Bananas From Quebec? Easier Than You Think!

Ah, bananas! These yellow, potassium-rich fruits that come to us from faraway lands, transported by boat and truck for thousands of kilometers before landing in our grocery stores. We associate them with the tropics, palm trees and sandy beaches and not really with Quebec and its -30 °C (-22 °F) winters and unpredictable springs, right?

And yet! While we complain about the cold and the snow, in Saint-Eustache, a woman grows banana trees. No, not as an ornamental plant that never bears fruit, she grows real productive banana trees, with real edible bananas! I met Myriam from the Éco-Verdure nursery, who proves to us that the impossible is just a question of perspective and daring.

A Project That Has Borne Fruit (Literally!)

The Éco-Verdure plant nursery is a family business. From the grandparents to Myriam’s father, and now to herself, who is becoming a co-owner, this horticultural company has built up a solid reputation over the generations. Three years ago, Myriam simply decided to plant a Cavendish banana tree (Musa acuminata) in the greenhouse out of curiosity. A test, for fun.

She was completely surprised when, after only six months, the first banana tree began to flower. Three months later, 250 bananas were proudly hanging from the end of its stem, forming what is called a “bunch” of bananas. Each tree only produces one bunch in its lifetime, but what a bunch! Now, when we tell her that something is not done in Quebec, her answer is simple: “Why not!”.

I was expecting Myriam to talk to me about complex techniques, astronomical investments or quasi-hospital care for these tropical plants. But her infectious enthusiasm and her generosity with time and advice quickly made me realize that I was on the wrong track. It’s actually well within the capabilities of a laidback gardener!

The (Not So Secret) Secrets of Banana Growing

The secret of its success? A fertilizer rich in silica. Banana trees are demanding, but not complicated. Silica, naturally released by algae, is the key to success. At Éco-Verdure, this is not a problem: they have a trout pond that provides them with all the fertilizer they need. It is a perfect example of permaculture, where one person’s waste becomes food for others.

In terms of conditions, banana plants are surprisingly undemanding. A minimum of 15°C (59°F) is maintained in the greenhouse in winter, but even during the cold season, it easily reaches 25°C on sunny days. It is therefore a crop that requires almost no artificial heating. Humidity is maintained at around 50% – much less than the 80-90% of the tropics! As for lighting, there is no need for expensive lamps: natural sunlight is more than enough, even in winter.

I don’t know about you, but it looks a lot like the conditions in a house, doesn’t it?

The only real need for banana trees is space, especially for the roots.

They need pots with a diameter of at least 22 inches, ideally 33 inches, but at the nursery, they are planted directly in the ground. In terms of height, the Cavendish varieties sold to customers reach about 8 to 9 feet – perfectly manageable in a home.

And yes, banana lovers, you heard right: Éco-Verdure sells young banana plants so that you too can eat 250 bananas in one go!

The Banana Tree Cycle: No Spring Fever Here!

Unlike our native plants, which need seasonal cues to regulate their cycle (such as the length of the day or the winter cold), banana plants in greenhouses follow their own rhythm. They do not have a particular flowering season – they flower when they are ready, regardless of the surrounding light or temperature.

Once the only bunch has been harvested, the main stem, called the stipe (the “trunk”), must be cut. But don’t worry, banana trees naturally produce suckers at their base – usually three – which will take over. 750 bananas in 6 to 9 months! That’s a lot of banana bread!

These suckers are clones of the main plant. Each of these new plants will in turn produce three suckers, and so on. At the nursery, the first banana tree, which is three years old, already shows several cycles of trunks cut after production and new suckers growing all around the base.

This natural succession allows for staggered production all year round if the plantations are well planned. There is no banana season, just a continuous harvest!

An interesting peculiarity: bananas do not ripen on the plant in Canadian conditions (except in the middle of summer when it is very hot). Myriam has therefore developed a simple but effective technique: she uses the ethylene naturally released by ripe bananas to ripen her own fruit.

