001 星期日農夫 sunday farmer 002 垃圾旁種菜 farming by the garbage field 003 滑鐵盧苦瓜 bitter melons, bitter battle 004 六合彩秋葵 lottery okra 005 冬田花花菜 winter blossom 006 懶人務農法 be smart, be lazy 陳傑，記者。關注香港農業、城市規劃、文化保育等議題。曾經採訪大量香港 鄉郊及城市農夫的故事。兩年前開始於新界租地種菜，每星期務農一天，成為 星期日農夫。 另一身份為富德樓複合式空間「貘記」創辦人，繼續在生活中試圖探索：香 港，還有沒有另一種可能？ Kit Chan is a journalist with focus upon stories of Hong Kong’s rural and urban farmers. He is especially concerned with social issues ranging from Hong Kong agriculture to city planning and cultural heritage conservation, etc. Aside from journalism, his second identity is a founder of multifunctional space Makee, located in the Foo Tak building of Wan Chai. Kit’s life as a weekend farmer began two years ago when he leased a piece of farmland in the New Territories and began to tend vegetables once a week for himself, and to share with family and friends. His search for alternative living possibilities in Hong Kong is ongoing. 所有照片由iPhone拍攝。 All photos taken with iPhone. Instagram / chan_kit 鳴謝：葉子盛 Special thanks to Monkey Yip
001 星期日農夫 2013年夏天，我開始租地種菜。 曾經有七年時間，我是《飲食男女》「綠色生活」版記者，在關於吃喝玩樂的雜誌裡， 佔據一個看來錯配的怪異空間，集中報導香港農業、文化保育、社區營造等題材。 關於農業的部份，這些年寫過的農夫，鄉郊的城市的，生產式的社運式的，大概都有六 七十個單位。 每個月總有一兩次，我帶著攝影師，在陽光燦爛的日子，走訪不同的農場，去看別人怎 樣耕種，背後又懷著哪些理由。 然後，我自己也萌生了種菜的念頭。 這也許是耳濡目染下，經常看到別人漂亮的收成，自然也想要嘗試生產自己的；另一動 機則非常小心眼：作為記者，假如沒頭沒腦的走進農場做採訪，有時會害怕遭農夫誤 導，亦擔心搞錯基本種植常識，寫出來貽笑大方(雖然後來我終於發現，種田之餘還得努 力看書，否則對增長農業知識於事無補，那實在是一門深不可測的學問)。 而我一度幻想，自己會在市區某處找個天台或平台，以紅酒箱來種植，環境乾淨亮麗， 就像許多城市青年，時尚有型地耕種。 但，幻想跟現實總有落差──意外地，兩年前我走進新界農場，租了兩行農地，踩在泥 土上播種下苗，每次落得蓬頭垢面，給昆蟲猛叮，好幾回差點中暑收場。 自那時候開始，每到星期日下午，就是我的務農時間。 相比起這幾年火紅火熱的半農半X生活形態，我就是弱弱的「七份一」農，剩下的六天， 繼續工作和日常生活。 來到星期日，就是另一個抽離的身份。 兩年後的今日，我依然會留起星期日，盡量不工作不玩樂，持續下田。 一年有五十二星期，多除少補，那末我的種田資歷，僅有短短一百天，極其微不足道。 以下幾篇田間筆記，記下無知的人與泥土、太陽、水份、動植物的互動和相處，只選錄 印象難忘的，那些時而氣餒，時而期待，時而亢奮的一些經過。
夏末某個下午，把收成攤出來，有瓜有菜有豆，記住當時的燦爛。 Harvest of a summer afternoon: got everything I needed for a nice organic meal.
001 sunday farmer In the summer of 2013, I leased a piece of farmland to grow vegetables. I used to be a reporter for the local magazine Eat & Travel Weekly, covering topics in its “Green Life” section that ranged from Hong Kong agriculture to cultural conservation to community empowerment. In all those years writing for the magazine, I have covered around 60 to 70 different farming entities. They have come in different sizes and locations; some are inside the city, while others are out in the rural areas. Some operate just like production lines, while others are grassroots social movements. Every month on a bright and sunny day with my photographer in tow, I visited a different farm at least once or twice to see how it was being run and to learn about the farmers’ motives behind it. Then, I, too, was bitten by the farming bug. After witnessing others’ wonderful harvests every so often, I also wanted to try my hand at farming. But I was also a little paranoid. As a reporter, if you run a farming story without doing any prior research, you run the risk of being misguided by farmers or confusing basic farming knowledge. In the end, your story may become a joke. I realized later that aside from simply sowing the field, one also needs to read a lot of reference books in order to broaden one’s knowledge of agriculture. Farming is a mindboggling subject to tackle. At one point, I had the illusion that I could find a rooftop or terrace somewhere within the city limits. I could grab some wine crates as planters, make a chic and tidy farm, then start farming like other young, city hipsters do. But there is a difference between reality and fantasy. Two years ago, I walked onto a farm in the New Territories, leased two rows of farmland, and started sowing seeds. Believe me, it’s not fun. Each time I ended up completely filthy and covered with insect bites and stings. On a few occasions, I almost suffered a heatstroke.
