YouTube Video:

How & When to Harvest Bananas | The Right Time to Pick Bananas for the Best Flavor

If you've ever wondered when you're supposed to harvest bananas, you're definitely not alone.

Many people assume bananas have to ripen on the plant, but that's actually not the best way to do it.

Here at our home, we grow hundreds of bananas every year, so we've developed a simple harvesting routine that gives us delicious bananas while keeping our edible landscape productive.

This article covers when to harvest bananas, how we harvest them, and what we do with all those extra bananas.

Why Timing Matters 

One of the biggest mistakes new banana growers make is waiting too long to harvest.

Unlike many fruits, bananas continue ripening after they're picked.

If you leave them on the plant until they're all yellow, you risk losing fruit to birds, squirrels, insects, or even having bananas split or become overripe.

Instead, the goal is to harvest at just the right stage so the entire bunch ripens beautifully indoors.

Step 1: Harvest the Rack 

Here's the simple rule we follow.

Once at least one banana on the rack starts turning yellow, it's time to harvest the entire bunch.

That tells us the fruit has reached maturity and will continue ripening off the plant.

Since we grow hundreds of bananas every year, this method has worked really well for us.

To harvest, we use a reciprocating saw to carefully cut down the entire banana rack.

Banana plants are surprisingly heavy once they're carrying fruit, so be prepared to support the bunch as you cut it to avoid bruising the bananas or your head.

Take your time and work safely because a mature rack can weigh quite a bit.

Step 2: Cut Down the Banana Stalk 

After harvesting the fruit, we cut down the banana stalk that produced it.

This surprises a lot of people, but each banana stalk only produces fruit one time.

Once it's finished fruiting, that stalk will never produce another rack of bananas.

Fortunately, the underground corm sends up new shoots, often called pups, that will become the next generation of banana plants.

Nothing goes to waste in our edible landscape.

We give the cut banana stalks to our chickens, and they absolutely love pecking at the moist, tender interior and leaves to eat.

After that, we use the remaining material as mulch around the garden.

Banana stalks help return valuable organic matter to the soil, making this an easy way to recycle nutrients back into the garden.

Step 3: Separate the Bananas 

Next, we use a pair of garden clippers to cut the individual hands or bananas from the main stalk.

This makes them much easier to store and allows us to keep track of which ones are ripening first.

I like to inspect the bananas as I separate them and remove any damaged fruit so the rest stay in great condition.

Step 4: Ripen the Bananas 

Now it's time to let nature do the rest.

If the bananas are already fully ripe, we place them in the refrigerator.

The peel may darken in the fridge, but the fruit inside stays fresh for weeks in the fridge.

If they're still green, we simply leave them on the kitchen counter to finish ripening.

For us, this usually takes up to one week, depending on how mature they were when we harvested and the temperature inside our home.

There's nothing quite like walking into the kitchen and smelling fresh homegrown bananas ripening naturally.

Step 5: Freeze the Extras 

Since we harvest so many bananas every year, we almost always end up with more than we can eat fresh.

Rather than letting them go to waste, we peel and freeze the extras.

Frozen bananas are perfect for:

• Smoothies

• Banana bread

• Muffins

• Pancakes

• Nice cream

• Cookies and other baked treats

It's a great way to enjoy your harvest long after banana season. We also sometimes use our dehydrator to make banana chips.

Growing bananas has become one of my favorite parts of our edible landscape.

Not only do they produce an incredible amount of fruit, but every part of the plant can be put to good use—from feeding our chickens to creating nutrient-rich mulch for the garden.

If you have banana plants at home, I hope these harvesting tips help you enjoy an even better harvest this year.

If you have other questions regarding bananas, now is the perfect time to watch my YouTube video titled “7 Banana Growing Tips To Get Fruit Faster That Actually Work”.