7月27日にメンバー総出で種蒔きをした厚目内地区休耕地の
「牡丹そば」は毎日の酷暑の中でも元気よく発芽しました。
当初は全く雨のない日が続いていたので発芽せず枯れてしまう
のではないかと大変心配しましたが、2週間たった昨日は
見事に発芽し立派に成長していました。
今後の課題としては、猛暑は昆虫が飛ばなくて交配しないのと
突然の雨量が多いと流されてしまうので収穫出来なくなります。
また収穫直前に早霜が降りると収穫できなくなるのが心配です。
無事に豊作でありますようにひたすら天候の神様に祈るだけです。
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The "Botan-Soba" seeds planted by all members on July 27th
 in the fallow field in the Atsumenai district
 sprouted vigorously despite the scorching heat.
At first, we were very worried that the seeds
 would not germinate and would wither away
 because there had been no rain for several days,
 but two weeks later, they had sprouted beautifully
 and were growing.
Future challenges include the fact that insects
 cannot fly and mate in the intense heat,
 and that sudden heavy rain will wash the seeds away,
 making them unreachable for harvest.
We are also worried that an early frost just before harvest
 will prevent us from harvesting.
All we can do is pray to the weather gods
 for a safe and bountiful harvest.
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