Hello. I’m Haratake, a part-time farmer.
Things have been hectic at home, and I haven’t been able to get to the fields much lately.
Anyway, this morning I visited Field No. 1. It’s about time—actually, it’s already late—but I need to sow the Chinese cabbage seeds. I hear that if you miss the right time to sow Chinese cabbage seeds, they won’t germinate well. Still, once they sprout, they seem to grow on their own. Maybe I’ve just been lucky with seeds so far.
(Photo: Field No. 1 today)
The edamame beans here also didn’t plump up nicely. When I pressed the pods with my fingers, they felt hollow inside. They just squish flat. Maybe I needed to tend them more carefully. Should I have watered them a bit more? Should I have mounded the soil around them more carefully? The list of things I could have done better is endless. I silently vowed to give them a bit more attention next year.
(Photo: Edamame is still a poor crop)
As for the melons, a few fruits have grown to a decent size. But!!! There are visible signs of damage from insects and such. For example, there are scratches like claw marks, holes with ants coming and going in large numbers. The most shocking thing was finding a large hollow cavity inside a melon (it had been eaten!!) with a single cricket living inside it. Oh, so this is the difficulty of melon cultivation…! This, this really made me look up to the heavens. Still, there are fruits that are still growing larger, so I want to keep my hopes up for those.
(Photo: Melon with holes made by ants)
Now, today’s goal was sowing Chinese cabbage and potato seeds. I sowed the Chinese cabbage seeds I bought at Nafco into the flattened ridges. I always think this, but Chinese cabbage seeds are really tiny, aren’t they? And yet they grow into such enormous vegetables. Nature truly is amazing.
And the potatoes. This time, I also bought the variety “Dejima” at Nafco. They’re known for being easy to grow, tasting good, and having a well-balanced profile. True to its name, it’s originally from Nagasaki. Again, I didn’t plant them deep in the soil. Instead, I placed them with the sprouting end down and the cut side up. I didn’t cover them with soil either. Since this method worked last time, I’m trying it again. If they grow well this way, it’ll be a huge labor-saving success!
(Photo: Planted potatoes)
Until next time~
