Rhubarb Gardening AcreSeason

English | 日本語 Good morning, everyone. The current time is 6:00 a.m. The air is still pleasantly cool this morning. Garden after removing dead leaves and flower stalks Today, I performed a process called pinching on the planted rhubarb (also known as tip pruning). By removing the flower buds, the plant redirects its energy into producing side shoots as it grows. This method helps increase the number of stalks and gives the plant a fuller appearance overall. Weeds are sprouting throughout the raised beds, so I removed them at the same time. Some leaves also show slight insect damage. Weed control for soil cultivation and mulching I also began preparing the soil for additional fertilizer application. First, I started removing weeds, and I am experimenting with weed control using agricultural plastic sheeting. The soil surface has already been loosened, but I plan to repeat the process several more times. After that, I will spread organic fertilizer and thoroughly mix it into the ...

English | 日本語  Good morning, everyone. Today (April 15), I started work again at 6:00 a.m. for about two hours. Lately, I’ve been hearing and seeing more reports of bear activity. The garden where I work is located at the foot of a mountain at an elevation of about 1000m. Around December 2025 last year, an adult Asiatic black bear appeared within a 1㎞ radius of the garden. Situation of carrying bear spray Since then, I have made it a habit to always carry bear spray when going to the garden in the early morning or evening. This spray is the SABRE FRONTIERSMAN･Bear Attack Deterrent. It is said to have a maximum spray distance of up to about 12m. Situation of soil preparation work Today, I will be preparing soft soil mixed with chicken manure to restore raised rhubarb beds that have been damaged by rainfall. Rain is expected in the afternoon, so I will cover the area with agricultural plastic sheets to prevent runoff. Covering ...

English | 日本語 Good morning, everyone. It is currently 5:30 a.m. Today (April 13) is the exciting and enjoyable day for planting rhubarb. I was looking forward to it since last night. The temperature is 9°C. It’s a very comfortable temperature for both the rhubarb and the work. Overview of the rhubarb ready for planting Today’s planting starts from the 47th crown overall. For me, this is quite a large number, and it looks like we can expect a very abundant harvest. I’ll handle them with great care. Newly emerging rhubarb flower 1 Newly emerging rhubarb flower 2 Small flower buds can already be seen here and there, so once all the planting is finished, I’ll remove the flowers. Spacing the rhubarb plants 1 meter apart I dig planting holes for the rhubarb crowns at 1-meter intervals. The holes are about twice the depth of the shovel blade. Small stones are still coming up from the soil. I’ll keep working. Rhubarb crowns lined up at ...

English | 日本語 Hello everyone.　 Today (April 12), I am building raised beds for planting rhubarb starting from the 47th crown. The forecast says temperatures will feel like summer by late morning, so I started early in the morning. Current status of building the raised bed in the third row Just like with the first and second rows, I dug trenches by driving the shovel firmly into buried small stones and grass-like weeds with deep roots. Somehow, it’s a lot of fun. In the end, only the soil remains. Preparing the soil properly with organic fertilizer (chicken manure) I worked organic fertilizer (chicken manure) into the soft soil. Then I covered it with another layer of fresh, soft soil. With rhubarb, this work is normally done one week before planting because disturbing the roots can damage them. However, after checking the weather, I decided to let the soil rest for one day and begin planting early tomorrow morning (April 13). Completed raised bed in the third row The r...

English | 日本語  Good morning, everyone. At last, April has arrived. How have you been doing? It looks like there will be an entrance ceremony at a nearby school today. I saw welcome banners for the new students and decorative white and pink paper flowers being set up at the main gate. It’s still a little too early for students to arrive, but the weather is sunny and the air already feels pleasantly warm. As for me, starting today, I’ll finally begin planting rhubarb in earnest. First, I need to build raised beds. In fields where a tiller can be used, this would probably be easy work, but my garden is too small for large machinery like a tiller, so I have no choice but to carefully build everything by hand with a shovel. It takes time. There are rocks buried underground as well, so it’s definitely hard physical labor. Still, for some reason, it’s enjoyable. First, I’ll build the bed up to the middle height. Current status of raised bed construction Next, I add 100% organic c...