Banana
Musa spp.
Fast, thirsty and generous; leaves make mulch.
Hardiness: zones 9 to 11
Light: full sun
Size: about 15 ft tall, 10 ft wide
Harvest: year-round
From: SE Asia
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food, mulch and biomass.
Native to: South & Southeast Asian tropics, Hawaiʻi & Pacific Islands, New Guinea & Melanesia. Hardy in zones 9 to 11.
The story
Bananas were domesticated in New Guinea perhaps 7,000 years ago and travelled with Austronesian sailors across the Pacific and Indian Ocean; by the Middle Ages they grew from India to West Africa. Every eating banana is a cutting of a cutting; the plant is a giant herb, not a tree.
Planting
Full sun, rich, moist soil and shelter from wind, which shreds the leaves. Plant a sucker or tissue-culture plant in spring; dwarf varieties fit a yard.
Growing
Feed and water heavily; a banana drinks like a lawn. Remove all but two or three suckers so the mother can fruit. Cut the mother stem down after harvest; the next sucker takes over.
Harvest and use
A stem fruits once, 12 to 18 months from planting. Cut the whole bunch when the fruit is plump and the ridges round off, then ripen indoors in a bag.
What to watch for
Wind, frost, and nematodes; in wet tropics, leaf diseases. Protect the stem from frost with wrapping where winters are cool.
See if Banana fits your yard
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More tropical and subtropical food plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home