More and more people around me are growing crops or want to grow crops without depending on pesticides and chemical fertilizers. I was one of the curious ones, so I first went to Permae, a salon focusing on permaculture and sustainable agriculture.
This salon was held in March, the second time this year. Goods, books, seedlings, and seeds necessary for home vegetable gardening were on sale, as well as information on schools and short courses for learning full-scale agriculture.
Ateliers on vegetable gardening and agriculture were also held, and visitors eagerly asked questions at the booths and ateliers.
My main interest was seeds, and almost all of what they were selling were fixed seeds that can be self-seeded. I also bought some for my future vegetable garden.
Shortly after visiting the salon, I was also allowed to visit the homes of some friends who actually have vegetable gardens that follow nature as closely as possible.
The first house is the home of a Japanese-French couple who live about 30 minutes east of Paris by train.
The most interesting thing about them is that they are practicing “aquaponics farming” using freshwater fish called tilapia. It was a big difference from what I had heard and what I saw, and I was truly amazed when I actually observed it!
On the first floor of the home is a row of aquariums, lots of tilapia, hello! These fish are cared for by the husband, who loves fish with all his heart. And the water from this tank is used as fertilizer for the fields. The water filtered in the field goes back to the tank again, so it is a perfect cycle. By the way, the fish are not only kept as fertilizer, but also eaten. The taste is said to be similar to Thai.
When I visited, the seedlings were just starting to grow and the house was full of them, inside and out! The owner of the field laughed and said, “My house is occupied by seedlings! The owner of the field laughed and said, “The house is occupied by seedlings!
Next, we were shown the house of a Japanese-French couple who live in a town adjacent to the east of Paris. The garden here is a huge 1,000 m2! Neighborhood cats come over to relax, and their chickens freely walk around.
Here, we started a farm this year in collaboration with a Japanese-French couple who live next door. When we talked to the French husband who lives next door, he told us, “I work at a desk every day, and touching the soil is very therapeutic. I understand!
When I visited, they were in the process of building fences and other structures to prevent slugs and snails from eating the seedlings that had grown up to …….
Giant slugs and snails seem to be the biggest natural enemies of vegetable gardens in France. If you look at the topics in the social networking community that I participate in, which is engaged in farming in France, they are talking passionately about how to repel them without the use of drugs.
I am currently only growing a small amount of vegetables and herbs in a planter, but next year I plan to have a small vegetable garden on the terrace of the place I am moving to. I am currently collecting seeds and enjoying learning about vegetable gardening here and there. I’m interested in natural farming–no organic fertilizers either–and I’m looking forward to the day when I can put it into practice!
© Source travel watch