Last year's great experience from weekend family farm led me to another challenge right after move-out to new home. Beginning March, I went around so many places to locate the best family farm nearby new house. I paid yearly rental for a farm block out of five candidates April. This post is a story from "getting started" to "up-to-date" development.



This year's land space is bigger by 1.5 times than previous one at SanBon. Per-square rental fee is higher approximately by 1.5 times, too. Land shape is long bar type whereas last year's was nearly square.



One of the lessons learnt last year is that I have to focus on manageable number of varieties on a farm block. Planting, eradicating in case of failure, and their repetition over so many varieties took so much amount of time seriously. Another lesson is that lettuce yield resulted in oversupply for my family. With these two key experiences, I partitioned the farm block roughly into four pieces; green pea block (30%), maize block (30%), tomato/chilly block (25%), and lettuce block (15%). Then, stake planting followed.

As of today, all blocks are going well without any risky symptom yet because most of environmental conditions seem to be identical to or better than those last year; easy access to water supply, no need to shape farm block itself (initial plowing done by landlord), no need to mix fertilizer (done by landlord, too), and so on.

However, one unforeseen circumstance may impact on crop yield as well as the success of this year's farming in the long run. That is anomaly in Korea's climate. I never experienced such terrible weathers during this season since my birth; harsh up-and-down in temperature, high wind, lack of sunshine, and so forth. Weather forecast confirms such kind of anomalies all through this year.



For instance, early seedlings from other's blocks are already suffering from early blossom, early drop, and no or weak ovary. In my case, most varieties got started with direct seeding to escape from early mature. It was a sort of strategic and right decision that I had never tried last year, at least, until now. However, I'm sure that the more difficulties will await me. That's why I have to go through another challenge this year dealing with weekend farming

Weekend family farm played best role as a gathering point among friends as well as family members so far. Cultivation efforts strengthened friendship and kinship with collaboration. Seeding and transplanting, after all, produced kinds of vegetables for daily consumption. I don't need to include the names of vegetables in my shopping list accordingly.



We intended chemical-free farming at the beginning. It seemed that we would abide by that rule until the end farming cycle (late fall) because we did not feed anything except water. Last visit got us shocked, however. The farm land was covered by endemic diseases and bugs as shown below. Some block damaged seriously whereas others got slightly.



Our block also got affected in several rows and columns. Kale and Pak Choi were nearly gone away or under bugs' bites :-( All of them were digged out entirely



It's clear that we have two options; 1. Applying insecticide 2. Leaving them as a part of nature. We came to a conclusion that you will not apply chemicals as possible. One strategic alternative for leaf vegetables is to harvest them when they become big sprouts (not when they get fully grown) to minimize possibility of exposure to bugs and diseases.

Nothing yet determined for root vegetables of (sweet) potato, bean (victim of wild animals) and maize (smelling yummy for crows)! Give me some idea not to pollute environment and not to harm human at the same time!

Located at the foot of Suri san (mountain), 16.5 square meters land space got committed to my family for yearly cultivation only. This is called, weekend family farm, 주말농장. Aiming at full supply of KimChi (김치) material for KimJang (김장), I got around to field arrangement last weekend. It was the first time in my life that I had plowed farm field not for fun. During this spring and coming summer, I will grow varieties of vegetables like chilly, lettuce, young radish, kale, and so on. I have to be keen to weather forecast as a farmer from now on. :-)