Apr–May 2023: This Year’s Challenge (Pesticide-free pest control)

Our field has always been pesticide-free, but insect damage is still a challenge.
With what we have learned, we launched a new attempt this year!
Someday I’d like to explain the scientific reasons behind this on another page.

April: Mixed Planting (not random—I promise!)

In nature, many different plant families coexist. A monoculture vegetable patch can allow diseases to spread rapidly and lead to soil nutrient imbalance.
So this year we broadcast-mixed the seeds of various vegetables and herbs: garlic chives, arugula, cabbage, daikon, leek, chrysanthemum greens, cilantro, lettuce, parsley, Japanese parsley, komatsuna, spinach…
The goal is to improve pest resistance and bring natural enemies of pests. The book below summarizes this traditional knowledge—highly recommended!

コンパニオンプランツの野菜づくり
育ちがよくなる! 病害虫に強くなる! 植え合わせワザ88 決定版 (by Toshio Kijima)

A practical companion planting book that helped us choose effective combinations 👇

*This page contains affiliate links.

✅ View on Rakuten
✅ View on Amazon

May: How is it going?

It’s hard to tell what’s planted where, but everything is growing well. By late May, almost no cabbageworms.
Arugula aroma seems to help. We added marigolds—good for nematode control too.
One mistake: eggplant struggled because leafy greens dominated…

Our little farmer joined the work

I hope this sparks a lifelong interest in gardening!