The following is an essay which I wrote on Cassava. The purpose of the essay was to document the practices of growing cassava, practice certain skills in Word such as inserting photos into a document and to retain the memory of a period in time. ( I have copied and pasted a Word document here and I had to use other skills to recreate the document which I had in Word.)
1.
Background
Having recently started planting cassava
and having little to no experience of successful agricultural practices, which resulted in my having to eat the produce in a
short period of time, I decided to note
the approach, the concepts and the results of my cassava planting. This will
provide knowledge which may be shared and or preserved for copyright purposes and for conversation. Images of the harvest, the location of the plants have
been included for illustrative purposes and for retaining memories of the time
the activity was performed.
Cassava may be planted for retail or
commercial sale locally or for export. Locally grown cassava may be available
for sale in the local markets or the green grocer section of the supermarket.
In these locations, the cassava is left with its skin intact. Thus the dirt
from the ground is washed away and the produce is available for sale.
Cassava may also be available for sale in
the frozen foods section of the supermarkets as a ready to cook item.
Cassava may be cooked in a variety of ways,
such as boiled as a side dish or for consumption as a main part of the meal or it
may be used in soups or combined with seasonings and meats and served as a side dish. I have also seen cassava chips in the shape of logs or sticks with a dip served in a restaurant chain.
At the time of taking the photo, the plants which are located on the left have not been harvested, however branches have been removed from them in an effort to allow for
more nutrients to be used in the root of the plant. Note the spread of the branches, the size and
shape of the leaves, the size of the branches
2.
Cassava Plants
An existing plant may yield:
- New stalks or branches for replanting,
- A main stalk with a root which may be replanted and
- Produce which is covered in a brown "skin" with a "white under skin" , both of which can be removed prior to cooking.
3.
Stalks or Branches of the
Cassava Plant
It is possible that the stalks or branches of the cassava plant may
not be mature upon harvesting the crop.
A good indicator of the maturity of the stalks may be seen in:
- The size of the
branch,
- The colour of the branch and
- The strength of the branch.
Many branches have green
soft tips with new leaves, which are often olive in color, which are fragile.
The older section of the branch
tends to be:
- Brown,
- Firm,
- Less likely to sway or break easily, except in extremely strong wind and
- Can be
planted quite easily.
4.
Timing of Planting of Cassava
initially and in successive periods
Upon planting the stalks of the cassava plants, taking into account
the soil and season in the year, these plants may take a bit longer than usual
to mature with produce. Hence they may take more than six months to yield
produce.
If
the main stalk is replanted, this may bear produce within a six month period,
given the soil, weather conditions and factors of nature and man.
However the yield
may not be same year on year. It may be a good idea to have pictures taken of your yield and
or maintain a notebook with details of your plantings.
5.
Images of the yield from
cassava plants in 2016.
In the image above, the yield from two plants have been peeled,
washed and bagged for storage in the freezer section.
The size of the packages
is dependent on:
- An estimate of the number of times the cooked item will be
eaten at meals,
- The expected number of persons at meals.
Note that some of the
packages have pieces which are similar in size. These pieces will cook in a
shorter time than the larger pieces.
In the image above, the pieces have
been peeled and placed in water for washing, prior to storage.
The
pieces are much larger on the whole and represent the expected yield from a
typical plant.
Given that person’s preferences
may differ, the pieces of cassava above may be used in dishes where the cassava
is cut up after boiling.
6.
Eating your produce, factors to consider
If you intend to eat the cassava which you have planted, which
happens in many instances, then consider the following:
I.
Avoiding animal fertilizers. While these are known to produce good harvests, there are many persons
who prefer the benefits of peels, potting mix and mulch.
II.
Changing your diet to include greens, bananas, plantains, mangoes,
oranges and pumpkins. These skins or peels may provide a ready source of nutrients
when added to your plants. These peels
break down easily and may be added several times a week to provide a steady
stream of nutrition for the plants and to maintain a level of mulch around the
plants.
III.
The number of plants which you maintain. If you are the
sole provider of peels and skins, then you may need to use a rotation plan to
fertilise all of the plants frequently in the early stages of planting and
later on in the cycle of the plant. This need to use a rotation plan may be due
to the size and quantity of the peels as a day’s worth of peels and skins may
not be sufficient to be placed on all of your plants. Also, over time there may
be a need to develop new businesses so as to gain income from your hobby, hence
selling stalks to a garden shop may be a source of revenue. However selling
your produce may also ensure that you grow your business.
IV.
Crushed egg shells (rinsed in water) may be added to the mulch, either on top of or in between the
peels. This will add calcium to the soil and nourish the plants.
V.
Grass cuttings placed around the plant
will protect the roots, the stalk and the crop during periods of heavy sunshine
and between watering the plants in the dry season. Since the plant may be in the ground for at least six months, it
may be wise to:
i.
Consider the habits of the neighbours as their insecticides, weedicides can impact upon your soil and
plants, especially if you live in the lower parts of a valley.
ii.
Solicit grass cuttings from other persons to add to existing and other areas of your
planting area. This will assist in maintaining the supply of mulch around the
plant and prepare other areas for planting.
iii.
Purchase peels
from supermarkets, hotel kitchens, restaurants, salad bars, other food places.
While these peels will add to your supply of nutrients, the information on the
receipts or invoices may provide input into the cost of your hobby, the
frequency with which peels were added and the quality of your produce.
iv.
The quality of the peel and its impact upon your diet. A banana peel cut into small pieces
may be spread much further than a length of the banana skin. The smaller pieces,
when placed around the plant may make the skin much more difficult for an
animal to eat, than the length of one banana. Raw peels add more nutrition than
cooked peels.
v.
Use the water from cooking vegetables to water the plants. Some of the nutrients will go back into the
plant.
Points# II, III, IV and V will add to the soil upon disintegration over time, will assist in
the fertilization of the soil and the plant and can protect the plant from
animals in the following ways:
I.
Dogs digging up the plant to bury
bones
II.
Dogs racing around the plants
while hurrying from one point to another or while playing together.
copyright Jennifer N Bailey with contributions from other persons
email: jennifernbailey24d@gmail.com
