Growing Bananas in the UK?
This interesting letter appeared in the Daily Telegraph
recently (Aug 06), underneath a picture of gardener
Stephen Elstub with the first ever crop of bananas at
Clare College, Cambridge.
Sir - The banana harvest at Clare College, Cambridge,
is not unique. I also have a tree producing bananas
in my garden on the edge of the Fleet in Dorset.
Flowers began to appear at the beginning of
July and to attract numerous wasps. There are currently five
bunches on the plant, which is five years old and grows quite
happily in a sheltered spot next to apple and palm
trees.
I believe it is the Japanese banana plant Musa basjoo
and that the bananas will probably be small and inedible
when ripe. However, it would be a rather a coup to
present them as home-grown produce at the local farmers'
market.
D.E.Gardner, Weymouth, Dorset
