I think this is our fourth bunch of bananas in the new house, in three years. And there’s another three coming on, another Ladyfinger and two huge Cavendish bunches. They’re a little bit angular – I would have preferred to leave them for another couple of weeks to round out before harvesting. But they will ripen up, and the wildlife has a habit of starting in on the harvest early. We bag the Cavendish bunches, but the Ladyfinger palms are so tall they are difficult to bag.
I suspect bananas will make it onto the list of staples in this climate. They are trouble free here (at least until the brush turkeys find out about them). Low effort – just a bit of compost and seaweed brew fertilizing occasionally, and the pups transplanted away to keep them from overcrowding. The yield is enormous for the amount of space they take. The Ladyfingers are tall enough to reach sunlight on the southern side of the house, an area too shady for almost anything else.
It is a criticism often made of permaculture, that it is all very well for hobby farmers, but for feeding the world we need fossil fuel, fertilizer and pesticide dependent conventional agriculture – in terms of calories per acre or kilojoules per hectare, permaculture can’t compete. Spinach and basil will not keep you from going hungry. It is true that I doubt small scale urban permaculture could produce enough wheat or rice, at least in this subtropical climate. But taro, sweet potatoes, cassava, yams, plaintain bananas, and a bit of multicultural food preparation knowledge might be in the running.
I think it’s easier to learn to cook and eat what grows easily than battle to grow things that struggle. The only problem can be the expectations of others, who might resist change. Bread seems to be a sticking point for many, there are excellent non wheat flatbreads (plantain tortillas are delicious!), but an airy toasting loaf is much harder to achieve without wheat.