Have you ever found yourself staring at a mushy and brown banana and wondering what to do with it?
Instead of tossing it in the trash (or baking banana bread again), let me share a little trick a fellow plant-lover taught me: hang it in your garden.
I know it sounds a bit bonkers, but trust me, this simple hack brings some interesting benefits to your garden’s ecosystem.
Butterflies and Bees Love It
I’ve tried this myself and can’t guarantee you that butterflies can’t resist the sweet aroma of an overripe banana as it breaks down.
The banana’s sugars ferment and create a natural nectar, and many colorful butterflies will start fluttering around your garden.
It’s an amazing sight, one afternoon I counted at least five different butterflies sipping on the banana. And it’s not just for show.
Those butterflies are actually doing double duty. As they flit from the banana to the flowers (and back again for seconds), they’re helping pollinate your garden plants.
Oh, and guess what bees love it too. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about attracting bees (I know it’s stupid, but they scare me), but they do such a fantastic job as pollinators.
And they’re usually too busy enjoying the sugary snack to bother anyone.
PRO TIP: Just remember to hang the banana a bit away from your porch or seating area.
Invite the “Good Bugs” for Pest Control
When I first heard about hanging a banana, a friend told me, “It’ll bring beneficial bugs to your yard.”
I rolled my eyes and thought, sure, invite bugs on purpose, great idea. But it turns out she was right. The sweet rotting banana smell attracts all sorts of helpful insects that are on our side.
These are the “good bugs”, the kind that like to snack on the nasty pests that eat our plants.
For example, I noticed more ladybugs around after I started doing the banana thing. They eat aphids, and my rosebushes have been remarkably aphid-free lately, so I’m giving the banana some credit.
There are also tiny parasitic wasps and hoverflies. Their larvae then go and munch on caterpillars and aphids.
Essentially, by hanging an overripe banana, you’re attracting a natural pest control squad and I’ve noticed fewer holes in my lettuce and less powdery mildew.
Feed Your Plants Naturally
Aside from attracting all those visitors, an overripe banana is basically a natural fertilizer on a string.
As the banana breaks down, it’s releasing nutrients right back into your soil.
Bananas are famously high in potassium, the same stuff that helps us humans with muscle cramps.
Potassium is a key nutrient that helps plants grow strong stems, fight off diseases, and produce more flowers and fruit. So by hanging a banana above your garden bed, you’re doing a slow-motion fertilizer that drips nutrients into the soil every time it rains or you water.
A little personal anecdote: My grandma used to bury banana peels under her rose bushes; she swore by it for bigger blooms.
You can do that too, just have a look at the kitchen scraps you can use to feed your plants (no compost needed).
Help Birds and Other Critters
One morning, I looked out my kitchen window and nearly spat out my coffee when I saw a cheeky little bird pecking at the hanging banana, having the time of its life.
Turns out, it’s not just insects that enjoy this treat. Local wildlife like birds (and even small critters) might take a nibble of that banana if they can reach it.
I’ve seen sparrows and finches poking at it, likely after the sweet banana bits or the bugs around it. And honestly, I’m all for it! The more the merrier in my garden ecosystem.
Having birds around is great for the garden too, many garden birds eat loads of insects (more free pest control!) and help with pollination in their own way.
Plus, they add a lovely soundtrack to my morning plant-watering routine. I’ve caught a squirrel eying the banana as well, but he hasn’t quite figured out how to get to it yet.
So by hanging an overripe banana, you’re basically creating a mini wildlife sanctuary in your backyard. All coming together around this one strange, wonderful food source.
It makes my garden feel alive and interconnected, and all I did was tie a banana to a string. Nature’s pretty awesome, isn’t it?