Permaculture Banana Circles 101 - Tips and Tricks

Permaculture Banana Circles 101 - Tips and Tricks
In this episode I share how to construct banana / plantain / papaya circles. I also share some wisdom, tips and tricks to make yours a success and as abundant as possible! (Hint, the principles shared here are also useful in organic gardens and orchards as well as regenerative projects!)
Thanks for watching and don’t forget to Subscribe, Like and Share!
Video Equipment:
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About the African Homestead:
In 2018, my family and I relocated from Liberia's capital city, Monrovia, to the edge of a small village in the interior of the country.
On this channel, we will cover many aspects of homesteading and self-sufficiency / self-reliance. Subjects will be a mix of vlogs and DIY projects, including primitive and modern construction, solar power, micro-hydro power (hopefully), selectively harvesting trees and milling lumber on-site for the construction of our house and other structures, Practicing Farming God's Way, natural farming, permaculture, and organic agriculture that includes kitchen gardens, food forests, composting, and more, all in a tropical environment.
We will also cover multiple types of livestock. Everything from raising chickens, rabbits, goats, pigs, and (maybe) cows, ranging from breeding, to milking, to butchering.
As part of self sufficiency, after growing our own food, we will share how to preserve it, from curing and smoking meats like bacon, to canning and fermenting veggies from the garden. Of course, we will be sharing some of our favorite recipes too!
On many of these endeavors, we will be learning as we go, which means we will make mistakes and have failures, all of which, we will share with you.
Thanks for joining us on the journey!
Editing Software:
-Adobe Premiere Pro CC
-Adobe Illustrator CC
-Adobe Photoshop CC
-Microsoft Paint
Logo Credit: Lucy Buller
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. As an Amazon (or Walmart or whatever.com) Associate I earn only from qualifying purchases.

[@africanhomestead]

If you enjoyed this episode, the "like" it and check out this video! kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3SXl2CFep2FhNk

[@shaagarey469]

Great tutorial: tight, concise, informative, and not a lot of blah blah. I got some great ideas, with you giving me the whys and wherefores of things. Good job🙏

[@africanhomestead]

Thank you for the encouragement! I’m glad is was helpful. I try not to pad my videos with unnecessary stories or unrelated information. Please feel free to provide feedback anytime!

[@johnrohlfs1745]

Excellent video! Great info. Going to make one in North Georgia! USA

[@meghamalhaarfarms]

Good information

[@mashonabuma9692]

Thankyou

[@MrSnnjay]

Brilliant tutorial

[@jesusiscoming8237]

Thank you for this video. This is very interesting. I'm going to try it.

[@africanhomestead]

Thanks! Tell me how it goes! 👍🏼

[@trudyeagan4336]

We can easily do that here in Florida. North where there are freezing temperatures I’m sure it would work well, too, but likely it would take much more time. Anyway it’s great information. Thanks

[@africanhomestead]

Yes, it would work great in Florida. I would think it might be especially helpful in sandy soil, where the center of the circle would become an oasis of nutrients!

[@GrandmomZoo]

Thank you

[@marycampbell4160]

Awesome information thanks for sharing

[@africanhomestead]

Thank you for watching and commenting, Mary! 👍🏼

[@JohannSchmidt-xw4bd]

I have dug a hole - 2m diameter by 800mm deep. Unfortunately it is heavy clay with extremely poor drainage. It is on the top of a fairly teep hill. I'm wondering whether I need to put ag pipe in the bottom of the hole to slowly drain out to the hill so I don't end up with a pond with rotten organic matter, rather than OM breaking down to compost with some air available to the process

[@sdp4549]

valuable to me here in MD, usa

[@africanhomestead]

Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching!

[@oliknowles7645]

Smart move to funnel waste water from the kitchen and outdoor shower. 😊

[@a3skiba]

very nice. good info

[@africanhomestead]

Thank you. I’m glad it was helpful. 👍🏼

[@maniksidhabhambure6676]

Thanks for your information, can you help me to make a water source as l will be starting farming afresh....

[@charleswaters455]

I am on very flat, very low land and I sense that this could be a good growing technique for me. Could you use higher berms with less deep holes? I hit ground water at 18 inches.

[@africanhomestead]

Yes, you could definitely use higher berms and shallow holes. The idea is to provide nutrient-rich soil full of microbiology in the banana root zone.

[@msmissy1744]

Do you have to support the trees from wind? If so, how do you do that when it's in a circle like this?

[@cozyrosemary]

Gorgeous 💓😍

[@africanhomestead]

Thank you!

[@vichufoodvlogs]

மக்குகள் இன்றி விவசாயமில்ல,வளர்பு சருகு,மரங்களே மக்கிற்கு ஆதாரம். நிலபரப்பில்25அடிக்கு ஒரு கால்வாய் அமைத்து கழிவுகளை கொட்டினால் தேங்கும் நீர் மக்காக்கி நிலம் முழுவதும் பாக்டிரியா சத்துக்கள் பரவி தகுதியான அதிக சத்தான நிலபரப்பை தரும்.🎉❤🎉.

