Build a Banana Circle
Conservation, Food Forests, Food Plants - Perennial — by Jan Buckley
A banana-paw paw circle is an excellent way to grow fine fruit and root vegetable crops whilst using up excess water and organic wastes.
by Jan Buckley
Why it works so well
The design is basically a circular swale, and it works well because there’s only one place to mulch, feed and water, which serves many plants. It’s a good spot to put all your kitchen scraps, to use as a handy compost heap, and it can also take cardboard, paper and tin cans. It can make use of excess water run-off, or if water is scarce, greywater can be directed to the circle so water is reused.
On top of that, bananas grow well in a circle, and bear bunches on the outside. Both bananas and paw paws are gross feeders and thrive on nutrients from the decaying organic matter in the central hole.
So you get ample production of fruit, and root crops. You can also plant climbing plants like beans to grow up the banana stalks once they are tall. Volunteer plants like pumpkins and tomatoes are likely to spring up from vegetable scraps in the compost.
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