1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 228 Return
After inspecting the fields, Chen Jiazhi rode his bicycle back to the office building, when suddenly it got dark.

"God, could it please rain a few more days?!"

Although the vegetables had been harvested, the land had not yet been cleared. Unfortunately, the heavens did not listen to him, and another rain fell.

After parking the car, Chen Jiazhi took Li Xiu upstairs to their office.

Yi Dinggan managed to make his father-in-law and son-in-law very happy, and his son Chen Zhengyun also woke up, making the office quite lively.

Chen Jiazhi made a brief appearance and then instructed Tong Gang to notify all management personnel to return for a meeting.

"Mom and Dad, Second Sister, why don't you have some tea in the office for a while?"

"Okay, okay, you go about your business, don't worry about us."

Yi Dinggan interjected, "Jiazhi, you're back. Shouldn't you give me a couple of days off too? I already said I'd take Mom and Dad, Jiafang, and Xiaolong to the nearby park."

"okay."

That makes you seem capable.

Chen Jiazhi asked, "By the way, have you inquired about Xiaolong's school yet? He'll be staying here for at least another year, so we can finalize the school selection now."

Yi Dinggan waved his hand: "Don't worry, I'll go ask the people at the town government for help these next couple of days."

Chen Jiazhi: "You can tell me if you need anything."

"It's okay, I can handle it."

"..."

After chatting for a while, people gradually returned. Chen Jiazhi and Yi Dinggan had also gone to the conference room to wait.

The desks and chairs in the conference room have also been replaced with rectangular solid wood painted tables, which look much more professional.

Chen Jiazhi scribbled in his notebook until all six group leaders, Xu Yao, Tong Gang, Huang Chuan, and others arrived before having each group report on their work progress.

The progress in the fields is quite fast; only a few dozen acres haven't been plowed yet, but it rained, which may delay things by a day or two.

"What about the procurement of supplies?"

"It's almost all confirmed. We're just waiting for you, the manager, to come back and give your approval before we start shipping the goods."

Huang Chuan took out several handwritten procurement documents, gave one to Chen Jiazhi first, and then recited it himself.

The planned amount of well-rotted manure was 2 to 3 tons per acre, but this was actually exaggerated for the shareholders.

The actual application rate of 1 to 1.5 tons per mu is sufficient, but Chen Jiazhi also plans to add quicklime, superphosphate, potassium sulfate, compound fertilizer and other fertilizers as base fertilizer, and also mix in some trace element fertilizers to improve the stress resistance of winter vegetables.

That's why they reported 2-3 tons to the shareholders; they were simply too lazy to do the detailed calculations.

However, we cannot be careless when it comes to procurement.

Huang Chuan meticulously planned the fertilizer procurement, listing the prices from several purchasing units.

Some were original vendors, and some were new additions, but they all brought back samples. We'll go to the site to confirm them after the meeting.

There are no problems with the fertilizer and pesticides.

Then there are the seeds~
He has already bought the late-season No. 2 cabbage, but it's too monotonous. He wants to mix in some other varieties, just in case.

Chen Jiazhi looked at the seed list for a while and frowned: "I told you before, we also need to prepare some 60-day medium-maturing Chinese cabbage seeds and 120-day thick-stemmed sweet green Chinese cabbage seeds. I saw the 120-day ones, but what about the 60-day ones?"

Huang Chuan asked somewhat uncertainly, "Isn't the No. 2 late-season cabbage harvestable in 60 days?"

Chen Jiazhi stared at him, his tone a bit harsh: "Have you carefully read the packaging information for the 120-day-old Chinese cabbage seeds?"

Huang Chuan was stunned.

Chen Jiazhi let out a breath and said, "Late-season cabbage No. 2 is a mid-to-late-season cabbage, and it takes 60 days from sowing to the first harvest."

As for 60-day bok choy, such as 60-day green bok choy, it can be harvested in just 35 to 50 days after sowing. You've confused the concepts.

