All-Access. All in one subscription.
Subscribe now

All-Access + BusinessDesk Weekly

Pay just
$10
$2
per week
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All-Access + BusinessDesk Annual

Pay just
$349
$49
per year
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Local Focus: Whanganui's going bananas

Georgie Ormond
Georgie Ormond
Whanganui Chronicle·
14 Nov, 2021 09:50 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Local Focus: Whanganui's going bananas
Satisfied backyard banana growers reaping the rewards of planting just three years ago. ...
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • subtitles settings, opens subtitles settings dialog
    • subtitles off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Autoplay in
      3
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      Satisfied backyard banana growers reaping the rewards of planting just three years ago.
      NOW PLAYING • Local Focus: Whanganui's going bananas
      Satisfied backyard banana growers reaping the rewards of planting just three years ago. ...

      It was 2014 when Steve Clotworthy's 10-year-old banana tree fruited for the first time.

      It sits in the middle of his Aramoho backyard and made headlines, but these days fruiting banana trees are not unusual.

      Gareth Carter, of Springvale Nurseries, says Whanganui's warming climate has allowed more people to grow a greater variety of fruits.

      "Towards Springvale, St John's Hill heading into Castlecliff, there are very few frosts now," he said.

      "Most winters we might get five frosts and they're very light," says Carter.

      All-Access. All in one subscription.
      Subscribe now

      All-Access + BusinessDesk Weekly

      Pay just
      $10
      $2
      per week
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All-Access + BusinessDesk Annual

      Pay just
      $349
      $49
      per year
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Growing the fruit is becoming more popular as people discover they are relatively easy care.

      They require a sheltered spot to prosper, but with sun and water, they self-propagate.

      Mark Daniels, of Castlecliff, says his bananas took three or four years to grow and bear fruit.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "I bought two to start with and they've clumped to a number. The tree grows a banana, then it dies and the next ones come up."

      The banana varieties at garden centres are different from the ones you find in the supermarket, but provide enough fruit to be useful.

      "Probably a kilogram off each bunch, a couple of kilograms maybe. They're only small but they're very sweet and they ripen fairly quickly once you cut them," says Daniels.

      The banana bunch ripens from bottom to top, and that means a constant supply of fresh bananas.

      Discover more

      Gardening: Make the most of hedges and edges

      19 Nov 04:00 PM

      Gardening: Caring for your summer garden

      03 Dec 04:00 PM
      New Zealand

      Local Focus: Paying it forward at the Citadel

      10 Dec 06:15 AM

      "You can pick the whole bunch, but when I've done that I've had to eat too many bananas every day, so I'm just going to pick them every day."

      New Zealand doesn't yet grow bananas commercially, but there are trials around the country supported by AgResearch scientists.

      According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, New Zealand imports more bananas per capita than any other developed country.

      For hobby gardeners, it means fewer food miles in their fruit bowl.

      Bananas can be planted in the ground after the last frost or kept in a pot on a deck or in a sheltered sunny spot until ready to plant.

      Save
        Share this article

      Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

      Whanganui Chronicle

      Local elections 2025: Michael Organ running for Whanganui council

      21 Sep 05:00 PM
      Whanganui Chronicle

      'Just the beginning': New exploration experience launches in Whanganui

      19 Sep 10:00 PM
      Premium
      OpinionGareth Carter

      Gareth Carter: Grow your own strawberries

      19 Sep 05:00 PM

      Sponsored

      Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

      07 Sep 12:00 PM
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Recommended for you

      'We shouldn’t just be numbers': Palestinians react to recognition move
      World

      'We shouldn’t just be numbers': Palestinians react to recognition move

      21 Sep 06:33 PM
      Britain, Canada, Australia recognise Palestinian state in major shift
      World

      Britain, Canada, Australia recognise Palestinian state in major shift

      21 Sep 06:22 PM
      Clutch putt ends seven-year drought for Kim, Fox gets top 20 in France
      Golf

      Clutch putt ends seven-year drought for Kim, Fox gets top 20 in France

      21 Sep 06:22 PM
      Trump among tens of thousands at Charlie Kirk memorial
      New Zealand

      Trump among tens of thousands at Charlie Kirk memorial

      21 Sep 06:11 PM
      UK, Australia and Canada recognise Palestinian state
      World

      UK, Australia and Canada recognise Palestinian state

      21 Sep 06:00 PM
      Inside the Space Force as it prepares for a new kind of war
      World

      Inside the Space Force as it prepares for a new kind of war

      21 Sep 06:00 PM


      Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

      Local elections 2025: Michael Organ running for Whanganui council
      Whanganui Chronicle

      Local elections 2025: Michael Organ running for Whanganui council

      Michael Organ says ratepayers have a "white elephant" on Victoria Ave.

      21 Sep 05:00 PM
      'Just the beginning': New exploration experience launches in Whanganui
      Whanganui Chronicle

      'Just the beginning': New exploration experience launches in Whanganui

      19 Sep 10:00 PM
      Premium
      Premium
      Gareth Carter: Grow your own strawberries
      OpinionGareth Carter

      Gareth Carter: Grow your own strawberries

      19 Sep 05:00 PM


      Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
      Sponsored

      Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

      07 Sep 12:00 PM

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • NZME Events
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      All-Access. All in one subscription.
      Subscribe now

      All-Access + BusinessDesk Weekly

      Pay just
      $10
      $2
      per week
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All-Access + BusinessDesk Annual

      Pay just
      $349
      $49
      per year
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search