Rhubarb Gardening AcreSeason

English | 日本語  Good morning, everyone. Today (March 30, Wakashio tide), 11 days after the new moon spring tide on March 19, I planted rhubarb seedlings in the HB seedbed. By the way, the new moon dates for Reiwa 8 (2026) according to lunar farming methods are as follows. Reiwa 8 (2026) New Moon Calendar (According to Lunar Farming Methods) The week following a new moon is considered an ideal time for sowing seeds and transplanting. January 18, 2026 (Sunday) February 17, 2026 (Tuesday) March 19, 2026 (Thursday) April 17, 2026 (Friday) May 16, 2026 (Saturday) June 14, 2026 (Sunday) July 14, 2026 (Tuesday) August 12, 2026 (Wednesday) September 10, 2026 (Thursday) October 10, 2026 (Saturday) November 8, 2026 (Sunday) December 8, 2026 (Tuesday) Considering the climate characteristics of Fujimi along with the schedule above, the warm days about two weeks after the March 19 new moon spring tide seem to provide the best balance for trans...

English | 日本語  Hello everyone, warm weather has arrived. Small deer footprints left behind It looks like deer have also visited the garden. They left footprints on the soft soil inside the field. As a beginner vegetable grower, it felt like, “So they’ve finally come.” Seeing deer in person is probably cute, but things don’t work the same way as with humans, so I plan to take measures to prevent them from entering. It will cost money. Ideally, I want to invest both money and effort into the crops themselves, so I will plan everything with cost performance as the top priority. Seedbed inside tunnel after lifting plastic cover Today, I removed weeds inside the tunnel made with agricultural plastic. During the day, the tunnel creates a very warm environment, which also allows weeds to grow well. The well-moistened soil is excellent. I immediately removed the weeds and restored the condition. The seedbeds inside the tunnel are RL and CW. In seedbed RL, wasabi greens are plan...

English | 日本語  Good afternoon, everyone. As of now, the Japan Meteorological Agency’s cherry blossom forecast for the Kanto-Koshin region in Reiwa 8 (2026) shows blooming dates of March 16 in Kofu and March 19 in Tokyo. These observations are about 5 to 10 days earlier than in the same period two years ago. The average bloom dates are around late March for Mito, Utsunomiya, Maebashi, Kumagaya, Choshi, and Yokohama, and early April for Nagano. The average full bloom period is observed from March 31 to early April, and mid-April in Nagano. Compared to normal years, how will this year’s full bloom turn out? I am looking forward to it. Today (March 21), a photographer visited the garden and took photos of the work. Sowing seeds in seedbed CW Today, I planted A12 Mikamo broccoli (JA seeds Mikamo Broccoli 473, Kiyohara Breeding Farm, Toho Seed Co., Ltd.) in the upper section of seedbed CW, and A1 medium tomato “Frutica” (Takii Seed Co., Ltd.) in the lower section. I also buil...

English | 日本語  Good morning to all readers. It is a slightly cloudy early morning here. Seedbed preparation was completed yesterday. From today, I will begin preparations for installing deer deterrent fencing. That said, rain is forecast for today, so I plan to keep the work short and simple. However, it is an important task, and I will proceed carefully without cutting corners. First, I checked the surrounding terrain where the garden is located. The gate used to access the lower section already has a high deer net installed. However, I found a round hole at about 1.5 meters in height. I believe it was caused by deer. I suspect they bit through the net to enter. As a result, I decided to install a wire mesh fence instead of a net-based deer barrier. I was initially unsure, but wire mesh appears to last longer and is less likely to be damaged, making it more reliable for protecting vegetables. Measuring work to determine required fence and post quantities I measured dista...

English | 日本語  Good morning to all readers. Beautifully finished seedbed (MA) condition It is an early morning that feels completely like spring weather. Today (March 17) is the final seedbed (MA) preparation. Starting next week, I plan to work on mulching and installing deer protection nets at the same time. Small tree roots dug out from soil In the upper section of seedbed (MA), small stones kept rolling out from within the soil. From the middle to lower sections, thin tree roots were tightly embedded. I pulled them out persistently, but the moist soil clinging to the roots made the work difficult as it kept slipping. At times, I had no choice but to cut them with pruning shears. It might be easier once it dries, but I continue the work. Forest where woodpecker sounds can be heard tapping trees During the work, I briefly heard deer calls. I also heard the sound of a woodpecker tapping on trees. The activity of animals is gradually increasing. Today’s work was com...