If you carefully read the packaging of the 120-day Chinese cabbage seeds, it will definitely state that it takes about 50 days from sowing to the first harvest!
If you read it carefully, you won't make this mistake!

"Don't you even check the packaging when you buy seeds?"

Huang Chuan was speechless and somewhat bewildered by the rebuttal.

"Never mind, I didn't explain it clearly to you. I've always calculated it based on a 60-day timeframe."

After a pause, Chen Jiazhi looked at the others, who were probably also confused.

He thought everyone knew these common-sense facts, but now it seems he was a bit ahead of his time.

I can only give a brief explanation for now.

The year-round production of Guangdong cauliflower requires changing to early-maturing, mid-maturing, and late-maturing varieties according to seasonal changes (temperature changes).

Therefore, early-maturing varieties that are heat-resistant but not cold-resistant, such as Sijiu cabbage, should be planted from April to September;
Cold-resistant but heat-intolerant late-maturing varieties should be planted from November to February of the following year;
Mid-maturing varieties, which fall between the two, are planted when early-maturing and late-maturing varieties are being replaced by late-maturing varieties.

Many transitional varieties can be planted across seasons, but there aren't that many varieties available right now, so it's actually quite easy to choose.

Late-season cabbage No. 2 and 60-day cabbage are both varieties grown during seasonal transitions.

However, given the size of the market, Chen Jiazhi didn't want to put all his eggs in one basket with the No. 2 late-season cabbage.

Despite betting on the cold wave, the Chinese cabbage is still being planted in batches, with planting expected to be completed between November 11.1st and November 11.20th.

Early-stage late-season Chinese cabbage No. 2, mid-stage 60-day Chinese cabbage, late-stage 120-day Chinese cabbage, each sowing period is six to seven days.
The 120-day-old Chinese cabbage has the strongest cold resistance, and the time from sowing to the first harvest is 50 days, which is enough.

There is actually an even more cold-resistant variety, Zengcheng Late-Season Cabbage, but the time from sowing to harvest is too long, requiring 100 days. It has better quality and taste, but considering the time and economic benefits, it is not cost-effective. And now the seeds are probably hard to buy.

This was a plan he made before his vacation, which differed somewhat from his initial idea when he bought late-season bok choy from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

But when it comes to growing vegetables, adaptability is also important; adjustments must be made when necessary.

The same applies to snow peas. "If we want to replace the medium-sized greenhouses planned for snow peas with small greenhouses, do you have a way to build the scaffolding?"

After discussing the issue of bok choy, Chen Jiazhi then posed the question of snow peas to everyone, seeking collective wisdom.

"It's a bit hard to match~"

"The bamboo poles for trellising snow peas need to be at least 1.5 meters high; the small arched trellis is too short..."

Both Zheng Zhong and Guo Mancang had tried growing snow peas, but neither had a good method.

The others shared the same opinion: it doesn't matter if it's in the seedling stage, but later on, trellises and vine tying will definitely be needed.

Chen Jiazhi listened to the discussion without saying a word until a while later when he looked at Yi Dinggan, who had also not spoken.

He remained quite composed.

"Director Yi, what are your thoughts?"

"Deputy Director, it's the Deputy Director," Yi Dinggan repeated twice before revealing his thoughts.

"There are solutions. You can make holes in the plastic film of the small greenhouse and build a frame. If the temperature really drops, you can lay another layer of straw and use some velvet to block the holes. The cold protection effect is not bad."

Guo Mancang: "If you need to tie the vines with a bamboo pole every two meters, how many holes would that require? If you make so many holes, the plastic film will definitely be ruined!"

Yi Ding chuckled dryly, "If the farm manager really bets on a cold wave, what does this little cost matter?"
Moreover, using a small arched greenhouse means there's less time pressure compared to a medium-sized one. You can wait until sowing is complete and the snow peas are vine-tied and trellised before setting up the small greenhouse and covering it with plastic film!

Upon hearing this, everyone thought it made sense.

If the cold wave hits, the cost of the thin film is negligible; it can be easily recouped.

