Jeremy Monger

S B, do you know of anyone doing so successfully? The only folks I've managed to find in my research growing them unprotected are barely into 8b, pushing 9. And they still lose a lot in colder winters. I feel it would be inverse for me: losing them a lot winters and only surviving the mild ones.

Plus, if I already do the work to push the zone with other plants, why not bananas? I love bananas.

Hey everyone!

I'm in central Georgia 8A/8B and I started experimenting last year with the technique of surrounding them with chicken wire and 5 feet of leaves to get them through the winter.

It didn't work, but we also had that Christmas freeze. And I realized the spot I placed them becomes a wind tunnel. And I miscalculated how low the sun gets in the winter, so they were a lot more shaded than I expected. While they did survive, I'm going to want to plant some elsewhere.

I am also trying Moringa this year and looking into its winterization, I'm noticing its the same thing: wrap it in chicken wire and mulch.

So this has me thinking.... should I just do a banana circle polyculture? If I can find a collection of plants that respond well to being buried in several feet of leaves, I could just mulch over the entire thing each winter and have a collection of zone pushed plants.