Chapter 368 Planting Sunflowers and Poppies
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it is already March 20th. The vernal equinox has passed and Qingming Festival is approaching.
The trees began to absorb water, and the spores on the branches gradually became full.
In the warmer parts of the city, peach blossoms should have already blossomed and the grass should be green in the distance but not near, while in the mountains, all the spring is still hidden.
Early in the morning, after breakfast, Lin Heng went to Hongfeng Mountain and harnessed the red dates to the carriage. He opened the bag while his father used a shovel to fill it with last year's decomposed sheep dung.
"How many bags do we need?" Father Lin asked as he packed the bags.
Lin Heng thought for a moment and said, "I need twenty bags. I'll not only plant some in the vegetable garden, but I'll also plant some in the fruit trees in the back hill."
This year we will not breed fruits and vegetables in the yard anymore. We will move them to Hongfeng Mountain where it is much more convenient to get fertilizers and other things.
"That will take the whole morning." said Father Lin.
"I guess I'll be working on this all day today." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"That's okay. I don't have anything to do today. I'll come over to help you after I finish digging the breeding ground." Father Lin said.
"Okay." Lin Heng agreed with a smile.
Soon six bags of sheep manure were loaded, each weighing about 90 kilograms. Lin Heng drove the red dates to the road below the village gate, and then moved them into the yard one bag at a time.
"Dad, we have dug the ditch!"
As soon as Lin Heng entered the room, Xiaoxia shouted to him happily.
"That Xiaoxia is really amazing." Lin Heng came over and put down the sheep manure fertilizer.
Xiulan pointed to the trenches dug in the strawberry field and asked, "Is this okay?"
"Okay, I'll just put the fertilizer in." Lin Heng nodded and shoveled the fertilizer into the ditch.
These strawberries had already been thinned out last year, and the extra seedlings were taken to Hongfeng Mountain for planting. However, it was a bit colder there, so the seedlings died in the winter and it took several days for them to sprout.
The temperature in the yard is higher, so these strawberry seedlings have retained a few leaves. After applying fertilizer, they are bent up with bamboo strips and wrapped with plastic film paper. The early-ripening strawberries can be eaten around the end of May.
Combined with the strawberries from Hongfeng Mountain which only start to ripen in mid-June, they can be eaten for two months.
There are now more strawberries, occupying an entire piece of land. After finishing, Lin Heng covered the other three plots of land with sheep manure fertilizer, and dug up all the coriander, spinach and other vegetables planted there.
The grape lilies and other plants in the backyard were all fertilized with some decomposed sheep manure. A total of twelve bags of sheep manure were used in the front and back yards.
When Lin Heng came back for the third time to fertilize the fruit trees in the back hill, Xiaoxia pestered him again and asked with her head raised: "Dad, when are we going to plant sunflowers?"
She never forgot to plant sunflowers.
"Then you and I will go to Red Maple Mountain to plant it. We need to grow the seedlings first." Lin Heng looked at her and said.
"It's okay, Dad!" Xiaoxia immediately said with a smile.
After applying ten bags of sheep manure fertilizer to the saplings on the back mountain, Lin Heng took the seeds and Xiaoxia to Hongfeng Mountain.
Father Lin has already dug the ground and watered it thoroughly. The sandy soil mixed with rotted sheep manure is very suitable for growing seedlings.
Lin Heng gave the cucumber, watermelon, and pepper seeds he had bought to his parents to plant, and found a place nearby to plant sunflowers with Xiaoxia.
He used a small wooden stick to poke a hole in the ground, and Xiaoxia planted sunflower seeds in it. She was very happy to plant sunflowers with her father.
After planting, Lin Heng sprinkled some water on the surface. After his parents finished sowing the other seeds, he covered the seeds with bamboo strips and covered the surface with film paper. The miniature seedling greenhouse was ready.
After finishing the work, Father Lin looked at Lin Heng and asked, "Son, what do you think is the best thing to plant on the remaining ten acres of land on the mountain?"
Last year, thirty acres of land were reclaimed on the mountain, and ten acres were planted with ryegrass. Originally, there were three acres of ryegrass, elephant grass and alfalfa, which added up to 13 acres of forage grass.
In the early spring of this year, they are also planning to plant ten acres of alfalfa forage. These past two days, Mr. and Mrs. Lin have been clearing some weeds in the field.
After the alfalfa was planted, there were still ten acres of land left vacant. Lin's father couldn't bear to see the land sitting idle, so he came to ask Lin Heng for his opinion.
"It's not profitable to grow crops, so why don't we just grow astragalus?" Lin Heng asked his father.
Astragalus likes the sandy soil on the sunny slope, and it should grow well here. He didn't want his father to grow crops, because it was troublesome and not worth it, and he would have to come to help in the summer.
"That's fine, as long as the land is not empty." Father Lin nodded.
