Having gained experience in planting sugar cane last year, everyone is very familiar with the process this year. There is basically no need to ask how to dig trenches or apply base fertilizer.
All sugar cane is stored in the sugar pressing workshop, where there is also a pond for soaking the sugar cane. After soaking, it is transported to the field by oxcart and can be planted directly.
At first, the stewards were a little confused and couldn't help but take care of things they shouldn't take care of. After two days, they became familiar with it.
Zhao Liya went to grow potatoes in Bajiao Village in person.
The vegetable plot at home has all been planted, but there are still some that have not been planted. Widow Qu, Mrs. Deng, and Aunt Li Shiyi are enough. Shu Yanbian is also eager to go with Zhao Liya.
People are afraid of comparison. Shu Yan didn't think anything of it before, but now Zhao Liya and Qu Yutao are busy with their own careers. Of course she will envy them and want to join them.
Zhao Liya welcomed this very much and took Lin Mo over as well.
Lin Mo was eager to accompany his wife, so of course he agreed. He was a very principled hunter and would not go into the mountains to hunt in spring. He usually only started to go into the mountains slowly after May.
Unless you are hunting wild boars that ruin crops in spring.
Things here in Bajiao Village were not so easy at the beginning. Everyone was obedient, but they were too excited, so it was inevitable that there would be some chaos and disorganization.
Fortunately, several managers, large, medium and small, were identified in advance. Most of the time, Zhao Liya ordered them to run errands and send messages to manage people.
After arguing and tossing for a long time, I managed to get on the right track.
Planting potatoes on a large scale is different from just randomly planting potatoes in the fields and stuffing a few plants wherever there are holes in the vegetable garden. The land must first be prepared like planting sugar cane, forming ridges, rows and rows, and digging trenches.
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The depth of the trench is about 20 centimeters. Apply a thin layer of farmyard manure at the bottom, cover it with a layer of plant ash, and then cover it with a thin layer of soil.
Only in this way can the land be considered in good condition.
As for farmyard manure, last year Zhao Liya predicted that the amount would be very large this year, so she had already spread the word to buy it. Anyone who came was welcome, and they asked for as much as they wanted. There were several large piles of it piled in this large area of reclaimed land.
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This is also easy, just be diligent and put grass in the pig pens and cow pens. For example, in the past, we only put grass in the pig pens and cow pens once every five or six days, and then it was once every three days. Pigs and cows trampled on them, plus feces and urine.
After mixing, the sprinkled grass or dry straw will naturally become retting. The more layer by layer, the better the retting becomes and the fermentation is good. When it is almost done, it is dug out and picked to the ground.
Although the farmyard manure purchased by Zhao Liya and the others is not enough, they can only use as much as they need, sparing a little. They can guarantee that the sugar cane side can use half of it here.
Zhao Liya even began to think about setting up a pig farm and raising more than a hundred pigs first. Having a pig pen of her own could also solve part of the problem of fertilization.
When the pigs are raised, they can be killed and divided into meat as a welfare, and they can also be sold to make some money.
It is actually easy to raise pigs. After planting so many sweet potatoes, some have sweet potato vines to feed them. Then buy rice bran from the grain store and rice store, buy some corn, grind it into flour and mix it with the rice bran. This is a very good pig feed.
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When the sweet potatoes are harvested, some can even be left to feed the pigs.
Sweet potatoes have a large yield and are cost-effective to feed pigs.
Farmyard manure is not available, but plant ash is easy to obtain.
Go up the mountain and cut the weeds back in big bundles and set them on fire.
While the land was being prepared, forty people were ordered to go up the mountain to cut the grass.
Two days later, fifty or sixty acres of land had been sorted. Zhao Liya asked Lin Mo and Shu Yan to help in the field, still watching everyone prepare the land and burn plant ashes, while she brought forty aunts, aunts, and sisters-in-law to plant potato seeds.
Every potato is precious and needs to be cut into pieces.
Zhao Liya briefly explained to everyone how to cut potatoes into pieces and how to ensure that the sprout eyes are intact. After cutting into pieces, the cut should be rolled in plant ash and coated with a layer of it. This can prevent the cut from rotting and deteriorating.
Speed up incision healing.
Baskets of sliced potatoes dipped in plant ash are placed in a cool, moist place, and they will sprout within a few days.
After germination, it can be planted.
Planting is also very particular. Zhao Liya took the trouble to demonstrate and checked again and again. When the potato pieces are put down, the sprout eyes should be facing up, and the distance between the plants should be about the same. After planting, lightly cover it with a thin film of less than two centimeters.
After five or six days, the seedlings have grown up and are as high as half a chopstick, and then the soil is added.
All kinds of trivial things are unheard of to the villagers and they are not used to it. They have to be warned and reminded over and over again. It will take at least two or three days before they will gradually get used to it.
Fortunately, Shu Yan and Lin Mo helped share the burden, otherwise Zhao Liya would have been even more tired.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
In the end, one thousand acres of sugar cane and seven hundred acres of potatoes were planted, and about one hundred acres of land was temporarily opened up.
Next, there is another round of land reclamation.
At this time, the fields for spring plowing have been arranged, and they are just waiting for the seedlings to grow before planting. Everyone can find time to do other things.
There was no rush to open up wasteland, so Zhao Liya told Zaihu Village to take things slowly.
Here in Bajiaozhai, while clearing land, the sweet potatoes are buried first and watered so that the sweet potato vines can grow out.
Once the sweet potato vines have grown, they can be propagated by transplanting the vines. They can be planted continuously for two months without missing the season.
The wasteland here in Yancun also needs to be reclaimed.
But there are few people in the village, and everyone is busy with their own work. They don’t have enough time to open up wasteland. I would like to, but I am too busy!
Those who were impatient even went to Zhao's house to reassure Zhao Liya and others, saying that they would definitely open up wasteland, so they must keep the wasteland.
Zhao Liya couldn't laugh or cry, and nodded in agreement, "Don't worry, of course the people from our village will open up the land on the edge of our village! It's all reserved for everyone! Let's do it after everyone is finished working for a while."
She was not in a hurry to open up these wastelands anyway, she could open them at any time. Sweet potatoes were easy to plant, and even if they were planted in early June, they would still grow without any delay.
After hearing Zhao Liya's explanation, everyone felt at ease.
At this time, Zhao Liya had hired Uncle Ruan Gui and the others to build a large courtyard near the school.
The large courtyard covers an area of about ten acres. It will be separated from the school by a small bamboo forest, a small garden, and a small fruit forest, so it will not affect each other.
When Uncle Ruan Gui and the others were building the yard of their house, the fruit saplings and bamboos collected by Zheng and his wife from Zaihu Village were sent to them one after another.
Zhao Liya and her family went to dig holes and plant trees together.