May Day! May Day! Is it really May or Novembrrrrr? The May 2013 Update.

Well, it could be worse!

We don't have any snow...yet!--However, stranger things have happened.  Who could have guessed that our amazingly mild winter would linger into one of the Coldest Springs in history.  Not me.  We left just days after the release of the Pre-Ides of March Update for a few weeks in Costa Rica.  When we returned, I expected multiple new leaves and pups.  In reality, I had single leaves that had been heavily shredded or broken.  The cause, you ask?  Slow growth from cold temperatures and strong Spring turbulent winds.   I cannot imagine that this will last much longer than the next week or two.  Onward!  Thanks to Judy at www.bellewood-gardens.com for her awesome photo above of her thriving Basjoo Bananas......... in New Jersey!

Mucha Agua--In addition to the cold April, it seems as if it was really wet too.  Normal rainfall for April is 2.53 inches.  April 2013 has us at... 5.98 inches.  Seeing that I'm an optimist, this comes as good news because South Carolina is officially drought free.  Yip!  This is a good way to start off our growing season.

Farmers Marketssssss---Yes, thats marketsssss.  For now, I am appearing at The Mount Pleasant Farmer's Market on some Tuesdays and the Charleston Farmers Market(Marion Square) on Saturdays.  Come and get whats in season locally and whats in season in other parts of the globe(watermelons...yes) as well.  Shrimp season starts soon.

Moving Bananas--I saw this tweet the other day:

Of course it is fake(APtweets).   Nonetheless, if your banana plants languished last summer in their current location,  just dig them up and give them to a new home.  Soil/shade/sun/rain/magnetism, etc could be affecting the growth rate.  This bizarre combination is unlikely occur again on your plot of land.  @SimplyBananas1 is on Twitter. 



Cool things I seen on the internets---I saw this garden using spent banana plant trunks:

I planted basil in one old trunk and it's beginning to come up.  I'll be interested to see how it does as the Spring goes along. 


Season *8--This is the eighth year of Simply Bananas.  As a zone-buster from way back, I deeply appreciate all whom have helped us.  Its you who provide feedback to what works and what doesn't so that I can hone in on providing the best banana plants that we can grow given our circumstances.  Thanks!

The How's It Hanging Section--While nobody has sent us any pictures YET(by the way...send them to SimplyBananas1@gmail.com).  I have heard of a Basjoo(fiber banana) with the yellow flower from the folks downtown as well as a mysterious blooming edible banana deep in the forests of Snee Farms.  The best I can offer is this skinny mutant Ice Cream bud.  There is only one real leaf and may not make it.
 

Sad, I know, but don't weep. 

See ya soon--Maybe in June!
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