A typical banana circle is a hole dug into the ground with the excavated dirt mounded around the hole in which the banana plants are placed. The hole is then filled with organic material (mulch, tree trimmings) to help feed the plants and to maintain moisture. Sometimes they are incorporated into sloped land to also help capture water runoff for the banana plants. Other plants can also be incorporated to help control weeds, pests, or just make the circle more attractive or productive.
I’ve created two banana circles at Three Acre Paradise (link to types of bananas planted) with plans of at least one more. The design is a little different, there’s no need to try to capture water as that is not a problem here. Whenever we get heavy rains there can be standing water for up to a couple of weeks which has proven to be a problem for many plants. The design here is to create a mound right on top of the ground instead of digging a hole. I have a source of very rich topsoil which should make the banana plants quite happy.
Here’s the first step, just dropping the topsoil on the ground in an almost circular shape. The center hols is about 6 feet across and the diameter of the outer circle is about 15 feet. You can see how wet the ground is, it’s already seeping up into the dirt at the bottom.
Next, clean up the circular shape.
Drop the mulch in the middle. I’ve got several piles of this thanks to a local tree trimming company.
Last, plant bananas. This circle has Hua Moa Bananas along with some Okra and Pigeon Peas direct seeded.
Here’s the other circle, it has Cavendish Bananas, Sunflowers, and a Cowpeas. One of the banana plants (the larger scraggly cold damaged one) was moved from a different part of the property.
Once the companion plants begin to grow I’ll add some other plants, possibly squash and pole beans. It’s sort of a three sisters setup but with perennial plants. I’ll post updates in three months or sooner if things change quickly.