Stone cairn containing a yam vine Placed at the foot of a tree for it to grow up Another yam cairn in a drier spot Cairn with advanced growth Planning a garden of stone yam planters (grid of 9 mounds, 1 m apart) Mounding up soil Collecting small flat stones for the mound Building a retaining wall of stone around the base of the mound The mound is about 75 cm in total diameter including the rocks.

For the second layer, the rocks are laid over the joints in the ones below for stability This configuration is suprisingly stable and I've built pillars about 1.5 m high with this technique (these will only be about 0.5 m tall though) In fill with soil Soil carried in half log Now for the pole for the vine to grow up Pole is about 2m tall Yam bulbil from last years crop (see Yam, cultivate and cook) An armored mound, safe from pigs and turkeys Water from the creek.

Watering to get the yam started Second mound Third mound Putting poles in before building mounds is easier Note: in colder climates you can use potatoes without scaffolding, just add layers as the plant grows Completed mounds Yam vines Attaching horizontal poles Now they have something to grow on.

Stone Yam Planters, safe from wild animals