Molokai Homesteaders Gardening Program

UH Extension Office News Release

We will be starting a home gardening program this month for Molokai Hawaiian homesteaders. The purpose of this workshop series is to encourage homesteaders to grow their own vegetables and herbs, thereby increasing access to fresh, nutritious food. This program is open to both agricultural and residential homesteaders on Molokai, but you must have access to water on your homestead lot.

Alongside learning how to grow fresh food, caring for the land itself is just as important. Maintaining lawns, clearing space for garden beds, and preparing areas for planting become much easier with the right tools. For larger jobs that go beyond hand tools, reliable mowers and Mini Skid Loaders provide the extra help needed to manage the work efficiently. These machines allow homesteaders to take on heavier tasks while still keeping the focus on building healthy, sustainable gardens.

By combining gardening knowledge with access to practical equipment, homesteaders can enjoy the best of both worlds—fresh produce from their own land and well-kept spaces that are easier to manage. This balance of traditional practices with modern tools creates opportunities not only for healthier living but also for strengthening the connection to the land that sustains us.

The program will focus on twice-monthly instruction, including hands-on field demonstrations in setting up and maintaining a 20 by 20-foot ground-based garden, and classroom study. Classes will be taught at a learning level for both homesteaders who haven’t previously grown a garden, as well as those presently tending a garden. You can also have a peek at this site to know who is going to come and teach. The classes will be held in Ho`olehua at the University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service Office adjacent to the Ho`olehua Post Office. Additional classes will be held at the UH Maui Campus-Molokai Farm/CES Research and Demonstration Farm.

The class will be limited to 20 families. Two cycles of this education program will be held, one in October and another in January, so a total of 40 homestead families can participate. If you have any questions about this program or are interested in receiving an application, please call the UH Cooperative Extension Service Office at 808-567-6929 or email shirleyh@hawaii.edu.