Banana
Musa acuminata

days to maturity: Approx 1 year for fruit
plant spacing: 1 plant per 12 square feet
sunlight requirements: 6-14 hours
look out for: bananas need to be managed
harvest notes: whole stalk should be harvested when one banana turns yellow
perennial

Bananas are some of the most popular and exciting fruit we can grow in a backyard in the tropics, and people love it not just because the fruit is so delicious but also because it can take just one year from planting to get your first fruit. But, dont take that to mean that you just plant the thing and one year later there is fruit, bananas need to be managed properly for fruit production or they’re likely to just sit there in your yard and frustrate you. Definitely read the below resources on care and management and heed our most important warning: keep them well fed with organic granular fertilizer and lots of mulch! we hate to see a banana without a big messy pile of yard debris piled up around it, because we know that banana isn’t going to make much fruit… Bananas are heavy feeders and love having composting material around them at all times.

How to Grow Banana Plants and Keep them Happy
https://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-bananas.html

Banana Growing in the Florida Home Landscape
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/MG/MG04000.pdf

Varieties: 

Sweetheart bananas grow to be about 12 feet tall and make stout plants. The fruit is firm and sweet but also refreshing because of its hint of citrus flavor. A very hearty and strong plant. 

Nam wah is also known as pisang awak and other names through out the world, this group of lady finger bananas produce large sized bunches of sweet, truly delicious, fruit that is prized in Indonesia and all over the world. Usually grows about 9-10 ft although may grow a little taller.

Orinoco plantains are are the most commonly grown plantain variety, also referred to as "platano burro". The plants reach a height of 16-20 feet and the fruit is typically about 6 inches long and straight with strong ridges down the sides of the peel. 

Grand Nain, which means "large dwarf" in french is a 6-8 foot tall tree that produces the Chiquita style banana. Each bunch has up to 100 bananas on it if your plant is happy. Fruit is medium sized with firm sweet flesh. 

Dwarf cavendish is a dwarf (5 ft.) variety producing wonderful tasting fruit as does the others in the Cavendish sub-group. A vigorous grower with wide green leaves. One of the more common and popular growing varieties in the USA.

Dwarf Jamaican Red - Known by many names in the world, (Cuban Red, Jamaican Red, Colorado, Indio, Macaboo) this very sweet lady finger fruit is most beautiful. It turns "sunset" colors when ripening from dark burgundy to orange, yellow-green and muted colors in between. The full bodied flavor and distinctive sweetness makes it worth the wait of 24 months or more to give fruit. The tall red, with a dark maroon pseudostem can grow 14-16 ft, the Dwarf version grows about 8-9 ft in our area.

Goldfinger - A rapid growing, mostly green plant producing a wonderful tasting, slightly sub-acid, refreshing fruit that gets 6-8 inches long or better. It is a very disease resistant, wind & cool tolerant plant that is easy to grow. In our area the ripening fruit does not get dark yellow, instead gives only a slight color change when mature so check it often when close to harvesting. Height 10-12 ft. This one is a MUST.

Raja Puri - A very popular sturdy plant originating in India and becoming a favorite around the world. Due to the rapid growth and delicious taste of these 3/4 size fruit as well as cool tolerance they have won the hearts (and taste  buds) of thousands.

Blue Java 
Known for its sweet flavor and slightly blue hue before ripening, Blue Java, aka Ice Cream, is a small fruited variety that grows to about 10-12 feet. This variety has a bit of a cult following and can be hard to find, so if you've always wanted one, grab them whenever we have them in stock. 

Banana plants are grown by Don & Katie Chafin at the legendary local Going Bananas, in Homestead.