But it was from that point on that every Sunday afternoon became my farming time. Compared with the incredibly popular “Half Farmer / Half X” lifestyle, I am merely 1/7th of a farmer, continuing my usual daily routine the other six days of the week. But when Sunday comes around, I become my alter ego. Now two years after I sowed my first seeds on that piece of farmland, I still set aside Sundays to devote myself to farming. No work, no party time—just farming. There are 52 weeks in a year. So in a matter of speaking, my total farming experience is 100 days. That’s really nothing compared to others. The notes I gather together here record some of the innocent interactions between a man, the soil, the sun, water, plants, and various creatures. I have selected those that are most memorable to me—those X out of 100 days that made me feel despondent, hopeful, or maybe even excited.
002 垃圾旁種菜 哇，隔離就是垃圾站…… 雖然也真的沒期望過青山綠水，然而頭一遭來到我的農場，不禁愕住：人家是浪漫而轟 烈的在推土機前種花，我可是在垃圾站旁種菜？！ 農地位處洪水橋，距離屯門市中心十五分鐘車程，城市和鄉郊的界線忽地模糊，最熱鬧 和最寧靜的空間擠在一起，像要用盡每一吋土地。 而農地附近的環境，同樣不經意地展示出Hong Kong style：輕鐵下車，首先看到投 注站和便利店，一大群叔伯蹲在地上忙著刨馬經。 然後就是垃圾站，堆滿附近民居掉出來的傢俬；再走幾步就是我的農場，夾在一幢幢住 宅樓宇間，突如其來冒出一整片綠，亦有數株蕉樹和木棉。 這農場叫作「與你農莊」，由非牟利社會服務機構利民會管理；本來這是一塊五萬平方 呎的閒置土地，丟空好一段日子，直到2010年利民會跟元朗大會堂合作，向地政署短期 租用，由一群農夫負責開荒，以自負盈虧模式發展成有機農場，並提供租地種菜服務。 如此一個空間，給鐵絲網圍住，跟外面隔開，河水不犯井水似的。 走進去，會看到另一個世界。土地開墾成一行行，整理得很有秩序。入口是管理處，然 後是培苗區，為租地的農友提供菜苗。 其餘地方盡是密麻麻的農地，每行六十平方呎左右，由個人或團體租用；農場會負責提 供種子、農具、肥料等等配套，有專業農夫每日繞水，但就不會幫忙除草施肥。 這類型由社企或福利組織開設的農場，近年在香港並不罕見，因為愈來愈多城市人渴望 耕作，但由香港康文署建設及管理的社區農圃，實在供不應求得過份：全港只有廿二 個，每個容納約五十位租戶，想耕種便得排隊抽籤，動輒輪候一年半載才能成事。 以「與你農莊」所在的屯門區為例，就只得青田遊樂場設有政府管理的農圃，五十塊格 仔田(每塊約二十平方呎)，服務近五十萬居民。 「與你農莊」除了方便社區街坊租田，還有額外功能：提供職前訓練，讓情緒曾經出現 問題的人士，來到此處協助農莊日常運作，既是一種耕作治療，也能令其加快重新投入 社會。 只是，務農新手的我當時並沒想到，甫跟農作物打交道起，便是情緒面臨崩潰的開始。
星期日，我的務農日。 This is where I hang around on Sundays.
