Gourmet Gardener: Gone bananas, in Ireland!

Our gourmet gardener Tara Kate Linnane has quite literally gone bananas this week...

This week I wanted to share with you some novel exotic plants that I am growing at home indoors. Displaying beautiful green plants indoors can be decorative and also beneficial for health as certain plants are known to have air cleaning traits. Most indoor plants are from warmer climates with a high level of humidity, that is why plants such as the popular Monstera do well in bathrooms, as the warm shower mist creates an ideal environment to grow in.

The most common problem people seek advice on is watering practices. Generally house plants are, unfortunately, short lived due to being over-watered and over-loved! The majority of house plants, and particularly cactus plants, do not require heavy regular watering. Depending on your own conditions in the house for example, temperature and humidity, it is better to water a very small amount each week. The watering level also depends on the variety. Some house plants originate from the jungle and if so, misting each week is appropriate as that increases the level of humidity. Others are from the desert, and in that case, I do not water them for months on end.

When selecting a house plant think about where you want to position it in the house, as some plants prefer full direct sunlight and others are more suited to a low lit corner or shelf. When you purchase a house plant, I recommend researching the exact conditions, so you can replicate them the best you can for growing success. The key really is managing the watering. Most plants do not like wet feet, so a good tip is to check the moisture of the soil using your finger. If the particles stick to your finger, that indicates a damp soil and therefore no watering would be required until it dries out. This advice may need to be tweaked depending on the variety but, in general, I find that is a good rule. Some plants that are easy to keep include Monstera ‘Swiss cheese plant’ as the leaves have holes like cheese, or Snake plant.

There are also some food related plants that you can grow as house plants. Keeping in mind that the more exotic food plants are sensitive to temperature changes so a relatively warm night time temperature indoors is better for growth.

The banana plant

I have been collecting house plants for a number of years, and yes, you can imagine my home is like walking into a jungle! For Christmas a few years ago I received the best present – a somewhat mature Banana plant. This sits in a room with constant temperature and has bright light all day long. I water this plant moderately, never letting it sit with wet feet, and feed it during summer months.

A banana plant house plant offers a beautiful large canopy of interesting foliage and gives a room a tropical feel. They can grow quite large, so for some, it may be better to opt for a dwarf variety. I am very excited because this plant has a flower beginning to emerge from the stem. The flowers occur in groups called hands, and the hands are arranged into larger clusters of flowers. The first clusters of flowers are all female, and they develop into the fruit. This occurs without pollination, and the fruit is seedless. So yes, you have guessed it, we will have some Cavan Bananas to eat very soon!

Ginger

Ginger is a crop that you can grow at home and it doubles as a nice house plant. You can grow and harvest this repeatedly and growing your own means fewer food miles as ginger is generally imported. Simply purchase a piece of ginger and cut into two-inch pieces. Then lay them flat in a well drained potting mix, cover and wait. The shoots should appear within a few weeks if kept on a sunny windowsill. It takes around eight to 10 months to grow. You can start to harvest the roots after a few months but, for the best results, it’s best to leave them for their max grow time. You can enjoy the fresh green growth while you wait. If ginger is something you use, then this is a fun and rewarding thing to try over winter and you can enjoy fresh ginger tea next year!

Happy growing!

Tara Kate Linnane is from Kilnaleck in County Cavan. She is a horticulturalist with a passion for growing vegetables at home. Tara recently was runner up in RTÉ's Super Garden competition.

She has an Instagram page with her husband Barry @two peas in a polytunnel.