Adzuki Bean Transplanting and Deer Protection | Preparing Seedbeds with Soil Solarization

English | 日本語

Good morning.

Today’s main tasks are the usual weeding, transplanting newly grown adzuki bean seedlings, and disinfecting the soil in seedbed MA. In the early morning, the temperature is 20 degrees, making it a comfortable environment for working. Rain is forecast for the afternoon.

In seedbed RL, the wasabi greens are reaching their peak growing season. After weeding, I immediately harvested some and shared them with friends. Since they are organically grown, I can give them away with confidence.

Condition of seedlings sown in seedbed 【RL-A11】 on 2026/03/07

Meanwhile, in seedbed CW, broccoli leaves have started to emerge. Since they were grown directly from seed, they have adapted to the surrounding environment and developed their leaves naturally. They give a strong impression. Their characteristic thickness and deep leaf color make them easy to distinguish from surrounding weeds. From this stage onward, I need to pay close attention to insect feeding damage because the leaves are likely sweet and attractive. Birds may also come to eat them.

Condition of broccoli sown in seedbed 【CW-A12UP】 on 2026/03/21

For the blueberries in seedbed 【GC】, I decided to keep only the two trees that bloomed and create a new seedbed. I am thinking about increasing the number of raspberries.

Condition of blueberries planted in seedbed 【GC】 during the summer of 2025

This is the raspberry tree in seedbed 【GC】, growing steadily. At the moment there is only one tree, so adding one more blueberry tree will create a good balance. Since it is still a small tree, care must be taken against mole damage to the roots. I will step into the garden as often as possible to prevent moles from entering.

Condition of raspberries planted in seedbed 【GC】 on 2026/03/07

These are newly grown adzuki bean seedlings. They are thin and light green now, but after being transplanted and given some time, they will develop sturdy stems and deeper green leaves as they continue to grow. Although the roots are not densely packed, they have formed firmly.

Condition of newly brought adzuki seedlings before transplanting

The adzuki seedlings transplanted to seedbed 【MA下段の上】 on May 18 showed signs of deer feeding damage on the leaves. There were also traces of deer walking through the seedbed, with signs of seedlings being pressed down and roots pulled from the ground. Fortunately, the seedlings had not withered, so I believe this damage occurred quite recently.

Condition of adzuki beans transplanted to seedbed 【MA下段の上】 on 2026/05/18 and sown in seedbed 【MA下段の中】 on 2026/06/02

After successfully finishing the adzuki transplanting, I prepared seedbed 【MA上段】. Since the grass had already been cut, the work was much easier. I turned over the soil and covered it with agricultural plastic sheeting. Fortunately, many stones can be collected from this garden, making them very useful for securing the plastic sheeting. I placed many stones on top so it would not blow away in the wind.

In the past, I learned from news reports that poorly secured agricultural plastic had blown onto railway tracks and stopped trains, so I made sure to secure it firmly.

Condition after applying solar soil disinfection to seedbed 【MA上段】

The adzuki seedbed showed signs of deer feeding damage on the leaves, so I decided to try using dead blueberry branches as a deer damage countermeasure. I thought the dense arrangement of many thin branches might work well. Although the protection is only on one side, this layout was chosen based on the usual paths taken by the deer.

Condition after applying deer damage countermeasures to protect adzuki seedlings

I was once again reminded of the effectiveness of rhubarb. The fact that it is resistant to feeding damage is a major advantage. When growing other vegetables, countermeasures against feeding damage from deer and other wild animals are necessary. Having so few measures required for rhubarb is something I truly appreciate.

Well then, that is all for today.