Natural Farming book 2

自然農ガーデニングのガイドとして使っている本です。とても分かりやすく説明されています。でも、日本とここの風土は違うので、自分なりに工夫をするつもりです。特に夏が乾燥していて冬に雨が降るのは日本のほとんどの所との大きな違いだと思います。雑草の種類は勿論違うし、六月になっても寒い事も考慮しなければいけません。自分の中では今年が実験／研修期間で、来年から本番という様に考えています。この本は、イラスト満載で耕作を放棄した荒地を田畑に拓く方法から収穫・保存法まで具体的に説明してあります。お米、野菜、果樹全部をカバーされています。お勧めの本です。

Update on the shizeno (natural farming) experiment. The book above is what I am reading for specific advice on natural farming inspired by Kawaguchi's practice. The title is "Shizeno (natural farming)・a guide to cultivation" by Etsuko Kagamiyama. On Amazon her bio reads, "Born in 1955 in Miyazaki city. Then moves to Okayama after marriage. She encountered shizeno and Mr. Kawaguchi in 1992. Then begins to learn Chinese medicine [one of Kawaguchi's main practices, if I remember correctly]. This book was written after 15 years of shizeno experience. She lives a farming life with her husband and two daughters.

This would be an awesome book to translate for English speakers interested in shizeno. I might work on it when I have time, but I have to motivate myself since its more appealing to hang out in nature and garden myself. There are over 1000 illustrations and really simple and thorough directions about everything. There are explanations on starting a garden on an uncultivated site, dike building, cultivating grains, vegetables, and fruit trees. From planting to harvesting to storage. In the back of the book, there is an short exploration on what it means to live, descriptions and uses of various Japanese tools, a short natural farming dictionary, and advice on how to address bugs, birds, wild boars, rabbits, and raccoons. There is also two pieces by Mr. Kawaguchi, the editorial supervisor of the book. Pretty awesome resource to have, and considering that its in its 3rd printing since when it was published in October 2007, shizeno must be catching on again.