People growing sugarcane on a small scale grow "backyard sugarcane." Backyard sugarcane varieties suit gardeners planting it for chewing, syrup or just to create a windbreak for other garden plants. All sugarcane, including backyard sugarcane, is a tropical grass, so it's only suitable for Southern climes. Gardeners propagate sugarcane from stalks. These stalks are segmented, each segment separated by "nodes." From these nodes grow buds. You can't use a whole stalk to grow new plants, though. In this situation, only the end nodes tend to grow new plants. Thus, people growing sugarcane use smaller stalk sections called billets or seed pieces.
Decide the planting site. Full sun is best. Soil should drain well.
Perform a soil test through your local county extension office. This test will provide guidance, including fertilizer needs. Determine the variety of sugarcane appropriate for your soil, using the soil test recommendations as a guide.
Obtain the sections.
Till the planting site, then rake it smooth.
Dig a furrow for the cane or, if planting a stand, rows of parallel furrows spaced 4 to 10 feet from one another. Loam and clay loam require 3- to 7-inch furrows; sand and very organic soil demand furrows a bit deeper.
Spread about 1 lb. of 8-8-8 fertilizer or whatever is recommended by the soil test for every 10 feet of furrow.
Cover the fertilizer with 1 to 2 inches of soil.
Lay the segments in the fertilized furrows so that the end of one piece is laid down starting from the middle of the last piece laid. This overlapping will prevent growth gaps.
Cover the sections with 2 to 5 inches of soil. Don't pack it.
Water only so the soil is moist and keep it that way.
Add soil to the furrow gradually as shoots grow out of it. This eventually results in an elevated cane bed. You can accomplish this as you weed next to the emerging cane.