They’re Growing Bananas In Canada

They’re Growing Bananas In Canada CROPS New Crops Canada Banana Farms has a grow-it-yourself plan for tropical fruit The Ontario company grows bananas mangoes papaya citrus and other tropical fruits as well as organic vegetables In addition to selling at local farmers markets and at the farm the company also supplies plants and information “Many tropical fruits like bananas don’t need that much light ” says Terry Brake company spokesman “If you can grow a potted pine tree in your house you can grow bananas They just need a temperature of about 68 degrees ” Canada Banana Farms grow their fruit in 3 hoop houses but Brake grew his first banana plant in a basement room He gave it to Laurie Macpherson and showed her how to graft bananas and other tropical fruit With his help she turned his hobby into a business “She bought a farm and built hoop houses and started raising them ” says Brake “At first people thought it was a joke when we sold the fruit at farmers markets but then we put on an open house People started driving 2 or 3 hrs to get our fresh fruit ” Brake now serves as her spokesperson but he credits her with creating the business Macpherson is not only selling fresh fruit but also the plants it grows on and the greenhouses to grow it in She sells individual banana starters for as little as $15 for a 6-in plant and $55 for a 3-ft tall plant She currently grows 7 different varieties of bananas One variety called Big Bertha can produce as many as 300 bananas on a single plant Blake notes that a single banana tree requires as little as a 3 by 3-ft space and can grow as high as 15 ft However dwarf trees grow to only 6 to 7 ft tall “If you buy a tree it will bear fruit in about 8 mos in a heated high humidity greenhouse or in 14 to 18 mos in a 68-degree house ” says Brake Initially the banana plant sends up 3 stems each producing clumps or “hands” of bananas Each stem produces from 200 to as much as 500 lbs of fruit As the hands are harvested the stems die back and suckers shoot up from the mother plant Each sucker will also produce 3 stems “She would like people to grow their own ” says Brake “She sells individual plants as well as turnkey greenhouse packages complete with furnaces fans ductwork and plants everything needed ” The 24 by 50-ft greenhouse kit is priced at $35 000 and the 30 by 96-ft kit is priced at $85 000 In addition to the components Macpherson provides 40 hrs of tutoring on how to grow tropical fruit “We’ve shipped plants as far as Alberta and recently provided all the plants for a 300-ft long greenhouse ” says Brake “Some are raising for their own use and others are raising to sell at the farm gate ” Canada Banana Farms cannot ship plants to the U S but they’re happy to consult across the border and recently helped a Texas operator set up a tropical fruit operation However there are U S companies that sell banana plants including www fastgrowingtrees com Check out the “banana video” at www farmshow com Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Canada Banana Farms 38926 Moncrieff Rd RR3 Blyth Ont Canada N0M 1H0 ph 519 531-1905; facebook com/canadabanana ca

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