Growing Bananas for Real!!! Indoors!!! In Alaska!!!!

Here is the update I promised you about growing bananas! (see earlier post here) I spoke to some of my friends in the Permaculture world and asked them about how to separate the baby banana tree from the adult so I would have two trees and sadly it doesnt work that way!  It really is true that once a banana tree produces bananas it dies!  Darnit!  But as you can see below I have a great baby banana tree coming up to the left of the adult tree and they all said that means we would have actual bananas produced soon.  Once the adult tree produces it will die and then you cut it off and you are left with the other banana tree.  A complete life cycle in a pot!

A few weeks ago I could smell something weird near the banana tree - I never thought to look into the tree and I looked all over the floor and smelled all the other houseplants that were there.  It was really an odd smell - almost like rotting food but sweeter.  Could just be my sniffer is off though - not sure!

Then two days ago I was cutting the dead leaves from the adult banana tree (when it produces leaves on top a leaf at the bottom dies - they are tough as heck so you have to cut them for fear of damaging the tree).  Anyway - I was cutting the dead leaves and noticed all this dead black stuff on the top of the tree - which is weird since it has always died at the bottom not the top.  I pulled the palm tree leaves apart and there in the center of the tree are real bananas!!!!

This has been about 6 years in the making and the little bananas are about twice this size now - really going fast.  I got this banana tree from Farmer's catalog.  It does take a lot of space but it is worth it!  Yes!  We have some Bananas!

Nights to remember

I had my second and presumably last Senior Night at the rink the other night and it was wonderful and wistful all at the same time.  Wonderful that all of these great kids are in their last season of hockey at the high school level, and wonderful that they all made it that far and that some will go on and play in other places at other levels.  Wistful because this is the last.

These pictures were taken seven years apart.  It is funny that although these are seven years apart, there is the same tilt of the head, same almost sideways smile, and same team even though the jerseys are different now.  Reed wore #16 in honor of his brother and even though there is no crying in hockey I got a little teary eyed during the game as I watched him play - with honor and a glad heart.

  I also cried a little when I really wanted to text Rye when Reed scored, I even got out the phone and dialed in the number and wondered at why it stayed that funny grey color that means its not a valid number.  But I remember this night as though it was just last week, I remember the smell and the flavors of both of the nights.  I will forever remember, Senior Night.