April 29th (Wed.)
My farrower for the tractor came at last !! Now I can plough me furrows (oooh..err Missus). Waited an extraordinarily long time since buying it on Japan’s yahoo auction. Everything comes by a granny in a kei truck here, hence the wait.

I can get on and raise my beds and get planting now.
The, at times, torrential rain in Japan means growing on top of a ridge is very wise. Add a covering of black polythene to the top of the ridge in which the seedlings are pugged and you’ve got your basic cultivation process. That’s what I like anyway.
The black polythene is a mulch, it protects the soil at times of heavy rain, heats the soil up early in the season and also aids the even distribution of the water to the soil and keeps that soil damp for a long time when the dry weather comes.
In short bloody magic !
A bit pricey but I also like the addition of hoops and a micro fleece membrane over the crop. It protects the crop from invasive insects, high wind and again increases the temperature for rapid growth. You can open it up and down just like it’s a mini polytunnel.
Can’t wait to get on.

The string of national holidays called ‘Golden Week’ in Japan is just coming up and should be the perfect chance to get on with the farming.