Planting and Growing Edible Sugar Cane in Home Gardens

Sugar cane is a genus of large perennial grasses that is native to tropical southeastern Asia. Depending on the species, the grass ranges in color from green to red to purple. What all species have in common is their tall size—they grow up to 20 feet tall. In warmer climates, you can grow sugar cane right in your backyard. It looks quite a bit like bamboo, which is in the same plant family, but sugar cane comes with the sweet benefit of providing copious amounts of edible raw sugar. And unlike bamboo, it is not invasive. Sugar cane is one of the world's biggest crops, with the vast majority being grown and harvested in Brazil. Along with sugar beets, sugar cane is grown on huge plots of land, harvested, and pressed to release its sweet sap. While sugar beets are typically grown in cooler climates, sugar cane is grown in subtropical and tropical locations around the world. Sugar Cane OverviewGenus NameSaccharum spp.Common NameSugar CanePlant TypePerennialLightSunHeight10 to 20 feetWidth...