With reassuring support for beginners! Weekend Farming in a Shared Field in Tsu City

west side of a river

Hello! This is nishikawa from Sanel.

these days,The “share field” has been featured in the news and is gaining popularity.Have you ever heard of it?

This time, I, a novice farmer who just started sharing farm activities once a week from May this year, tried to write an article about the actual activities.

For those of you who want to rent but are a little hesitant, let us introduce you to the charm of "Share Field"!

The impetus for starting a share farm was the existence of my grandfather, who was full of vitality

My maternal grandfather, who passed away about 20 years ago, is self-sufficient in both fish and vegetables even in old age.It was.

Fishing in the river behind my house was not a hobby, but just for dinner.

Also, climbing the trees we grew in the garden and picking fruit was a simple task for my grandfather, and even as an adult, I still respected him for his strength to survive. bottom.

I grew up wanting to learn from my grandfather's approach to living, and while raising my children, I had more opportunities to think about health, family, and food education.

Considering these three themes,"Share field"It was a very natural flow to challenge.

Therefore, I thought about why the "share field", which has been featured in the news and is gaining popularity, is attracting attention now.

There seem to be three main reasons for this:

Reason 1: Due to the corona crisis, which has reduced the enjoyment of leisure activities, the need for “shared fields” that can be enjoyed by families has increased

Due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, refraining from going out and working from home has continued, and it is thought that the share field has come to attract attention as a new way to refresh in a time when fatigue is likely to accumulate both physically and mentally.

“Since telework has increased and I have more time, I would like to grow vegetables in my free time.”
"I want to try something new as a distraction from the coronavirus."

Isn't there a lot of people who wanted to start with something like this?

Reason 2: The world is about to transition to sharing (from the era of ownership to sharing)

Featured in the news recently"Sharing Economy"Do you know

"Sharing Economy"through the Internet,Economic revitalization activities that provide the skills, time and place of individuals and companiesIt is spreading in the world despite the influence of corona.

For example, if we think about it in terms of farmers, the number of people who work as farmers is decreasing and the population is aging.

People who can no longer farm and people who want to farm can solve this problem by sharing farmland.That's it.

Reason 3: Returning to the origin of food

Because of the spread of the new coronavirus, many people may have reconsidered their lives.

I don't know who made it, but I think that the trend of being able to buy it cheaply has continued for a long time. Originally, however,Eating is the most basic activity of animalsIt is.

When thinking about returning to the origin of "food", there are various factors, but "what to eat?" is an important factor.

In today's busy world, it's exhausting to always be conscious of handmade things.

It seems that more and more people these days want to connect with their families and neighbors through genuinely delicious ingredients that are filled with love, rather than finding cheap food.

What is the charm of the share field?

This time, I myself experienced the share field and felt the following four charms!

Field work isSince it is also physical work that uses muscles that you don't normally use, the feeling of fatigue after work was different from the fatigue of desk work.

Working in the sun is certainly exhausting. However, because you can enjoy the unique scent and texture of the soil, you can feel that you are receiving energy from the earth and nature.

Also,The ultimate “local production for local consumption” and “seasonal production for seasonal consumption,” such as eating vegetables that you have grown yourself, has led to dietary education, and it has become an opportunity for joint work with my family.

Representative examples of vegetables grown in shared fields

Here is the share field I use "Saien BANKHere are some representative examples of vegetables that can be grown by Mr.

In this share field, from the above, relativelyEasy to grow even for beginners (tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, green peppers, watermelons)We are starting to grow while learning how to plant and take care of it.

tomato

One of the easiest vegetables to grow in the home garden.It is.

If you buy seedlings and plant them around the end of Golden Week, they will grow well!

eggplant

It is a vegetable that requires a lot of sunlight to grow, and the purple flowers bloom and then bear fruit.

Cucumber

It is a vegetable that needs attention as the leaves will burn if exposed to direct sunlight.

After the yellow flowers bloom, the fruitsThe fruits grow quickly and are ready to eat in about a week after the flowers bloom.It will be!

First harvest at the end of June"cucumber"is here!

green pepper

Peppers are just as easy to grow as tomatoes!

It's time to harvest when the white flowers grow, the fruits grow, and the green fruits grow.

watermelon

watermelonVegetables that like high temperatures and strong lightAnd it grows well in sunny fields. It is not very picky about soil, but requires good drainage.

The important point is to watch the growth of the watermelon itself without doing much work and without moving the vine.

Experience of using the share field

On the first day, firstStart by making soil that matches the vegetables you want to grow!

In advance, check information about vegetables that can be grown at the farm, and purchase seedlings by the day of soil preparation.

It's time to start preparing the soil before planting vegetables! !

By the way, the day I made the soilWe gathered at the farm at 8:00 in the morning, and it was past 14:00 when all the seedlings were planted.It was.

I put about 30 minutes of break time in between, but other than that, I just did farm work.

Specifically, we prepared the soil according to the following flow.

Step 1-2. Sprinkle lime and fertilizer (chicken manure, cow manure)

The first step is to sprinkle lime by hand. (picture above)

Once you have finished covering the entire area, nextTwo types of manure are used: chicken manure and cow manure.

