Growing Bananas in Russia

[castanea]

Interesting:


"In the North of Russia Bananas Are Growing, in Siberia, Vietnamese Pigs Are Being Raised

The results of the Russian agricultural census have been very surprising"

russia-insider.com/en/politics/north-russia-bananas-are-growing-siberiavietnamese-pigs-are-being-raised/ri16600

[richardw]

There's a lot to admire about how Russia is moving forward agriculturally, example - banning the use of GMO seeds for one

[prairiegarden]

Giving small landholders a property tax break if they produce food is another. Other than that they've developed some really interesting techniques for growing things out of their normal comfort zone, I hadn't heard about bananas but about things like peaches in Siberia. They've got some really interesting fruit tree varieties there for cold short season climates, and have developed novel ways to prune so trees can be somewhat protected in winter, not really practical for a 15foot tree but doable for a tree only. 3 or 4 feet tall but 12feet wide.

[richardw]

Makes picking the peaches easier by having them that short.

[steev]

I'm torn between having low trees, so I don't have to ladder, or tall trees to better shade my sun-baked veggies.

[prairiegarden]

I saw one photo the tree looked to be only about 18 inches tall, with most of the branches resting on stakes, no room for branches to sag from the weight of fruit! Perhaps taller veggies could grow up and through the inner branches? Imagine being able to truthfully boast that you got a bushel of peaches from your tree but your pole beans were three times as tall so you had high hopes for them. You could make a fortune on EBay selling bean seed with a carefully positioned but true (not photoshopped) photo to support your super bean claim ! ( not that anyone here would do such a thing, just the thought amused me.)

[richardw]

Sept 27, 2016 10:35:55 GMT -5 steev said:

I'm torn between having low trees, so I don't have to ladder, or tall trees to better shade my sun-baked veggies.

Hedge ya bets and have both. I trim my trees so that i have plenty of branches low down for me to pick but leave the trees to also grow tall branches for the birds, well, thats the theory anyway.  

[prairiegarden]

In a fruit growing group in Alberta, one member who has been growing and breeding fruit trees for years and has donated fruit tree material to the Saskatchewan gene bank - I got one of his apples this spring (and he is the source of all the info from Russia), has just posted something about a new pear in Russia. It was rated as 5/5 for flavour and had no issues surviving the weather when it averaged -42 for a few weeks. Apparently the disadvantages 1)are the fruit is not always exactly pear shaped and 2)tends to be too big. There is a lineup forming in the group clamouring for trees or even scion wood.

[kevin8715]

Bananas are great. Fast growing relative to other fruit trees, and huge harvests that are perfect for freezing. Ain't a bad idea to grow them.

[walt]

I've read that fruit trees in Siberia are pruned very short so that during the harsh winters, the trees are safe covered with snow.

[prairiegarden]

Sept 29, 2016 2:16:10 GMT -5 kevin8715 said:

Bananas are great. Fast growing relative to other fruit trees, and huge harvests that are perfect for freezing. Ain't a bad idea to grow them.

Recently got some teaser videos regarding aquaponics systems, one of them had to do with raising bananas and other topical fruit trees in greenhouses. Think you'd likely need a 20 foot roof though to deal with most of those trees and in our climate at least, that's a whole lot of space to keep warm when it's -40C outside. The bananas appear to be quite a bit shorter , but it seems almost all of the available species ( that I could find at least) are described as ornamental rather than edible fruited.

If a person had the space/ right set up it might be a winner, rumors have been circulating for a couple of years that the common banana variety of the grocery store  is in major trouble. Although they are showing up here as abundantly as they ever did so maybe that's just a marketing ploy. 

It would be really interesting to know how they are going about it in Siberia.

[walt]

20' greenhouse is not needed.

"This exciting strain of the Cavendish banana will actually produce fruit at a manageable height of just 3’ or less"

That is a cut and paste from www.logees.com/fruits/tropical.html
That was another cut and paste.

[prairiegarden]

The 20 foot greenhouse was specifically associated  with the tropical trees like papaya and avocados they were growing, not to bananas per se. I hadn't seen that dwarf cavendish before though, but tend not to spend much time on American sites as its too frustrating, since I can't buy plants from them due to border restriction

[walt]

Same company has dwarf papayas and dwarf avacodos, too. But that doesn't solve the import problem.
I am seed sale chairman for the Species Iris Group of North America, so I know the problem of moving seeds and plants around the world. Also I can't get some of the hardier citrus from Europe. But some of the the most serious citrus diseases in the USA were brought in by amatures that that it is OK to bring this one citrus with me.

[walt]

Same company has dwarf papayas and dwarf avacodos, too. But that doesn't solve the import problem.
I am seed sale chairman for the Species Iris Group of North America, so I know the problem of moving seeds and plants around the world. Also I can't get some of the hardier citrus from Europe. But some of the the most serious citrus diseases in the USA were brought in by amatures that that it is OK to bring this one citrus with me.