Bananas Ripen in Kretinga Winter Garden, Experts Share Home-Growing Tips

Kretinga, Lithuania – A unique harvest is underway at the Kretinga Winter Garden, where a banana plant has ripened, yielding approximately 70 fruits. While not a record for the garden, which once produced 157 bananas from a single plant, these current fruits are notably larger.

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Bananas grow in the winter garden for a long time. It is said that the founder of the orangery, Count Tiškevičius, also grew them.

The banana plant began flowering in early September last year, and the journey from bloom to harvest typically takes about nine months, according to Jurgita Tertelienė, head of the Nature Department. She explained that a banana plant fruits only once in its lifetime, eventually perishing but producing offshoots. Currently, three banana plants are growing in the Winter Garden, with hopes for future yields.

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A banana bloomed last autumn, in the first days of September, and from the appearance of the banana flower to the harvesting of the first fruit, it always takes about 9 months.

Botanists clarify that bananas are not trees but the world's largest grass. Some species can reach heights of 10-12 meters. The "trunk" of a banana plant, when cut, resembles a cabbage. Cultivating bananas at home is possible but demands ample space, light, humidity, and patience, often requiring 4-5 years before flowering, depending on growing conditions.

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It dies, but before that, it releases offshoots.

The Kretinga Winter Garden's history with bananas dates back to the late 19th century, with Count Tiškevičius, the garden's founder, also cultivating them. Photographs from that era show bananas growing in the conservatory, which was designed to showcase exotic plants and occasionally offer ripe fruit to visitors. Today, visitors are invited to taste the locally grown bananas, which botanists claim are far superior to store-bought varieties due to their natural ripening process, resulting in a more intense aroma and sweeter taste.

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There are banana species in the world that grow up to 10–12 meters high. That size is like our ficus. Then there are no arguments – it is the largest grass in the world.