The effect of chicken manure is long-lasting, and the effect of cow manure is immediate.

Step 3. Use a cultivator to plow the field vertically and horizontally to eliminate unevenness in the fertilizer.

Learn how to use it and start now! The tiller was surprisingly (!?) hard work.

Step 4. Make a ridge and cover it with a black vinyl mulch cover.

Making this ridge was the most difficult task. This is because it is done by hand as it cannot be made by machine.

Ridges areIt secures effective space for rooting, which is important for crops, and plays an important role in water retention, drainage, and soil temperature regulation.

What I made this time is called takaune, which is a ridge made by piling up cultivated soil.

The surface area is widened, so solar heat and oxygen are easily absorbed, and drainage is improved.

This high ridge is said to be effective in areas with poor drainage and fields with shallow plowed soil.

In order to make the ridges straight, stretch the thread according to where you want to make it and use this as a guideline.

Step 5. Place the seedlings on top of the mulch

Set 5 seedlings for each ridge (about 4.5 meters) covered with a black vinyl sheet called mulch!

Step 6. plant a seedling

Break the black mulch with a scoop and plant the seedlings.

After planting the seedlings, water them and cover the roots of the plants with soil.

Types of share fields

There are several types of shared fields, and their usage differs.

Here, we will introduce the features of the “Allotment Farm,” “Experience Farm,” and “Stay Allotment Farm.”

Beginners can easily start "Allotment Farm"

Generally, it is a style of renting only farmland. Freedom to grow vegetables,Low usage feeIt is.

By the way, the farm I am indebted to is very polite and supportive.

The advantage is that you can freely grow your favorite vegetablesis. (This time, I chose my favorite vegetables from among several predetermined vegetables.)

However, in exchange for freedom, even if you fail, you will be responsible for yourself.

Some farms lend out tools, but in general, you need to provide your own seeds, seedlings, props and other materials, and tools.

"Experience farm" where you can grow vegetables while learning the basics of growing vegetables

Tools are also provided, so you can start growing vegetables right away.

Even beginners can feel at ease, as instructors will teach you how to properly raise them.

On the other hand, there are aspects such as not being able to freely choose the vegetables to grow, and usage fees being higher than those of allotment gardens.

"Stay-type allotment farm" with accommodation facilities

With simple accommodation facilities,A style farm where you can stay for a long timeIt is.

There is a lot of interaction with local residents and other residents, so you can experience rural life more realistically.

For those who want to enjoy a slow life in a place with clean air, or for those who want to try rural life, the stay-type allotment farm is the perfect system.

An allotment garden that beginners can easily start

This time,"Allotment farm where beginners can start easily"I would like to write about

I am currently using an allotment farm in the form of weekend farming. Here, I will introduce what kind of flow it was until I rented an allotment garden!

Flow until renting an allotment

First, check the website of the municipality where you live. (I searched for information on shared fields operated by local governments)

For beginners in agriculture, it is important to have a good relationship with the owner, as there is a lot to learn when growing vegetables. without making a quick decisionIt is better to go for a tour after making an inquirythat's what I think!

Once we have decided to sign a contract, we will coordinate the schedule with the owner of the farm, and by the first day, we will check the preparations such as fertilizer, soil, and vegetable seedlings, and bring them in on the day.

Start time of kitchen garden

crops areIt is not possible to plant at any time of the year, but it is decided according to the harvest time.so be careful.

This time, it started in May, so it was just in time for the summer harvest.

It's the first time I've heard the word,"Spring Maki"and"Autumn Maki"It seems that there is a word that refers to the time of sowing suitable for growing vegetables.

"Spring Maki"It refers to planting vegetables from March to April for the summer harvest.

On the other hand, "Autumn Maki"It seems that vegetables are planted from September to October for the winter harvest.

In this way, the seeding season is fixed throughout the year, so if you want to challenge the share farm, thisAwareness of “spring sowing” and “autumn sowing”I hope you will.

How to make homemade insect repellent for your home garden

Here, we will introduce homemade insect repellents that are indispensable for growing crops!

It's very easy, so please use it as a reference.

You can use it 10 days after making it. By the way, it doesn't work on stinkbugs.

Recommended share farms in Mie Prefecture

Mie Prefecture has many share fields from the north to the south. Here are some recommended share fields!

What I gained from experiencing the share field

This was my first time doing farm work because I didn't grow up in an environment with fields or farms.

try it,Above all, I learned how difficult it is to create soil in farming!

Combined with the heat of early summer, the physical labor was harder than I had imagined.

Starting with preparing the soil, I struggled to put up the stilts, and I sprayed pesticide-free plants to fight insect damage.

but,Through this series of farm work, "Working properly with time and effort will lead to fruitfulness."Now that I'm an adult, I realize that.

When I was tweeting once every five minutes, "How hard was it to grow vegetables?", the manager said, "Everyone said the same thing on the first day!" .

The weekend commute to the field, which I got in exchange for the hard first day, is now becoming an indispensable part of my daily life.

west side of a river

Please use it as a reference!