Urban Farmstead

When I planted this banana two years ago, along with 50+ other tropical and subtropical plants in my Northern California food forest (zone 9b), it was very much an experiment. I knew there was a chance that they would survive and possibly fruit here, but it wasn’t a sure thing. What I never would have expected is a rack of bananas this massive and for the fruit to taste so phenomenal. To be honest, I would’ve been stoked with a dozen bananas that tasted almost as good as what I could buy in the store. So to say this experience has exceeded my expectation would be an understatement. This banana plant was a gift from a friend who didn’t know the name of the variety. After talking with people who have been growing bananas for a lot longer than I have it sounds like this is most likely a Tall Nam Wah banana. #gardening #garden #homegrown #bananas#homestead #permaculture #foodforest #plants

Here is how I build my favorite DIY arch garden trellis: I start with one post at each corner, set at a slight inward angle. I’m using 4 food rebar stalkers as anchors, then I’ll slide on these 5 foot tall, 1/2 conduit pipes as the main support, but any tall sturdy post like T posts or bamboo can work just as well. The One thing you can’t substitute is this 16 foot, livestock panel. There are different variations of these - hog panels, cattle panels, sheep panels, each have different width and sizes of openings, but they are all mage with sturdy 4-5 gauge steak, and that’s what’s important, just don’t use one that flimsy rolled stuff. I’m using zip ties to hold this in place because for me it’s semi temporary, but metal wire is best for a permanent trellis. This trellis works great for tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, pole beans, peas, squash, passion fruit, really any tall or vining plant. #garden #gardening #vegetablegarden #DIY #gardendesign #landscapedesign #tomatoes

The banana is not a tree, technically it’s a giant herb. It grows, it flowers, it fruits, it dies, and as long as you leave a pup (new sprout) the cycle will continue. Most people harvest the fruit by chopping down the entire tree with a machete, however this was not an ideal method in this space, so I used a ladder to harvest, then immediately chopped it from the top down, which also worked. #banana #harvest #permaculture #plants #garden #gardening #foodforest

Can you guess how many bananas I harvested on this rack? For more information about these bananas that I grew in my backyard food forest in Sacramento,CA see my last post where I explained my process, show the harvest and the tasting. #foodforest #permaculture #homegrown #bananas #garden #gardening #plants