Easy steps on how to grow bananas and blueberries

Bananas and blueberries are popular fruits that are nutritious and versatile. You can eat them raw or use them in a range of desserts. These tips will help you yield healthy and abundant crops of these fruits.

If you think of the banana as a fruit, think again: it’s actually a tropical herb. The plant grows to five metres and is suited to tropical and subtropical climates where the temperature remains above 12°C (54°F).

You can grow banana out of its usual temperate climate, providing that you protect the young plant from light frosts in winter. However, it will not grow in regions with cold winters.

• There are several varieties, including the small 'Sugar Banana' and 'Lady's Finger', which are particularly sweet. Bananas require a sunny, sheltered situation and moderately rich, well-drained soil.
• During summer, they like plenty of water. A thick organic mulch is beneficial because these plants have shallow roots.
• Young plants will begin to bear fruit after 18 months of growth. If fruit forms during cool weather, you should protect the bunches with a blue plastic cover, which also shields the ripening fruit from fruit fly and bats.
• They are ready for picking when the fruit becomes rounder and loses its angular shape; ripen them indoors by hanging the bunches upside down somewhere warm.

Blueberry bushes need a cool to cold climate for successful bud-burst in spring. Some of the popular varieties are 'Ivanhoe', 'Atlantic' and 'Premier'.

• Blueberry bushes prefer acid-rich soil that is well drained but remains moist, especially during summer.
• Apply a balanced, all-purpose fertilizer in late winter to early spring to encourage good fruit production.
• Do not prune the bushes during the first three years, because the fruit is borne on the previous year's wood and it takes time for sufficient fruiting stems to develop.
• Cut from one to four of the oldest shoots on each bush to encourage new shoot growth. Blueberries are not usually troubled by pests and diseases, although a net covering the bushes as the fruit ripens will keep birds off the crop.

With the right care, you can grow healthy bananas and blueberries for eating raw or cooked. These tips will set you up for success.