She started by buying a banana from the shop to ripen her first batch. Then she used her own ripe bananas to ripen the next batches. She is actively looking for someone who could sell her ethylene directly so that she no longer depends on imported bananas, if you know anyone…!

Beyond the Cavendish: Tropical Biodiversity Comes to Quebec

If you think that all bananas are yellow and taste the same, think again! There are more than 1,000 varieties of bananas in the world, of all colors, shapes and flavors. However, in our grocery stores, we can find practically only the Cavendish, the only variety exported on a large scale commercially; a very sad monopoly that deprives us of an incredible wealth of taste, in addition to being quite fragile as a crop.

If you remember my article on the history of bananas, I talk about the risks of having crops made up entirely of the same cloned individual and their susceptibility to disease.

Myriam has decided to take a step towards this secret diversity that is not available in the markets. The nursery already grows 5 or 6 productive varieties, but the goal is to have about 15 in the next few years. Blues, reds, pinks! Each with its own unique flavor.

Myriam’s Most Ambitious Project?

Gradually acclimatizing certain varieties in an attempt to grow them outdoors in Quebec, with minimal protection. She hopes to develop productive banana trees that could adapt to our northern climate, an exciting challenge.

But her ambitions do not stop at bananas. The greenhouse already houses papaya trees, babacos (a type of seedless papaya), avocados, and an impressive collection of citrus fruits. And this is just the beginning.

Myriam wants to grow all the fruits that are not naturally found in Quebec. Mangoes, pineapples as ground cover around the trees, pomegranates, tropical kiwis, passion fruits, pitayas… It’s a big step towards food autonomy.

The image it conjures up resembles a tropical Garden of Eden, nestled in the heart of Quebec. And why not? Yesterday’s impossibility often becomes tomorrow’s reality. And look, here are papayas!

As regards the price, the Cavendish and plantain bananas from the nursery are sold at the same price as in the grocery store ($5 for 6 bananas), due to regulations on these common varieties. Special varieties will obviously be a little more expensive: the speed of production, the size of the bunch and the space requirements of the trees will influence the price of the fruit.

The Ecological Footprint: When Local Rhymes With Tropical

One might think that growing bananas in Quebec requires a lot of energy, but it’s quite the opposite. As the nursery already had a greenhouse, the only additional costs are electricity and heating, the latter being minimal.

Local rhymes with ecological: no boats, no refrigerated trucks, no air-conditioned warehouses. These bananas go directly from the greenhouse to the consumer. Éco-Verdure does not target large grocery chains, but rather local restaurants and small neighborhood grocery stores. (By the way, if, like me, Saint-Eustache is too far away to get your bananas, Myriam is very open to sharing her knowledge with other nurseries that would like to embark on the adventure!)

An entire greenhouse is being fitted out at the time of publication of this article (this photo only shows half of it!) to increase productivity. Tropical fruits, watered with water from the fish ponds, with a potential heating system powered by gas from decomposing vegetable waste.

With a view to total permaculture, a project to extract oil from the trunks of banana trees cut down for cosmetic purposes is underway. Nothing is wasted at Éco-Verdure: not the fish poo, not the gases from the compost, not the old banana stalks!

A Giant Step Towards Food Self-Sufficiency

On leaving the Eco-Verdure greenhouse (in the freezing rain, by the way!), I was still a little disappointed… It’s much too far from my house to go back there regularly… What’s more, logistically speaking, I couldn’t leave with a banana tree… But I’ve already decided which room in my house would be home to said banana tree in the future!

Besides the bananas, I LOVED this plant nursery. It feels like a botanical garden, not a shop. You can learn a lot about plants, but also about autonomy, ecology and resilience. You discover methods, new fruits (try the calamondin!) and a beautiful humanity.

Myriam’s mission through all her current and future projects is clear: to show people what they are eating, where their food comes from, and how much is possible. This experience invites us to rethink our relationship with food and where it comes from. If bananas can grow in Saint-Eustache, what’s stopping us from growing other “impossible” crops? When will we have cinnamon and vanilla from Quebec? I can hardly wait!