002 farming by the garbage dump Oh my goodness, the garbage dump is right next door… Though I did not expect an entirely pristine landscape, the first time I came here, I was shocked. I couldn’t help but think: everyone else is farming in some bucolic environment. Here I am, growing vegetables next to a refuse collection station. Come on, seriously?? This piece of farmland is located at Hung Shui Kiu, about 15 minutes’ drive from the center of Tuen Mun in the New Territories. The border between the urban and rural area is rather ambiguous; the most bustling and the most tranquil spaces are all packed together to the point that it seems like every last inch of land is exhausted. The farmland’s surroundings inadvertently reveal a hint of typical “Hong Kong style”: just after getting off the lightrail, there is a Jockey Club betting outlet and a convenience store. Scores of old men squat on the ground reading horse racing tips. The refuse collection station isn’t far from here, and the farm is just a stone’s throw away. It is a piece of green with a few banana and kapok trees that emerges all of a sudden from its spot nestled amidst a bunch of residential buildings. The name of this 50,000-square-foot farmland project is called “Farm With You,” and it’s being managed by the non-profit social service group Richmond Fellowship of Hong Kong. In 2010, Richmond Fellowship collaborated with the Yuen Long Town Hall to lease this vacant lot from the Lands Department on a short-term basis. Professional farmers took over management of the land, which includes responsibility for its profits and/or losses, and a rental service began to offer small pieces of land to individuals interested in growing vegetables. The farm is surrounded with mesh wire as if separating one world from another. It is a whole different world once you enter the farm’s perimeter. The field has been neatly plowed into rows. The manager’s office is located next to the entrance, followed by a cultivation area where seedlings are provided to the renters. Other areas are full of densely packed rows of farmland. Individuals or groups each rent a plot about 60 square feet in size, and the farm provides seeds, farming tools, and fertilizers. Professional farmers water the lot daily but are not responsible for renters’ weeding and fertilizing. 我的幾行菜田。看似茂盛，其實長滿雜草。 My farmland. It looks bushy, thanks to the weeds.
Social service groups who operate farms such as the Farm With You project are not uncommon in Hong Kong, because more and more city dwellers want to farm. Sadly, the number of community farms currently being operated by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department is hopelessly inadequate to meet the demand. There are only 22 such farms, and each one can only accommodate 50 renters. If you want to rent a plot, you have to join a waiting list of six months to a year. In the Tuen Mun area where Farm With You is located, Tsing Tin Playground is the only place that has a government-operated farm. Fifty checkerboard tiles of farmland of approximately 20 square feet each serve about 500,000 local residents. Aside from providing farms-for-rent to the neighborhood, Farm With You has an additional function: to provide pre-employment training for individuals who have suffered from emotional trauma by giving them a chance to assist in running the farm’s daily operations. It’s a form of farming therapy, helping speed up their return to society. The catch, however, is that for a newbie farmer like me who has only just begun to deal with plants, renting a plot was actually the beginning of a massive emotional collapse.
城市和農地，可以這麼近。 Urban and farmland. So far so close.