"I'm afraid that Astragalus will be worthless by then." Lin's mother said worriedly.
Lin Heng smiled and explained: "Don't worry, Mom. Traditional Chinese medicine like Astragalus has a huge demand and will definitely increase in value. It's just a little bit worse than ginseng, Panax notoginseng, and Polygonatum odoratum. But unfortunately, those things have to be planted under trees and don't like to grow in the open air."
"Then let's plant Astragalus. When will you buy the seeds?" asked Lin's father.
Lin Heng thought for a moment and said, "Before Qingming Festival, I can go down and get some roses for grafting."
"Then we'll have to plant directly in the fields and won't have time to grow seedlings," said Father Lin.
"It's okay, just plant it directly." Lin Heng said.
After chatting, Lin Heng went to the cattle and sheep shed to check. The wounds of the sheep that were injured a few days ago had basically healed and there were no problems.
The ewes also successfully completed conception, but it is not yet clear whether they are pregnant or not.
After feeding some fodder to the cattle and sheep, Lin Heng went down the mountain to check on the musk deer, pigs, and fish eggs.
After walking to the warehouse downstairs and washing his hands, Lin Heng took Xiaoxia home.
The temperature in the mountains is still very low now. Even when it is sunny during the day, you have to wear autumn clothes and a double-layer coat, but you don’t need to wear a cotton jacket like before.
This spring is expected to be very busy. Not to mention other things, just planting ten acres of alfalfa and ten acres of astragalus will take more than half a month.
It was already two o'clock in the afternoon when Xiaoxia got home. As soon as she entered the house, she happily told her mother about her sunflower planting.
"My daughter is so great. She planted crops without getting her clothes dirty." Xiulan picked up Xiaoxia and praised her, and also gave her some biscuits to eat.
"Mom, have some too!" Xiaoxia gave a piece to her mother, "Dad is great too!" Then she gave a piece to Lin Heng.
"Thanks."
The cute look of the little baby melted their hearts and they felt the joy of taking care of a baby.
"What are you going to do this afternoon?" Xiulan poured Lin Heng a cup of tea, sat down on the sofa and asked.
"Nothing to do, just stay at home. I haven't had much success hunting recently, and the prey isn't fat, so forget it."
Lin Heng took her hand and said.
"Then you take care of your two sons. I don't want to take care of them anymore." Xiulan blinked and smiled.
"Do you want to go out and play?" Lin Heng asked curiously.
"I'm not going out. I'll stay in the house, but I don't want to take care of the baby in the afternoon." Xiulan said.
After taking care of the baby for a long time, she has accumulated a lot of worries. A child who knows nothing is always tiring.
"That's okay, you play yours and I'll take care of the child." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"Thank you, husband!" Xiulan pinched Lin Heng's face.
In the afternoon, she took Xiongba out for a walk and brought back a basket of ferns. After returning, she went fishing in the fish pond with the dried fish that Lin Heng had made for Xiaoxia.
"If you want to fish, I'll take you to the pond in spring. The grass carp we raised earlier weigh about four or five kilograms now." Lin Heng said with a smile.
Last year, the grass carp fry were not only fed shrimp feed, but also fed grass every day, so they grew exceptionally fast.
"Okay." Xiulan agreed happily.
Xiulan had a really happy afternoon. Lin Heng also cooked dinner for her. They drank some wine and fell asleep slightly tipsy.
The next day, after a day of rest at home, Lin Heng roasted the leftover lamb eggs. Xiulan also tasted some, but felt that they did not taste as good as lamb.
Early in the morning on the 22nd, Lin Heng called his elder brother Lin Yue to go into the city together.
In this day and age, he generally wouldn't travel far alone, even for a grown man it would be unsafe.
"Brother, are you buying corn seeds and rice seeds this time?" Lin Yue asked while sitting in the car.
"Just take a few packs with you and don't buy more." Lin Heng said.
All the seeds I bought last time have been sold out, and some people are still coming to buy some more.
But he won't buy more to stockpile.
"It's really warm in the city, and the peach blossoms are in bloom." Arriving in the city, Lin Yue looked at the surrounding environment and smiled.
"This is how it is on the mountain. There's nothing we can do about it." Lin Heng said with a smile.
He drove to the seed station first and asked if anyone there sold astragalus seeds.
Unfortunately, there isn't, because not many people grow it, and most of the astragalus nowadays is a wild resource.
"What should we do? We can't go to Ancheng to buy it, right?" Lin Yue asked, spreading his hands.
Lin Heng had anticipated this and said, "I'll go to the station and ask if there's anyone going to the provincial capital."
However, after asking, I was even more disappointed. They had just brought a batch of goods from the provincial capital and would not go there again for the time being.
In desperation, Lin Heng looked for other ways, and finally Li Guocheng helped him, saying that he had a friend who was going to the provincial capital to deliver a batch of goods in the next two days and could buy some for him.
