Allotments 4 All

I'll take my chances with crispy bacon & butter as it happens. I have far greater reservations about margarines & soya proteins. Organic and veggie is perceived as healthy but that depends on what choices you make.

The tendency with veggies who subscribe to the 'low fat' food experiment is to hammer the carbohydrates (cornflakes & pasta). Carbs are sugars and any surplus to the bodies requirements gets stored as fat.

This lifetime I will mostly be eating free range & organic meats + allotment grown vegetables, herbs & fruit.

I like some of Premtals home grown 'super foods' mentioned elsewhere on this forum.

Just to keep it vaguely on topic... I've eaten a banana today and will be composting the skin.

Yerghhh - margarine. A member of our household insists on eating margarine. I keep 'forgetting' to buy it.
I reckon everyone could afford to eat free range or organic meat, if they just ate less meat.
What's so special about banana skins as opposed to other  compostables? my mum keeps on about them too.

Regrettably what you had for breakfast will not help my research!

Seriously, I really do want to find out about what effects bananas have on the growing performance of our veggies.

Would any one be prepared to help me and trial a single plant on their plot to help me with this?

I don't have bananas for breakfast, but as I said, my mother has trialed and erred with and without bananas for donkeys years and has said they are beneficial to roses.

regards,
I used to work with a girl whose fiance worked with Ireland's biggest importers of bananas and she said that he said ALWAYS wash your bananas before eating them, the things he saw....I rarely do, myself, but that's what he said (met him one day)

Hi flowerlady,
                      Have you any particular veg in mind, I would suggest a list of plants which you think will provide you with a data base of information.

I will take part in your banana trial as I believe that this will be a worthy exercise in determining the potential of bananas as a growth stimulator for annual crops.

                                                             PREMTAL :)

While we are on the subject of Bananas, could I please urge people not to buy Del Monte or Chiquita.  These bananas are intensively grown using massive amounts of chemical which are effecting the health of people and the environment of the Central American countries in which they are grown.  Very little money goes into the local economy as both a US brands.  It is much better (IMHO) to support the banana growers of the Windward Islands (I think Ffyffes bananas are Windward)  They are not allowed to use so many (or any chemicals).  The farms are smaller and generally locally owned and our very own government has had a scrap with the EU because we support the farms financially.

PS I would be very grateful for anybody who follows this advice as I do not like bananas so cannot be my usual proactive self.

Premtal ... thanks for your offer to trial some plants. :)

If anyone were interested to see if the humble banana could benefit their crops ... :o

I would suggest any plant that is pot grow, such as toms, peppers, chillies, gherkins, cuc, melons etc  These are far more likely to be observed in greater detail. ;)

Flowers even ;D ;D ;D

Any plant that the grower has a keen interest in :-\

Ideally three to four plants would be required.
1 as grown as normal (control plant)
1 with whole fruit
1 with just fruit
1 with just skin

Observations to be made:-
Rate of growth - measure at weekly(?) intervals
Foliage - colour, size, density
Fruit - colour, size, quantity

AND - TASTE

so what do you think?  come on guys give it a go!! :D