Potato Tower

Use locally-available material, simple technics and tools to build Potato Towers to:

• Harvest a high yield of potatoes on a very limited surface,
• Lower potato watering effort (if needed),
• Lower potato harvesting effort,
• Bring foods closer to the kitchen,
• Inspire people through attractive green design.

Difficulté

Easy Facile

Durée

1 hour(s) heure(s)

Catégories

Alimentation & Agriculture

Coût

0 EUR (€)

potato, tower, garden, organic, permaculture en none Creation 0

Introduction

Acknowledgements

The landscape is quite steep at Lake Bunyonyi Ecovillage. Thus, planting in terraces requires important effort to work the ground for potato plantation. Moreover, potato harvesting is also work-intensive as one must dig out the potatoes from the ground. On top of that, the gardens are quite far from the kitchen which adds some effort to the process between collecting and transporting before preparing the food. Finally, the available place between the houses of the ecovillage is limited.

Our solution and its expectable benefits

Use locally-available material, simple technics and tools to build Potato Towers to:

• Harvest a high yield of potatoes on a very limited surface,
• Lower potato watering effort (if needed),
• Lower potato harvesting effort,
• Bring foods closer to the kitchen,
• Inspire people through attractive green design.

Matériaux

• Parts:
  • (8) Wooden poles (sturdy),
  • (1*) Pipe (not available on site => we used stones rather than a pipe);
• Consumables:
  • Flexible wood sticks (or hence fence wire),
  • Banana leaves (or newspaper, carton),
  • Stones (see *),
  • Potato eyes,
  • Soil,
  • If available, compost,
  • Water,
  • Mulching material (corn stalks, rice hulls, hay, straw, dry leaves, BRF …);

Outils

• Tools (see FAQ & Troubleshooting? For other alternatives):
  • (1) Panga (or machete, axe),
  • (1) Spear (or djembe ),
  • (1) Set of bags (or wheelbarrow, bucket)
  • (1) Bucket (or arrosoir )
  • (1)°Rope (or tape measurer);

Étape 1 - How?

Refer to the pictures available in the gallery. Proceed as follows to build you own Potato Tower.

• Team:
  • Two (more people, more fun!)
• Required skills:
  • Basic skills to properly use the tools
• Preliminary requirements:
  • NA

We used local material to build our potato tower. Feel free to look for options that are locally available in your environment. For instance, we used banana leaves instead of newspaper; we used flexible wood sticks instead of hence fence wire; etc.

Étape 2 - Gather construction material

1. Select sturdy eucalyptus tree trunks for poles,
2. Use the panga to cut down the trunks,
3. Use the panga to remove the branches from the poles,
4. Collect the branches to later use them as flexible wood sticks,
5. Use the panga to cut the trunks into poles,
6. Collect banana leaves,
7. Collect stones,
8. Collect nine sticks,
9. If possible, already collect mulching material (corn stalks, rice hulls, hay, straw, dry leaves, BRF …);

Our poles were approximately 4 feet \ 1m20 high and 4” \ 10 cm thick.

The wood was harvested directly on the compound. Indeed, the compound integrates parcels dedicated to eucalyptus forestry. Eucalyptus is used for construction (hard wood), firewood, charcoal and as medicinal plant.

Apparently, if one cuts down a eucalyptus, the tree grows a new trunk.

If you did not collect enough wood sticks, you can later gather more branches and/or use other available material as flexible wood sticks.

If you did not collect enough banana leaves, you can later gather more leaves and/or use other available material as envelope.

We describe the procedure as implemented at Lake Bunyonyi; please feel free to adapt in accordance with your environment!

Étape 3 - Define the location where you want to install your potato tower

Étape 4 - Carry construction material to the location

Étape 5 - Prepare the location

1. If necessary, make the location flat before you install the potato tower,
2. Place one of the collected stick at the center of the location,
3. Insert the stick in the ground,
4. Define the position of the poles around the stick (circle):
   1. Attach the rope to the stick,
   2. Extend the rope 1 to 2 feet \ 0,3 to 0,6 m from the stick,
   3. Place one of the collected stick at the end of the rope,
   4. Keep the 1 to 2 feet \ 0,3 to 0,6 m from the stick with the rope and move 1/8-turn around the central stick,
   5. Place one of the collected stick at the end of the rope,
   6. Repeat six times (one for each remaining pole),
   7. Remove the central stick,
   8. Stow the rope;

Lake Bunyonyi Ecovillage has many slopes. We built a first structure to have a flat location (see picture).

Those steps are really for the aesthetics. The rope allows you to have a circle shape. We did not do it.

Étape 6 - Install the poles

As you dig, do NOT discard the soil / dirt you remove; keep the soil / dirt you remove available to install the poles.

1. Select a stick,
2. Remove the stick from the ground,
3. Use the spear to dig a one-feet \ 30-cm deep hole where the stick was,
4. Install the pole inside the hole,
5. Fill the hole with stones and the soil / dirt you removed,
6. Repeat seven times (one for each remaining pole);

Étape 7 - Weave the flexible wood sticks between the poles to create a mesh

Feel free to leave up to 8” \ 20 cm gap between each mesh layer / layer of waving.

As far as possible, alternate inside / outside on each pole. It should look like a “big basket” at the end.

Étape 8 - Collect the planting material

Étape 9 - Carry construction material to the location

Étape 10 - Prepare the location

1. If necessary, make the location flat before you install the potato tower,
2. Place one of the collected stick at the center of the location,
3. Insert the stick in the ground,
4. Define the position of the poles around the stick (circle):
   1. Attach the rope to the stick,
   2. Extend the rope 1 to 2 feet \ 0,3 to 0,6 m from the stick,
   3. Place one of the collected stick at the end of the rope,
   4. Keep the 1 to 2 feet \ 0,3 to 0,6 m from the stick with the rope and move 1/8-turn around the central stick,
   5. Place one of the collected stick at the end of the rope,
   6. Repeat six times (one for each remaining pole),
   7. Remove the central stick,
   8. Stow the rope;

Lake Bunyonyi Ecovillage has many slopes. We built a first structure to have a flat location (see picture).

Those steps are really for the aesthetics. The rope allows you to have a circle shape. We did not do it.

Étape 11 - Install the poles

As you dig, do NOT discard the soil / dirt you remove; keep the soil / dirt you remove available to install the poles.

1. Select a stick,
2. Remove the stick from the ground,
3. Use the spear to dig a one-feet \ 30-cm deep hole where the stick was,
4. Install the pole inside the hole,
5. Fill the hole with stones and the soil / dirt you removed,
6. Repeat seven times (one for each remaining pole);

Étape 12 - Weave the flexible wood sticks between the poles to create a mesh

Feel free to leave up to 8” \ 20 cm gap between each mesh layer / layer of waving.

As far as possible, alternate inside / outside on each pole. It should look like a “big basket” at the end.

Étape 13 - Collect the planting material