What kind of Banana tree will grow in Charleston SC (29414) that produces fruit that can be eaten?

Question:Lowes here are selling them, and I see them all over and growing tall in yards. Do these people have to cut them back every year? What are the odds they produce fruit?

Answers:
Well, I'm in Ohio, and we often get temps below 0 degrees fahrenheit here.

There's a lady who grows banana trees every year. She cuts them down to about a foot high before the first frost, and digs thems up and puts them in her basement, where they are dormant until she plants them again in spring. I think she did it for about 10 years before they were mature enough to produce bananas - but they do grow bananas!! She sports a "grove" of about a dozen banana trees right out in her front yard, and they seem to grow about 10 feet tall each season.

I would think you could grow them there, and get bananas in less time, since your growing season is longer than ours by a long shot. If you have "winter", you could probably just cut them back, and then mulch them heavily where they stand. (Since I doubt your ground actually freezes like it does here). They'll probably be dormant for awhile while it's cold, then start growing again when it warms up.

I'd go for it! Sometimes you don't know what will work until you try!