June 4, 2013

This Season's First Harvest of Strawberries/今シーズン初のイチゴの収穫

Last Sunday (June 2), my son moved the four strawberry planter boxes away from other plants so they wouldn't attract slugs. I wondered if his plan would work.
日曜(6月2日)に息子はイチゴのプランタ4つをナメクジが来ないよう他の植物から離しました。その計画はうまく行くかなあ、と私は思いましたが。
 
Today, I checked the strawberries at around 5 o'clock in the morning.
今日、午前5時ごろイチゴを見てみました。
 
I found one tiny slug in one of the planter boxes! I immediately removed it with a pair of waribashi (disposable wooden chopsticks)!
プランタの一つに小さなナメクジが一匹いました!すぐに割り箸で取りました! 
SO, I had to harvest some strawberries before they were fully matured.
というわけで、完全に熟す前にイチゴを収穫しました。 
My initial plan to grow tomato suckers and plant them in my rented field was not successful due to the bad weather in May, so last Saturday (June 1), I planted the seedlings there. Shown below are suckers taken from the seedlings.
トマトのわき芽を育てて借りている畑に植えるという当初の計画は5月の悪天候のためうまく行かず、畑には土曜日(6月1日)に苗木を植えました。その苗木から取ったわき芽です。  
I will grow them to plant them later.
育てて、後で植えます。
 
I have four cherry tomato plants (two red and two yellow) in my small yard around the house. Because the soil is only 10-15 cm deep, I had to think of a clever way to support the supports.
家の周りの小さな庭にはミニトマトを4本(赤2本、黄色2本)植えました。土が10~15 cmくらいしかないので、支柱を支えるのに頭を使いました。 
The seeds are incredibly slow to grow.
種は成長が信じられないくらい遅いです。 
 
My rented field on June 1.
借りている畑、6月1日
 
I will list the tomato and cherry tomato varieties in a future post.
トマトとミニトマトの品種のリストは、またいつか載せます。

7 comments:

Fräulein Trude said...

I decided to buy 2 indian runner ducks to fight the slugs. There is no other way to get rid of them. But first I have to discuss this matter with my husband: 2 more pets and they will jump in his "sacred" pond for sure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Runner_Duck

Hiroyuki said...

Kiki: Two ducks??? But isn't that too costly?

In Japan, aigamo (合鴨, あいがも) are used by some people to get rid of pests in their rice fields:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq8w0gHNDBk

Fräulein Trude said...

1 young runner duck (May breed) 8-10 Euro. Yes and they need some food. The slug pesticide is expensive too and it doesn't work that good. It is also dangerous for hedgehogs.
You can eat the duck eggs and they work for their food (laugh)

Fräulein Trude said...

Forgot. Guess we will end up as displayed in this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZvkPzJhMNI

I do know my husband too well...

Hiroyuki said...

Kiki: Thanks for a link to those lovely ducks!

Sissi said...

Congratulations for the strawberries, Hiroyuki!
Is it a real speed on the duck video??? They are so funny! So quick! I have once seen a tv program about a Japanese man who invented a very ecological way to grow ducks and rice (Hiroyuki, you have probably heard about him...). It was amazing!

Hiroyuki said...

Sissi: Thanks! I got three of them this morning.

I think it's a real speed (laugh). I don't think I know of the particular person you mentioned, because there are many people who practice this way of growing rice. As you say, it's really amazing to see how aigamo eat pests and others while keeping rice plants unharmed.