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "That's why Yi Dinggan is the deputy director; his perspective is different."

"I think this method is feasible!"

Yi Dinggan added, "If you still feel it's not safe enough, you can actually cover the seeds or seedlings with a black film, which can prevent weeds and keep them warm."

"Okay, you're quite good at spending money." Chen Jiazhi thought it was good and called out, "Huang Chuan, add the plastic film too."

"Manager, how much plastic film do you plan to use?"

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment, looked at everyone, and said, "300 mu, let's plant 300 mu of snow peas this time!"

The initial plan was to invest 200,000 yuan in medium-sized arched greenhouses covering 100 mu (approximately 6.7 hectares). The cost of small arched greenhouses is about 500 yuan per mu (approximately 0.16 hectares). Including mulch and other expenses, 200,000 yuan would be more than enough.

Yi Dinggan then asked, "Is it seedling cultivation or direct seeding?"

Chen Jiazhi thought about it and realized that in his previous life, he had always grown snow peas by transplanting seedlings.

But the situation is different. In the previous life, it was an off-season cultivation of snow peas, sown in August or September. It was necessary to prevent and control the devastating pest in the early stage of snow pea growth: the bean stem fly. That's why seedlings in nutrient bags were needed.

Now that it's almost November, this problem no longer exists. Strict seed treatment can significantly delay the onset of diseases such as powdery mildew.

After a moment's hesitation, Chen Jiazhi gave a positive answer: "Both the snow peas and bok choy will be live-streamed."

“Okay,” Yi Dinggan said. “Now all that’s missing is the seeds. Let’s decide what kind of seeds to use.”

There are three types of snow pea seeds to choose from: Taichung No. 11, Yuexuan No. 7, and Qizhen No. 76.

Chen Jiazhi asked, "Are you sure all three types of seeds are available?"

Huang Chuan nodded: "No problem. Taichung No. 11 and Qizhen No. 76, Mr. Huang said he would ship them after confirming the need."

“200 mu for Qizhen No. 76, and 50 mu each for the other two.”

"it is good."

Yuexuan Bean No. 7 is a local variety, while Taichung No. 11 and Qizhen No. 76 are both from Taiwan.

Chen Jiazhi had planted both of the latter two in his previous life.

However, the seeding of Qizhen No. 76 was done after 2005. I didn't expect that the seeds would be available now, but they can only be distributed through Hong Kong channels.

All three varieties are cold-resistant, but Taichung No. 11 and Yuexuan Bean No. 7 may be even more cold-resistant.

However, the Qizhen No. 76 variety has a better taste and is more popular in the Hong Kong market. It also has a high yield, with the best yield reaching over 4000 catties.

Chen Jiazhi thought that the combination of plastic film, small arched greenhouse film, and straw would provide sufficient insulation, so he could take a little risk.

So we planted more rare No. 76.

Having covered the preparations needed for growing snow peas, the meeting was nearing its end.

As Chen Jiazhi packed his things and prepared to leave the meeting room, he suddenly noticed that the rain had stopped outside the window, and a ray of sunlight was shining obliquely.
"Wait, there's something else!"

The group of people were startled by him.

Even Li Xiu and Chen Shaochang, who were admiring the view from the corridor, were drawn to the attention.

Yi Dinggan asked, "What's wrong, Director Chen?"

"When preparing the land, you also need to pay attention to the furrows; their direction needs to be adjusted, roughly east-west."

Chen Jiazhi pointed to the sunlight outside the window and said, "During the growing season of winter-planted snow peas, we must ensure that the furrows receive sunlight as much as possible during sunrise and sunset."

Snow pea plants can grow to nearly two meters tall, and the pods gradually fill out from the bottom up. Sufficient sunlight is essential for optimal yield and quality.

After speaking, Chen Jiazhi paused for a moment to think, and only after confirming that there were no oversights did he leave the meeting room.

His family waited for him in the hallway, all smiling.

Everyone in the room sensed something was different; Director Chen seemed more serious than before.

(End of this chapter)