Lin Heng did not want to let anyone suffer a loss, and paid the money for the Astragalus seeds on the spot. He had bought some last year and knew the price of Astragalus. In this day and age, the price of state-owned enterprises would not change much.
Astragalus seeds are not expensive. When I bought them last year, they were 50 cents per pound. The price is definitely still the same now. He plans to buy another 300 pounds, which is 150 yuan.
The germination rate of seeds is highly uncertain, and Taibai City doesn't have them yet, so there's no harm in buying more at one time.
Lin Heng gave the money directly to Li Guocheng, and gave him an extra 20 yuan for travel expenses, but his requirements were very strict. He demanded that the seeds must be from Ancheng Seed Station, and the receipts and other things must be kept for him.
"Don't worry, my driver friend will definitely get the twenty yuan extra money for you." Li Chengguo assured with a smile.
"I believe you." Lin Heng smiled. What he believed in was not people, but the power of money.
Then Li Chengguo invited him to have dinner again, and Lin Heng did not refuse. They had lunch at his home and chatted nonsense, which made Li Chengguo very happy.
After dinner, Lin Heng drove his eldest brother straight to the city's flower market. In the car, Lin Yue asked, "Do you want to go check on Lin Hai this afternoon? If there is anything, I will help."
"There's no need. Just let him be independent for a while. He's smart, but not independent enough." Lin Heng shook his head. He asked Lin Hai to work because he wanted him to go out.
"Okay then." Lin Yue nodded. He also felt that Lin Hai should go out for some exercise.
Roses have a very long history of cultivation in China. Almost everyone has them at home, and they are also the most popular type sold in the market.
Lin Heng asked along the way, but there was no one who specialized in growing roses. In the end, he had no choice but to buy a dozen roses of different colors. He planned to go back and graft some of them first, and then graft the wild roses when they grew up.
It doesn't matter who you buy from, Lin Heng specifically picked out some things from old men and women to support, expressing his kindness to the best of his ability.
"Young man, I want the rose branches for grafting, right?"
After Lin Heng paid the money, the old man asked with a smile.
Lin Heng nodded: "Yes, I am preparing for grafting. The rose seedlings I bought had too few branches, and they were gone after I cut a few."
The old man looked at Lin Heng and said, "Then I'll tell you about a place. Go to Nanshi Mountain. The government has planted a lot of roses but no one cares about them. It's okay for you to cut a few branches and take them home."
Hearing this, Lin Heng quickly got him a cigarette: "Thank you, old man, I'll go right away."
Taking the purchased roses and some daily necessities, Lin Heng and his elder brother drove to Nanshi Mountain. After two turns, they found a large area of roses. It seemed that they wanted to make a flower wall, but no one was taking care of it.
Lin Heng took the newly bought pruning shears and picked up the small branches of roses growing outwards. Although these roses had just grown new leaves and had not yet bloomed, Lin Heng was able to keenly see that this was a rose wall grafted with roses of different colors.
He immediately picked up some branches of various varieties, tied them together with wire and tied them to the back of the car, waiting to take them back for pruning and grafting.
After getting two bundles, Lin Heng felt full and drove back to Hongfeng Mountain.
It was already past three o'clock when Lin Heng returned to the village, so he took back the daily necessities and a bunch of wild flowers he picked on the way.
I also planted the rose seedlings I bought into Red Maple Mountain. There are two tree-shaped lollipop roses that I planted and grafted last year in my backyard, which are enough. Any more would just be messy.
"For you." Lin Heng put the things down and handed the flowers to Xiulan. This is a bouquet of poppies picked by the river, made of three colors of flowers.
"You picked it from the roadside? It's so beautiful!" Xiulan took the flower, smelled it and said happily.
"I spent a long time picking these by the river." Lin Heng said with a smile, and gave Xiaoxia another White Rabbit milk candy.
Xiulan filled the Ru porcelain vase with water and put the flowers in it, adjusting the position of the flowers carefully to achieve a perfect angle.
She had never learned flower arrangement, so she just had fun with it to cheer herself up, as long as it looked good.
"Pack your things. I'm going to go to Hongfeng Mountain to graft roses. I've already had lunch."
Lin Heng said as he looked at Xiulan arranging flowers.
Xiulan turned around and said, "Change your clothes before you go. I have washed your work clothes and put them on the bed for you."
Lin Heng turned around and went to the bedroom to change his clothes, then took the knife and called his eldest brother to go to Hongfeng Mountain together.
"We have so many rose branches. I guess we can't use them all." Father Lin said when he saw them coming over with so many branches.
"It should be able to be used up." Lin Heng said.
He arranged the branches and signaled to his father and eldest brother to mix the different varieties and graft them together, so as not to have one section of one variety and another section of another, as that would not look good.
After they were done, they brought the branches to the fence and started grafting roses.
(End of this chapter)
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