Sunday 29 January 2012

WWOOFing in Japan

After a week in Kagoshima in a weekly mansion which we couldn't afford long term, we were picked up January 28, 2012 by Kawasaki-san of Gando farm north of Kagoshima. We spent the day in essentially an abandoned house and had a very cold evening.
The next day (quite warm today) we farmed, watering vegetables including daikon, thinning out and weeding carrots. The watering solution was essentially diluted fish fertilizer and smells awful.
After this we helped set up plots for future planting. A small tractor pulls a contraption that tills the soil and plateaus it about 8cm high and about 2/3 of a meter wide. At the same time it unrolls black plastic film over the plateau and attempts to hold the edges down with brown soil. We follow it and use our boots to throw dirt against the edges.
Next holes will be punched through the plastic film at regular intervals and multiple rows dependent on the vegetable being planted. Vegetables will be planted in the holes. Next half hoops of plastic rebar will be placed at intervals over the plateaus. Either clear plastic film (or gauze) will be stretched over this and held down with clothespin like devices to the rebar and again soil is thrown on the plastic edges touching the ground. This forms very effective temporary greenhouses. Remember this is late January and not too many people are gardening in Manitoba.






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