Getting Hooked on Weekend Farming

One of the things I started this year was renting a plot at a community garden to grow vegetables.

There is a community garden nearby where local farmers provide guidance, and I signed up to participate starting this year.

Until early spring, I had the luxury of feeling relaxed watching the vegetables grow, but once the rainy season hit, the battle against weeds and the heat began.

Even though I get drenched in sweat, moving my body and, above all, the excitement I feel when I harvest something is a nostalgic sensation I haven't experienced in a long time.

There are three reasons why I'm glad I started renting a garden plot.

1. I've become an early riser and can use my days more effectively

On weekends, I used to sleep in a lot because of the fatigue from the work week, but now I look forward to farm work so much that I wake up between 5:00 and 6:00 AM to head to the field. Breakfast tastes so delicious after I get home, take a shower, and feel refreshed!

2. Staying healthy by eating seasonal vegetables

I believe that eating seasonal vegetables—summer vegetables that hydrate and cool the body, and winter vegetables that warm it—helps the body adapt to the climate.
This summer, the harvest of summer vegetables was non-stop, and I hardly had to buy any vegetables at the supermarket. Perhaps because we eat vegetables every day, my whole family has been able to stay healthy without getting sick.

3. Connecting with a new community

Through the community garden, I've had more opportunities to interact with people I wouldn't normally meet at work or in my private life. We share things like plums or confirm how to do certain tasks for the first time.
Since we basically work quietly on our own plots, this moderate distance where we just see each other and chat a little on the occasional weekend might be just right for me.

By the way, this community garden has an annual fee, which comes out to about 4,000 yen per month.

At first, I hesitated, thinking it might be expensive, but when I consider the cost of the vegetables I've harvested, the healthy body I've gained from eating so many vegetables, and above all, the value of the exciting time I spend on weekends, I think it's a very good way to spend money.

I would actually like to work in the field on weekdays too, but it's difficult when you have a job.
I've been feeling strongly lately that I don't want to fill my days only with work and chores; I want to spend more and more time on things that make me truly happy, like farm work.

To achieve that, I have renewed my determination to reduce my working hours to free up time, and instead, create a system where not only I work, but my money works for me as well.