My First Taro Giveaway

Something I enjoy doing is encouraging other folks to try growing food. So with the local Volcanoes Park unit having a holiday event, I saw it as an opportunity for a taro huli giveaway. Perhaps some gardener out there would be successful and develop an interest in growing taro too. 

I figured on taking a dozen different colorful types, ones that might catch someone's eye. Plus I chose the easiest ones to grow. 

Each huli needed to be gathered then trimmed up. And since these were heading to the National Park, they needed special preparation. Each had to be hosed and washed, removing all the soil. Then they were soaked in a bleach solution for 10 minutes. Once dried, they were then dipped in a sevin solution. All this was necessary to make sure that diseases and pests wouldn't be taken into the park. Without these procedures, the taro would not have been allowed onto the park grounds.

The white and orange survey tape serves as labels. Each huli was labeled with its Hawaiian name. 

 I brought 100 taro starts. Being that it was my first giveaway, plus the fact that I couldn't stay to attend the event to answer questions and offer help (I had an obligation elsewhere), I thought I'd start small. It would be a nice test. And if there were any left over, I wouldn't be swamped with trying to get them replanted into my gardens. 

ps- Update : all the taro starts were taken. Whoopie!