Can it really be done?

[bucolic_frolic]

I watch youtube self sufficient me from Australia, and he grows bananas. Can they be grown in the US? We had a dwarf banana tree in a greenhouse once, it didn't get far. But I did find an article that said they can be grown in cooler climes but will take 3 years to produce because of winter. Is that right? Would they grow in say, Mid Atlantic region? Do deer eat them? There are Lady Finger bananas that are smaller. Anyone try to do this? Do you really need a greenhouse?

[viva la]

1. My mil has grown some... but in south Florida.

No winter there.

You're a pioneer!

[I_UndergroundPanther]

2. In the 80's

I was close to baltimore
in Maryland and there was a greenhouse I used to hang out there.

There was a gigantic Banana tree.

It had bananas and they were exquisite. So fresh and hellova tasty.

The tree was I think 7 years old.

[Wicked Blue]

3. Some banana trees can grow outdoors in Maryland but don't produce bananas

I've seen them in people's gardens in the Rockville area.
There used to be a really big one somewhere off Medical Center Drive near the hospital in Gaithersburg but that was years ago.

[old as dirt]

4. We grow bananas and plantains...

...on our little finca in Colombia.

Never tried it here in the US.

[NBachers]

5. According to this article, bananas grow best in latitudes from 30 degrees North to 30 degrees South.

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/banana-trees-grow-good-cold-44890.html

[Kali]

6. I have a friend in Germany that gets flowers on full size plants

But hasn't managed to have them develope into fruit due to cold weather. There is a great website about growing bananas in the US. I have it bookmarked on my desktop, but I won't be back for a few days.

[Retrograde]

7. They grow in the US - in Hawai'i

There's a very small part of California where they'll grow and ripen. They may also grow in Florida but I have no first-hand knowledge of that.

AFAIK, they're very sensitive to day lengths: they like steady light levels throughout the year to fruit so do best in the tropics. I've kept dwarf ones alive indoors south of San Francisco, but they've never bloomed, much less set fruit.

There actually is a variety, M. basajoo, that grows, flowers, and fruits outdoors in San Francisco, but the fruits are small and inedible. Handsome tree, though, with impressive flowers.