Grow Sweet Potatoes in a Bin
Traditionally, Po'alima were days reserved to gather and help on the farm. In Hawaii, Po'alima is also referred to as the 5th day of the week, a.k.a. Friday and the perfect time to focus on farm activities.
This Po'alima we are starting a new project to show how easy it is to grow a food most commonly purchased in a store-potatoes!
In Hawaii, potatoes are one of the top 10 imported foods. When you realize how easy it is to grow, and in a small space such as a bin, eating what you grow is something everyone can try.
I've heard about growing potatoes in a trash can and like the idea of simple yet effective ways to grow your own food.
Low tech-high yield is a good thing for beginning farmers and food garden enthusiasts who want to go beyond voting with their dollar.
Here's how we are planting these sweet potatoes in a bin:
1) I added compost and soil amended with algae to the bottom 1/3rd of the bin. These potato bins are 10 Gallon and 35x50cm.
2) Place a slip in the soil and add more soil to about half full. I was able to add about 7 to 9 slips in each bag.
Notice the Velcro flap to "harvest" the potatoes? This was the real selling point for the kids to get involved!
There are many bins, bags and options to grow root crops without a farm or large space. I like these bins because of their lightweight and waterproof material but the kids are excited to harvest the potatoes through the little flap.
Po'alima Friday's from the Farmstead-
We are in the process of transforming our farm to include a variety of trees and plants in an agroforestry system, with multi-purpose windbreaks, to include green manure and natural inputs for a regenerative symbiosis on our island homestead.
Did you make your own compost?