English | 日本語 Good morning everyone. We have welcomed a warm morning. Starting yesterday (March 16), professional farmers have begun working. They have started laying agricultural covering material (mulch sheet) over the ridges in the fields. This sheet shows excellent effects. For example, it suppresses weed growth in enclosed soil, prevents soil changes and drying caused by rainfall, and helps prevent diseases such as fungal infections. From early morning, I prepared seedbed (MS). Indeed, it is warm, and no frost columns have formed. Soil preparation status of the seedbed (MS) where Henbit clusters were present The upper section contains many small stones, so I decided to dig it shallowly. This bed seems suitable for leafy vegetables. I am gradually continuing the work toward the central area. Henbit cluster conditions Then, clusters of Henbit deadnettle appeared. By the way, sharp observers may notice that this is an area where deer live. That is right. This weed belongs...

English | 日本語  Hello everyone. Here on a sunny daytime, the sunlight warms the air and makes it comfortable. Deer and other wildlife deterrent nets were placed in a new section at the home improvement store. It feels like a sign of spring. Soil preparation status of the upper seedbed (DD) with shallow bed depth Today, I started making the seedbed (DD) after noon. Until next week, the work of making seedbeds will continue in the same way. Depending on the weather, if timing works out, I plan to sow seeds in the completed seedbeds. In addition to the above work, I will also work on installing wildlife deterrent nets. Net (made of polyethylene, width 2.3m × length 30m, mesh size 6cm × 6cm) will be installed in combination. In my home garden, there are many reported deer sightings, and I have confirmed their tracks. And there also seem to be a small number of monkeys. Because of that, I think a polyethylene-only net might be bitten through, so I am considering choosing a net re...

English | 日本語 Good morning everyone. Soil preparation status of seedbed (HB) Following yesterday (March 10), I am preparing a new seedbed (HB). As at the same time of day yesterday, the air is cold and frost columns are forming on the ground surface. It is still too early to plant seedlings. The seedbed is 23 meters in total length. It is roughly divided at the center into two different soil areas: the roadside side (hereafter referred to as the upper section or upper) and the compost shed side (hereafter referred to as the lower section or lower). Upper section (HB seedbed): soil preparation status The upper section has already been dug once, so the soil is quite soft and easy to work with a shovel. However, there are many stones about the size of a fist, and some even heavier ones appeared, which suggests that the digging was not thorough enough. It likely means that this area had few roots. Lower section: grass condition (looks just like a lawn) On the other ...

English | 日本語 Good morning everyone. This morning here we had frost columns forming on the ground. Lately, during the daytime, we can feel some warmth from the sun, but in the mornings and evenings, it still feels quite cold. Soil preparation status of seedbed (CW) Starting early this morning, I worked on preparing the seedbed (CW). That said, it was really just digging up the soil for the first time since the stump-removal work. There were still lots of leftover roots from the stump removal, as well as stones of all sizes scattered around. It was quite a rewarding job. The soil in the lower area, furthest from the road, looks almost like a lawn. I cut the grass there last summer, but now it has turned into dead grass, transforming into good compost. I also swapped the deeper soil with the surface soil. It seems to be good soil. Soil replacement work status So far, there are no signs of mole activity. Maybe they’ve gone somewhere because of the cold. As the season progresse...

English | 日本語 Hello everyone. Since today was a little warmer, I made progress on spring work in my home vegetable garden. It still feels a bit early, but I went ahead and started sowing seeds and planting seedlings for the spring garden. Home vegetable garden with seed sowing and seedling planting Although mornings and evenings are still cold, the snow has mostly melted and the soil is gradually becoming more like spring. So today I carried out my first seed sowing and seedling planting of the year. First, I prepared the soil. I dug down about 20 cm using a shovel and turned the soil over. I could feel that my physical strength has declined after not doing this work for a while, but there is still something exciting about touching cold, moist soil. I continued carefully and steadily. The cold, moist soil exposed to sunlight gradually dried and turned into soft, fine soil. I also removed some weed roots. After about one hour per seedbed, the environment was ready, so I bega...

English | 日本語 Everyone, hello. I purchased seeds for vegetables and flowers to be planted in the spring of 2026 (Reiwa 8). I made the selections after consulting with a seed specialist. There is no way I could possibly use all of them on my own. I chose a wide variety of seeds so that I can enrich my meals and bring color to the dining table. Wasabi greens seeds with a pleasant spicy kick Each seed is extremely small—so small that if it falls to the ground, you can easily lose sight of it. I handle them with great care. It’s amazing how something so tiny can grow into a full plant. I’ve written down notes on the characteristics of the crops as my personal reference. I hope they turn out delicious. This year, I also plan to plant asters. I’m thinking about pressing them into flowers and turning them into postcards, but for now I’m simply looking forward to their bright blooms. I hope the garden will become full of color. I’ve calculated the value in terms of “per seed ...