[@futurecaredesign]

Do you filter the kitchen water at all before sending it off to the banana circle? We are in Greece and use lots of oils in our cooking. I would be concerned that the oils would inhibit decomposition.

[@africanhomestead]

That’s a great question! We do not filter our grey water coming from the kitchen sink and washing machine. However, the only oil we put down the kitchen drain is residual oil on our pots and pans that we remove with soap and water. If we need to dispose of larger amounts of oil, like for frying chicken, then we dispose of that elsewhere. On a related note, we also limit the amount of bleach we use, since that kills soil microbial life in the banana circle. Are you planning a circle garden? What will you plant?

[@futurecaredesign]

@@africanhomestead Yes, we are more or less the same in our habits then. Still, I am thinking I am not going to risk it due to the smells associated with kitchen greywater. Our banana circle will sit right on the edge between Zone 1 and 2, close to the house and my partner has a sensitive nose.

[@bradleyblack9255]

Europe don't have poppi circles or somthing?

[@gaddebayalu]

But Washing Machine / Bathroom / Sink Waste water contains the chemicsls (Shampoo, Soap, Detergent) Wondering wat type of Organic Farming you've done 🤔🤔🤔

[@juliusmercado9291]

Is soap bad for plants? You said kitchen sink, toilet and washing machine, just worried about the impact of soap

[@africanhomestead]

Great question! Soap can be bad for some plants, but banana and plantain do a great job of processing grey water with soap in it. One place to be careful, though, it is important to minimize the use of bleach and harsh cleaning chemicals in your sink and washing machine. Their presence will damage and kill beneficial bacterial and fungal life in your soil. Just to clarify, I did not mention using waste water from toilets in your banana circle (or anywhere else). This falls in the black water category and is never good to use in gardens and on plants. It will be full of harmful bacteria and pathogens. Black water from toilets only belong in your septic system.

[@nateross14]

​@@africanhomesteadBlackwater can easily be composted and turned aerobic in a Banana circle as long as its added in small amounts so as to not turn the Banana circle anaerobic. Blackwater is excellent fertilizer. The natural decomposition process taking place in the ground with bacteria, worms, and fungus easily mitigates any pathogens that only thrive in Anaerobic conditions. In fact, you can directly bury Human waste inside the Banana circle and the Bananas will love it and thrive. As long as its buried theres no smell and it quickly breaks down. The only thing that makes Human waste harmful are drugs. If you have a clean diet free of drugs, your poop is no different than any other animals manure. Most people are grossed out at the idea of pooping in their Banana circle which is understandable, and theres actually a more efficient use of human waste which is to first use it to produce Methane gas for cooking and heat, and then use the residual product as fertilizer. One thing I would highly suggest in Banana circle construction is to have a vertical PVC pipe with a cap that goes down to the bottom of the Banana circle so that you can monitor the water level at the very bottom and could also put limited amounts of Blackwater down this pipe so it adds fertilizer at the bottom that can be wicked upward. As long as the cap is on the pipe there will be no smell. Also if there is ever severe flooding, the PVC pipe would be an access point to pump out excess water. Banana plants don't like the roots to be water logged in the main root zone.

[@fabianomallmann2997]

I have a better way of planting bananas, would you like do know?

[@africanhomestead]

Yes, please share! The main point of this video is not to claim it is the best way to plant bananas, but to demonstrate a way of planting bananas that also creates an environment that is beneficial for companion plants that produce a diverse and plentiful perennial harvest in in a small area, while at the same time recycling grey water that would otherwise go into a septic tank or a municipal waste water system. Thanks for watching and commenting (and I’m serious about better way to plant bananas)! 😁

[@pampotgieter7611]

Yes please I would also like to know your "I have a better way of planting Bananas" So please share with us all. Thank you, looking forward to hearing from you soon. 💚💚💚

[@africanhomestead]

🤷🏻‍♂️

[@fabianomallmann2997]

​@@pampotgieter7611 @African Homestead I Apologize for the delay. Minute 2:35, we can see the planting method. Usually here in our culture we cut off the "trunk part" because new growth might emerge from the top and it kinda wastes energy in doing so. The tissutis already damaged and can be a open entrance to a worm which eats the "root system"(where new sprouts comes from). As a alternative, you guys can cut of the trunk right on the base, where the sprouts emerge and also remove any damaged tissue if you find some. It is counter intuitive, but what makes it best attached to the ground while growing, is planting it upside down. If the growth would start upside, you put it the other way around, as it facing the ground. In doing so, the shooting would have to do a loop in order to find light and emerge from de soil, this strategy increases its contact with soil, improving Root attached to the ground.

[@fabianomallmann2997]

My English is not that good anymore. But I hope you can understand what I'm trying to explain