Growing bananas in St. Lucia for the UK & the EU straight banana myth

The EU straight banana myth is explained at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6481969.stm

The banana flowers are manually removed to allow the bananas to bend!  Otherwise they would grow straight.  It is easier to pack the curved hands of bananas in boxes for shipment from St. Lucia to the UK.

It takes nine months for banana fruits to grow to maturity, after which the parent plant will produce no more and is cut down.  A vegetatively produced daughter plant grows in its place.

The bananas are covered in plastic to protect them from blotching from the chemicals sprayed on the leaves.  There is no particular growing season.  They grow and are harvested all year round.  The coloured tag on the bag indicates the date for harvesting.

Click here to see details of my illustrated talk on "The exotic spices, nuts, fruits, vegetables, plants and insects of St Lucia."