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[Food Stockpile Ultimate] Grains from Scratch: A Beginner's Challenge Part 4 - What is Field Preparation? What Fertilizer Should I Use and How?

綺麗道【生きるを愉しむ新潟クリエイター】

2023年5月16日 12:18

When you think of farm work, you think of a hoe.

The time has finally come for my brand-new hoe to
breathe fire.

Whoosh

(I don't think you're interested, but I'm going to keep charging ahead anyway)

Oh, I'm Kireido, living in Niigata,
currently working on farming from scratch.

I'm currently taking on the challenge of my first field cultivation
using grains.

I'm sending you a crash-course practical record
that clearly shows where someone who knows nothing
stumbles when they start farming.

Today is

Grains from Scratch: A Beginner's Challenge Part 3
The Basics of Soil Preparation

Let's Try Making a Field Edition

Now that I've finally set out to make a field,
what part do you think I was confused about?

Well then, let's have fun again today and
start the 'Grain Quest'.

Let's try making a field for grains - do I need fertilizer?

Well, to plant grains, you need a field.

I mean, how do you even
prepare a field in the first place?

According to the magic book of grain cultivation

● Field preparation (fertilizing and ridging)
Among grains, this one requires a lot of fertilizer.

Because it has a strong ability to absorb nutrients,
especially when growing grains in succession,

if you don't replenish the fertilizer,
the soil will become increasingly depleted.

'Enjoying Growing Grains: Cultivation, Processing, and Use' by Kazuo Goda

I read on, realizing that fertilizer is needed, but

Organic fertilizer
Fermented chicken manure
Bokashi fertilizer
and so on and so forth

and other words I don't know keep appearing.

So, what should I do?

My farming level is so low that
the magic book alone doesn't make much sense.

In times like these...

Appear, Grandpa Farmer!

Time to summon the master of field cultivation.

With a reliable companion by my side,
let's head into the battle of field making!

Grandpa Farmer's Way of Making a Field

A field has appeared.

What will you do?

▶ Kireimichi's Attack 1: Soil Tilling

I'll till the field and prepare to add fertilizer.

This is where my strongest weapon comes in.
Enter the Hime-kuwa (Princess Hoe)!

Here we go!

Dig, dig,
dig...

Despite my enthusiasm, my posture is weak.

I can see Grandpa's wry smile.

Even so, thanks to the lightweight Hime-kuwa,
the work progressed without too much strain.

I was saved by my tools.

**Story of the Hime-kuwa ↓**
[Extra Edition]The strongest, lightest, and sharpest hoe. A special masterpiece for a princess chased by Date Masamune. Recommended for field beginners.
*****************

(With a lot of help from Grandpa)
Soil tilling complete.

▶ Kireimichi's Attack 2: Spreading Fertilizer

Once the soil is ready

Under the guidance of Field Grandpa
the field spell "FERTILIZER" will explode!

Kireimichi cast the field spell "FERTILIZER"

It's a wave attack of fertilizer!

1. Magnesium Lime

It changes the soil toward an alkaline state.

It has the role of neutralizing the soil
and is spread over the entire ridge.

By the way, I learned about neutralization in this episode ↓

2. Chicken Manure
Exactly what it sounds like: chicken droppings.

It becomes nutrients for the soil

Rich in nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potassium
It's an excellent fertilizer that also contains calcium and magnesium

Since it will wither the plants if it touches the roots directly
it seems you can't spread it thickly.

I sprinkle it lightly in the middle of the ridge.

3. Seed Meal (Rapeseed Oil Cake)

It's an organic fertilizer.
It's high in nitrogen and phosphoric acid.
It makes vegetables healthy.

It's expensive (!), so it seems you can't spread a lot of it.

To save even a little bit
instead of spreading it over the whole area

I spread it on the soil mounds
so that it gets mixed in just right when the soil is returned.

4. Chemical Fertilizer

It contains a good balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

⑥ Rice husks

They are organic fibers.
They create air pockets in the soil, so they act like a blanket.

It seems that adding rice husks is good for areas with heavy clay soil.

Finally, I'll mix in the organic matter.

Adding rice husks is said to keep slugs away
because they dislike the prickly texture.

A wave of 'FERTILIZER' attacks explodes onto the field.

▶ Kireimichi's Attack 3: Leveling the soil

All that's left is to put the soil back.

I'm returning the soil to its original state with clumsy hands,
but I get some guidance from Grandpa Farmer.

Grandpa: 'If you step there, it will get hard.'

Me: '????'

【Points to note for making ridges】
You want the ridges to be fluffy,
so don't step in the middle.

Stand in the path on the side,
and move the soil from there back into the middle.

It looks something like this in my head ↓

They say that for plants, soft and fluffy soil is better
than hard soil.

Now that it's been pointed out, I feel like I understand.

Preparing an environment where plants can grow easily.

I feel like I understand why they say
growing vegetables is just like raising a child.

Field preparation is now complete.

Since it seems to take time for fertilizer to decompose,
I will leave the field as it is for a while and wait.

Now, all that's left is to look forward to the seeds growing into seedlings.

[Field Magic Learned Today]

・Till the soil before adding fertilizer
・There are different types of fertilizer
Use them as needed, such as for neutralizing, providing nutrients, or improving soil condition
・Soil should be in a fluffy state

My life as a grain farmer continues.

By the way, here is the status of the seeds.