After a below freezing start to the day Sunday didn't warm up that much. We didn't have any rain and only a little bit of sunshine. For once it wasn't windy either. In the last 6 years we haven’t managed to get through November without the temperature falling below 0°C or 32°F.
At lunchtime I had a little walk up the garden to see whether the frost had left us any salad leaves to pick for our lunchtime sandwiches. Surprisingly they looked in remarkable good condition considering the frosty weather and I managed to pick a few leaves for lunch.
I'd like to be able to say that our banana tree was in the same sort of condition but unfortunately a frosty night has taken its toll.
I normally move the tree into the greenhouse for winter. Whilst this manages to keep the tree through winter it does have one major drawback in that the plant starts to grow too early in the spring in the warmth of the greenhouse. The new leaves soon hit the greenhouse roof but the problem is it's far too cold to move the plant outside. By the time the conditions are satisfactory to move it outside the new leaves are already badly damaged. So I'm contemplating leaving the plant where it is and seeing if it survives winter. I’ll move the tray from underneath the pot to avoid the banana tree from standing in water. I might try to lift one of the small shoots from the base and put this in a pot for winter to see if it survives better. A sort of insurance policy.
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The salad do look good! I think Bananas do not like frost!
ReplyDeleteI know the leaves of my banana don't like the slightest bit of frost but I'm hoping the roots are a bit tougher. I will find out soon.
DeleteThat salad really looked good....Martin I chop the top leaves off then wrap my banana plant in five layers of fleece.... Keeping fingers crossed for you....
ReplyDeleteOur banana got cosseted too Ana. It was growing in a border and was left in the ground over winter. It was covered with a thick layer of straw and the straw covered with polythene to keep off the worst of the rain. It survived many years like that. I might take sympathy on it yet and move it into the greenhouse.
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