A Look At The Cultivation of Curcumas
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Seed is planted from March until early May.
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June - New turmeric shoots. All summer the |
They recieve the bright summer sun and grow large. Soil is mounded |
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Our Farming Method
We abstain absolutely from the use of herbicides, pectides and chemcial fertilizers.
Our primary crop amendment is manure from chickens that receive no antibiotics or chemicals.
Turmeric rhizomes are planted in spring, from March to May. Furrows are dug and the seeds are laid at 15cm (6in) intervals and covered with a light layer of soil.
Under the summer sun the plants grow large leaves. Soil is mounded around the base of the plants. Weeds grow fiercely, but pesticides are rejected in favor of weeding by hand.
By August the plants have grown to chest height. The plants are ready to grow hearty rhizomes, but when a typhoon comes, things often dont play out as we hope.
In winter, cold winds dessicate the curcuma leaves. It is said that the plants are still growing and absorbing nutrients. For this reason, curcumas grown in warmer climates produce a greater harvest thanks to the longer growing season.
冬になると寒波の影響で、地上のウコンの葉はすっかり枯れ果てます。この後も、ウコンは養分を吸収し続けているといわれています。ですから、温暖な地域の物は育成時間が長い分だけ栄養が豊富だといえるでしょう。
収穫期は２月ごろから４月下旬頃までになります。地上の枯葉を草刈機で掃います。その後はトラクターに芋ほり機を付けて、ウコンを掘り起こします。植付けの写真の様に、深いところにウコンを植えているので、掘り起こすのが大変です。
トラクターで掘り起こしたウコンを、加工用と種子用に選別します。紫ウコンに限っては、小さいものは種用にし、大きいものだけ加工用に集めます。
