How to Grow Edible Bananas

Choose a growing location for the banana plant that receives 12 hours of full sun every day.

Obtain a soil pH test. Bananas require a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. If your pH is higher, add peat moss or pine needles to bring it down. Elemental sulfur, available at gardening centers, also works.

Add amendments to the soil before planting the banana plant. Use 2 inches of lava sand and 2 inches of small chunks of fir bark to help aerate the soil. Add 3 inches of compost for nutrients. Blend the amendments into the top 12 inches of soil.

Dig a planting hole that is the same depth as the pot that currently holds the banana plant, but two times as wide.

Remove the banana plant from its nursery pot, place the corm on the bottom of the hole and fill the hole halfway. Run water into the hole until it's full, allow it to drain and continue filling the hole with soil. Use your feet to firm the soil around the base of the banana plant.

Water the banana plant slowly and deeply. During periods of hot weather, water every two to three days, or when the top inch of soil is dry.

Fertilize the banana plant with 2 lbs. of 8-10-8 once a month. The experts at California Rare Fruit Growers recommend that you apply the fertilizer in a circle that radiates out 4 feet from the base of the banana.