003 滑鐵盧苦瓜 想像一棚子瓜果，看似豐收；然而真相揭開，每隻也是傷痕累累──苦瓜對我來說，就 是這樣的一場噩夢。 時間倒數兩年前的初夏，新手下田的我，頭一遭來到租下的兩行農地，眼前一亮；上一 手租戶離開前，給我留下一份禮物：一個搭得相當穩建的竹棚，正在種苦瓜。 棚上蓋著一片枝藤海洋，散落一朵朵黃花，部分開始打果，還有蜜蜂繞著盤旋，那畫面 說不出來地漂亮。 其時我暗忖：這下好了，有人替我做好前期工夫，省去開田搭棚的勞動，只消繼續去種 就成，不就是beginner’s luck! 但，不消兩星期，我發覺這種撿回來的便宜，最終得付出代價。 「與你農莊」的駐場農夫經過我的田，冷不防丟下一句：怎麼你還不包袋？ 那是當頭棒喝的提醒──別以為甜美蔬果才惹蟲，苦瓜這苦味濃郁的作物，也會招來瓜 蠅(一種顏色類似蜜蜂的蠅科昆蟲)叮咬。 尤其當時我種植的品種是「雷公鑿」，頭大尾尖，以味道格外濃郁見稱；在香港農業仍 興盛的六、七十年代，新界打鼓嶺一度盛產雷公鑿，是名物呢。 和咱們一樣懂吃的瓜蠅，趁苦瓜還未變大已開始來襲，叮破幼嫩的瓜皮；如果不選擇施 用化學殺蟲劑，就要在苦瓜長成尾指般大小時，小心包袋，減低被叮的機會。 當瓜蠅咬了苦瓜，連隨會在果實內產卵，讓幼蟲孵化後在裡面吸取營養；更可怕是叮咬 處猶如針孔般細小，有時候不易察覺，得金精火眼才成。 沒頭沒腦的我，迫著將苦瓜逐隻逐隻在一堆葉子中翻出來，細心檢查，然後包袋；好幾 回在酷熱天氣警告下工作，還真的要靠幻想中的清涼苦瓜汁來支撐意志。 然而，大概是雷公鑿真的過份惹人(和蟲)垂涎，也可能是包袋動作來得太晚，結果於事 無補──夏末最後點算，數十隻苦瓜，居然一隻圓好無缺的收成都沒有！ 你或許想像得到，每個星期天來到瓜棚，發現苦瓜被「吻」的那種抓狂；極度沮喪下， 我甚至咬牙切齒地，起誓不再種苦瓜。 可是翌年春天，當農夫朋友送我一株苗，我還是硬著頭皮再種了一季──那是近年許多 有機農場栽種的日本產沖繩苦瓜，由於瓜皮較厚，而且甘味沒那麼濃烈，理論上不大惹 蟲；然而我的農場始終瓜蠅為患(別的農友也當災)，最後雖未至於零收成，但照樣慘不 忍睹。 總結我的「滑鐵盧」苦瓜經驗，歸根究底，是因為一星期只能務農一天，沒能緊密監察 其生長情況，也就別妄想能種瓜得瓜。 而耕田是一種管理，時間是資本；大自然不會等人，農作物也有自己一套生長時間，我 們只能遷就。 同一個夏天，還有另外一種食物，讓我學會這道理。
003 bitter gourds, bitter battle Imagine a trellis full of gourds. You think there is a nice harvest waiting, but in reality each of them is riddled with scars. Bitter melon is such a nightmare for me. When I arrived two years ago for the first time at the two-rowed garden plot I leased for Sunday farming, I was given a nice parting gift from the previous renter. He had left me with a very steady bamboo trellis upon which bitter melon was being grown. The structure was covered with vines and teemed with yellowish flowers. It was an absolutely beautiful sight. I thought, “That’s good. Someone has done the leg work for me; I don’t need to plow the field and setup any scaffolding. All I need to do is to just keep it growing. Is that beginner’s luck or what?” Within two weeks, I realized I would have to pay a price for taking this kind of petty advantage. One of the farmers from Farm with You walked by my plot and said, “How come you still haven’t bagged your gourds?” It was a wake up call for me. Insects are normally attracted to sweet fruits and vegetables, but even bitter melon attracts insects like melon flies (a type of insect from the Tephritidae family that has a color similar to honey bees) because of its strong flavor. The melon species I was growing is known as the “Thunder God’s Chisel.” It has a distinctly large top, pointy end and is famous for its extra pungent flavor. When Hong Kong still had a robust agriculture industry during the ‘60s and ‘70s, Ta Kwu Ling in the New Territories teemed with the Thunder God’s Chisel melons. Melon flies penetrate the tender skin of bitter gourds when they are still not fully grown and lay eggs inside their cavities. The hatched larvae then feed off the nutrients of the gourds. The even more terrifying fact is that the bite marks are as tiny as needles and very difficult to spot unless examined up close. If one opts not to use herbicides, then the gourds need to be carefully bagged when they grow to the size of your pinky finger in order to reduce their chances of being bitten by the flies. So, ignorant me made the next step of flipping over the gourds from under the leaves one by one, examining them thoroughly, and carefully bagging each one by one. I worked on this process over several visits, a few occasions under extreme heat warning from the Hong Kong Observatory, with only the illusion of cool bitter melon juice on my lips to keep me going. In the end, perhaps
the Thunder God’s Chisel was just too appealing, or perhaps my preventative action was just too late. At the end of the summer, I did a final count of the harvest, and out of tens of bitter melons, not a single one was unscathed. You can imagine how dismayed I was after my Sunday weekly efforts to discover my gourds had been “kissed” by others. I swore I would never grow bitter gourds again. But the next spring, a farming friend gave me an Okinawan bitter melon seedling, the varietal which had been popular on many organic farms in recent years, and I could only brace myself to try to grow it one more season. In theory, it doesn’t attract too many insects because of its thicker skin and less powerful flavor. But my farm and other fellow farmers’ lots were plagued by melon flies. In the end, my harvest was not a total loss, but the outcome was still disastrous. My final analysis from meeting this bitter Waterloo melon is that if I am only able to farm once a week and unable to monitor the growing conditions of the plants, I cannot expect a harvest at the end. You can’t even hope to reap what you sow. Farming is a form of management, and time is capital. Plants have their own growing routines, and Mother Nature does not wait for us. We are the ones who have to adjust. That same summer, there was another vegetable that taught me the same lesson…
