Why do Cangzhou people love to grow vegetables?

Growing vegetables in the field was originally the work of farmers, but now it has become a leisure way for some Cangzhou citizens. They drove to the suburbs and rented a "private plot", weeding, fertilizing and picking, and they were very busy. ...

"landlord" story

The cost of land rent, transportation, chemical fertilizer and seeds costs several thousand yuan to plant several border plots, while the value of harvested vegetables is only several hundred yuan. Will anyone do such a loss-making business? The answer is yes.

A few days ago, the reporter interviewed several Cangzhou "urban farmers" who rented land to grow vegetables in the suburbs and felt the different rural life in their eyes.

Food rental

From two beds to eight beds

At 7 o'clock in the morning, Su Yuxiang, who lives on Yong 'an Avenue, came to the rented vegetable field with his wife Tian Zhifen. All kinds of lush vegetables are growing well, which shows the hard work of the dish owners. Today, there is a lot of work in the vegetable field, and the couple are busy tacitly: fertilizing Chinese cabbage, watering lettuce and removing the yellow leaves of loofah. ...

Talking about renting land to grow vegetables, Su Yuxiang, 67, said cheerfully, "I have nothing else to do when I retire. I can not only exercise, but also harvest pollution-free green vegetables on all kinds of land. Why not! "

Three years ago, Su Yuxiang's daughter happened to see a place renting land to grow vegetables in Cangzhou on the Internet, so she rented two small beds here, each about 5 meters long and 1 meter wide, for her parents to plant and play.

The vegetable field is not too far from Su Yuxiang's home, and it takes more than 20 minutes to ride an electric bicycle.

Su Yuxiang, who has never planted vegetables, discussed with his wife and planted green leafy vegetables such as leeks and lettuce in this palm-sized place.

Su Yuxiang still remembers the mood after planting vegetables. He and his wife, like children, go to the fields every day to have a look, expecting the seeds to break ground and germinate.

Su Yuxiang saw the little green seedling drilling into the ground and excitedly called her daughter to tell her the good news.

Su Yuxiang bought a spray bottle to water the seedlings, fearing that watering them with a pipe would damage them.

In order to make vegetables green and pollution-free, Su Yuxiang fermented beans and corn flour as fertilizer.

At first, I found bug eyes on the leaves. Su Yuxiang and his wife don't want to use drugs, but they catch insects one by one with their hands. ...

Finally, Su Yuxiang felt particularly sweet when she ate the green leafy vegetables in her vegetable field.

Gradually, the old couple became fascinated with growing vegetables. When two beds are not enough, they gradually increase and become four beds, six beds and eight beds.

No pains, no gains. This summer, Su Yuxiang planted a bumper harvest of tomatoes, with nearly half a catty of big persimmons. "Naturally ripe persimmons are especially delicious!" Su Yuxiang said.

Su Yuxiang planted more than 30 tomatoes, and one seedling can bear more than 20 fruits, and a string of fruits is like a red lantern. In summer, vegetables are much more mature. Su Yuxiang goes to the vegetable field to clean the garden every morning.

There are too many dishes to eat at home, so Su Yuxiang gives them to her neighbors and relatives. Su Yuxiang is particularly proud whenever she hears others praise her vegetables for being delicious. The vegetables in the garden are just like the children they have carefully raised. They are also proud that "children" have become useful.

"loss" business

Zhang Zhigang, 69, has been farming in the suburbs for six years. After retirement, he became an "urban farmer".

Now he has rented 12 piece of land. At 5 o'clock in the morning in summer, Zhang Zhigang was busy in the vegetable field, wearing rubber shoes, protective hat and work clothes.

When the sun rises and the greenhouse gets hot, Zhang Zhigang has finished his work and will take the vegetables he picked home.

Zhang Zhigang's home is far from the vegetable field, and he often drives to grow vegetables. He once calculated an account: driving to take care of vegetable fields every day, going back and forth for more than an hour, the annual light oil fee will be more than 1000 yuan; Coupled with the cost of renting vegetable fields, buying improved varieties and organic fertilizers, it costs more than 3,000 yuan a year to grow these fields. The harvested vegetables are only worth a few hundred yuan at home.

"It sounds uneconomical, but I think it's worth it. I don't think renting land to grow vegetables can be purely an economic account. Retired, there is nothing at home, and it is easy to get sick when I am idle. Now, I am busy in the vegetable field and smell the fragrance of the soil. I also relaxed, my spirit was particularly pleasant and I gained health. " Zhang Zhigang said with deep feelings, "I grow cucumbers and eggplant in the open air in summer and rape and lettuce in the greenhouse in winter. I'm busy all year round. Sometimes, I invite a few friends to grow vegetables and pick them together. It is a weekend outing, and life is more fun. "

Nearly a hundred plots of land in a greenhouse are subletted to different "farmers", and everyone calls them "vegetable friends".

Because of years of farming, Zhang Zhigang has become the big brother in this vegetable greenhouse. The vegetable friend came to ask him if he had any questions. Zhang Zhigang was responsive and told everyone about his experience.

In summer, there are many mosquitoes in vegetable fields, and they are all flower mosquitoes, which bite people very badly. Even if you wear long-sleeved clothes, hats and masks, your face is often bitten by mosquitoes.

Zhang Zhigang thought that the hat worn by beekeepers was particularly suitable for mosquito prevention, so he searched online and bought a hat with gauze mask of the same model.

With this anti-mosquito hat, Zhang Zhigang is no longer afraid of mosquito harassment at work.

Before long, Zhang Zhigang's "secret weapon" spread among the vegetable friends.

Put down your mobile phone and grow vegetables.

There are three young people and Zhang Zhigang growing vegetables in the same greenhouse. They call themselves "Xiao Bai".

Liu Xiao, 38, is the initiator of growing vegetables. This spring, Liu Xiao came across this rentable vegetable field. Their unit is near the vegetable field. During a lunch break, Liu Xiao walked here at will. After talking to the owner of the vegetable field, he immediately decided to rent a piece of land and become a vegetable farmer.

Although young, the sedentary nature of work made Liu Xiao's lumbar intervertebral disc go wrong early. Liu Xiao believes that renting a piece of land for planting can carry out "compulsory" physical labor after work, which is also a kind of exercise for the body.