Cassava are tuberous roots from a shrub. Yams are edible bulbs that grow both above and below the ground. They’re both staple foods (despite the cassava containing some cyanide), and at Primitive Technology‘s 10 year old stone hut in Far North Queensland, Australia, they grow wild. He writes:
These plants are not native to Australia but grow wild here after having escaped from people’s gardens (similar to how wild pigs live here now after escaping from farms). The planting material for the yams are the bulbs that grow on the vines. The planting material for cassava are simply 25 cm long pieces of stem…
Originally, I was only going to plant yams but I saw the turkey digging them up and eating them. So, I planted cassava in the mounds so that the turkey would be discouraged by finding only wooden stems to peck at. I secretly planted the yams along the fence of the garden because the turkey only thinks the mounds contain yams. They can’t smell very well and only find food by sight and learned behaviour… 32 cassava stems and 12 yams were planted. Then a storm began and watered the garden. In less than a week the cassava had sprouted shoots and began to grow. The yams will take longer as I planted them deeper.
Above, Primitive Technology builds and grows a new garden on the land where he had built the wattle and daub hut from his very first video:
…and this yam and sweet potato patch from 2016.
Next, more Primitive Technology, including making a cord drill & pump drill from sticks & rocks. Plus There’s No Such Thing As Vegetables and Sweet potato vs. yam: What’s the difference?
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