid landscaping definition companions can even be pachysandra and ivy because, when 1st planted, they look really pretty. A few years later, not so much.

I don't buy into much of the "these plants don't play well with these" stuff (okay, fennel and carrots and dill-NO and black walnuts are verbotten) so I guess I think of companion plants as being those who share the same needs, get along and don't overwhelm the main crop. Bonus if they help deter pests but not necessary. With that in mind, I'm looking for good "bed buddies" for my bananas and other plants. Marigolds are the standard recommended for all plants it seems...I'm kind of a snob...I prefer Tagetes patula...they don't stink quite as much.

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sunfish

Luffa

you can never have too many

Kat2

Met a really cool lady at a Flea market who handed me 40+ seeds to grow! This luffa virgin can hardly wait to plant them!

BTW, those of you you think the 3 sisters garden is the panacea, think again. If you're growing dent/corn to be ground, beans to dry and pumpkins/squash with a long ripening time, fine because the harvest occurs at the same time. But the beans really give nothing back; they just don't take anything. Try picking sweet corn and green beans in a mass of vines and you'll soon be very frustrated. BTDT. Does keep the coons from getting theirs....

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sal

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Richard

Nitrogen-fixing plants do not add nitrogen to the soil, but rather catalyze nitrogen that is already in the soil into a form that is more readily available to plants. In agriculture, the crops listed in the above link are generally grown in off-season and then plowed into the soil prior to planting.

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Kat2

I much prefer using balanced compost judiciously. Annuals last a season with a healthy dose when planted; amending perennials annually works for me. Planting a cover crop wastes space in a small garden area, requires time (prepping, digging under, etc.) I'd rather not commit and has limited rewards IMO.

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Nicolas Naranja

For what it's worth, I commonly see calabaza intercropped with bananas. Pineapples definitely work. My haitian friend tells me that taro works.

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Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

Abnshrek

Cucumbers are really coming on w/ this mild weather.. :^)

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

siege2050

I got some Pink China Taro, its supposed to be the cold hardiest there is, they seem to have the same requirements. I also started a couple of pinapples from their tops, but will have to bring them in in the winter, but thats okay, I think they will look cool. Never heard of Calabaza?

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Ripsaw

Buy clumping bamboo which tends to not spread but a few feet. Some can be purchased onsite at ECHO in Fort Myers.

Ripsaw

Basil, Pawpaw and Comfrey do well in the vicinity of Banana trees.

Also, see Bean Companion Planting for Bananas | Home Guides | SF Gate

"Bananas require large amounts of nitrogen for healthy growth. Beans and legumes have a supply of nitrogen within nodules of their root system, which is released into the soil upon harvest. This process is called nitrogen mineralization. Successful, heavy nitrogen-giving beans and legumes include chick peas (Cicer arietinum), soy beans (Glycine max), bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), fava beans (Vicia faba), lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus), mungbeans (Vigna radiata) and cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata)."

and

"Coffee beans (Coffee canephora) are another companion that grows well when interplanted underneath the banana tree. Farmers in areas of East Africa utilize this strategy due to the effectiveness of bananas as a source of food security, and coffee as a cash crop, all coming from the same planting space. The leaves of the banana tree provide vital shade for the bush-like coffee plant, while the bark from the banana tree acts as a mulch and fertilizer for the coffee plant."

These can all be grown in Florida.

Juicy Bananas

Living out in the tropics I believe in guild gardening.

We grow taro, sweet potatoes, various squash, beans, perennial peanuts, edible peanuts (various patches), lemon balm, mints and several other things with our bananas.

Ripsaw

I want a food forest, but my wife will not let me. I will probably change things around and intersperse with landscaping. Already took out a lot of ornamentals. Taking out a tree next month. Will then concentrate on relocations of plants, planting those in pots (that will make wife happier), and planting a new raised bed garden.

I had a beautiful yard and garden in Lakeland and used edible plants and natives. It was beautiful! I hope to have that here, soon. I have dragon fruit, bananas, herbs, veggies, seminole pumpkins, everglades tomatoes, moringas, chaya, cranberry hibiscus, passion vine, wild grapes, more palms, mulberry, a new lime and Meyers lemon trees, and others to replant and plant, plus the veggie garden. Now...where will I find the time??

Zacarias

Does taro overly compete for nutrients/water?

cincinnana

��

I have large alocasia and colocasias in 5-12 gal containers and they are heavy feeders and require almost bog like conditions.
Many of my malanga and taro are setting in partial water filled tubs during the growing season in zone 6 and they must be brought indoors for the winter.

For me I would say yes they would compete if they were side by side.

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