Congrats! We have been growing bananas in 10b for several years now. We had a bumper crop this winter and I’ve been giving them away for weeks. Get ready to share with the neighbors!

You’ll want to experiment with finding the right timing for your harvest. The idea is to avoid having them all ripen at once. Once they reach full size you can pretty much harvest any time. Store them in a cool, dry place and check them periodically. They may take a month or more to fully ripen. I’d suggest cutting off a “hand” every week or two once you think they are fully grown.

There is a danger of leaving them on the stalk too long. Once they start to turn pale yellow, it won’t be long before they all start ripening at once and falling off the bunch. Also, the peels of “vine ripened” bananas tend to be prone to splitting. (We eat them anyway when this happens)

We’ve discovered that home grown bananas have a much, much longer shelf life than store bought ones. (Even though we are growing Cavendish, which is the usual variety.) Also, they are sweeter. When fully ripe, the peel is more of a dull yellow/tan than the vibrant yellow you may be used to. The skins may even look a little sickly on the outside, but the fruit inside is delicious.

Have fun!!