004 六合彩秋葵 讓我深切明白，時間不等人，蘇州過後無艇搭的，是秋葵。 打從決定種田開始，我就一直心癢癢地想要種秋葵；原因非常簡單，就是好吃：輕輕一 灼，切片後可做胡麻沙律，是清爽前菜；也可放入咖哩當配料，煮熟後口感潺潺的，對 胃腸也有益呢。 而且我既然不是大量生產式的賣菜農民，不用受市場需求影響，種自己愛吃的，種田的 樂趣也會大大提升；畢竟每個星期天爬起床務農，是一種意志的修煉，多點動力總是需 要的。 而秋葵這作物也的確好種，春天下苗，五月左右便有收成；成熟期長成一株株小樹，有 半個成年人身高；花兒也美，一層層淡薄的黃，花芯是濃烈的瘀紅，盛放一天後轉眼就 凋謝，捲起然後結果。 一旦踏入收成，就可一直吃至秋末，一株多果；期間除了略作施肥和修剪，也不用經常 照料，對耕田初哥來說，說得上本小利大。 只是當時我不知道，真正要命的挑戰，在於最輕鬆也最意想不到的部份：收割。 收割秋葵不難，用刀子一切就是，困難的是那瞬間消逝的收成時間。 你得知道，秋葵長至手指般長短、按下去仍具彈性時的一刻，就是最脆嫩的時候──但 這樣的美好，只維持兩天左右；到第三天，果實就會開始「石化」，突然變大增長，由 內到外也變得硬實，雖然看來依然青綠，但已經頑固得無法切開。 所以，農民一般隔兩三天就要採收，以捕捉最好的收成時間。 問題來了：秋葵不會配合我的下田時間表，更不會在星期日剛巧踏入黃金收成；作為假 日農夫，一星期只能見它一次，也就唯有碰運氣。 如是者，兩年來的夏天，每當我踏進菜田，就是一種等待六合彩攪珠的心情：我最愛的 秋葵結果了沒──又或者應該問，老掉了沒？ 偶爾也會中頭獎，突然冒出十根八根鮮嫩的；然而更多時候，迎面而來是一根根肥大修 長的果實，用手掐一把，顯然已經吃不得，太老太乾。 這時候就要把老掉的果實拔走，把營養留給下面的新果；另外我也會特地留下一株，由 得過大的果實統統乾枯，樹上留種。 長到乾巴巴的秋葵，割下，擘開裡面就是數十顆秋葵種子，曬乾後可以派給有地方種菜 的朋友，是一份金錢買不到的小禮物。 值得注意的是，秋葵沒甚麼蟲害，但就特別招惹一種類似甲蟲的紅色生物，名叫「赤星 椿象」：喜歡吸食樹木的汁液，秋葵的小樹也不例外，總會黏滿一大堆；有人叫它「臭 屁蟲」，因為當遇到危險時，它就會毫不客氣地排放出腥臭味，嚇退敵人。 遇到椿象，一般農夫通常會燒死或踩死，但就一定不會用手去拍──否則就會臭足半天了。
短短兩日之間，秋葵就會由嫩變老。 It takes merely two days for an okra to turn from prime to old.
004 okra lottery Time waits for no one. And when it comes to growing okra, luck only strikes once. I had been itching to grow okra ever since I decided to farm. The reason is simple: it’s delicious. You can make a refreshing flaxseed and okra salad starter simply by broiling the okra lightly and cutting it into slices. You can also make okra curry; the texture is a little watery, but it’s great for the digestive system. Since I am not a commercial vegetable farmer, I am not influenced by market pressures. The joy of farming comes from growing what I like to eat, and growing what I like to eat makes me enjoy farming more. You need as much motivation as possible to just get out of bed on a Sunday morning, not to mention the willpower needed to get on the field. Okra plants grow into large bushes about half the height of an adult and produce pale yellow flowers with maroon-colored centers. The flowers blossom for a day or so and then slowly develop into fibrous pods. After being sown in spring, the first harvest arrives sometime around May. A plant grows multiple pods that are ready at different times, so the harvesting period can last until late fall. Okra is quite easy to grow and only requires fairly basic maintenance. It’s a cost-effective way of gardening for a newbie farmer like me. But what I didn’t realize was that the part you’d think would be the easiest is when it’s easiest to fail—during harvesting. Picking okra is not difficult, a knife or hand pruner will do the job. But there is an incredibly small window of time in which this can be done. The best time is when they are tender, not yet totally ripe, and about 2-3 inches long. That moment only lasts for two days or so, and if you’re too late, the pods will quickly grow larger and become tough and woody. Even though they still look green, they will be difficult to cut open. That’s why seasoned farmers usually head in to harvest okra every other day to capture them at their optimal moment.
中頭獎的一天。 All edible. Winning lottery.
And that’s where my problem begins. Okra will never wait for my Sunday farming schedule. As a weekend farmer, I can only visit my plot once a week, so it all comes down to luck. And so for the past two summers, every time I walk onto the garden I feel the sort of anxiety I have while waiting for lottery results. Have my
beloved okra plants borne any new pods yet, or have they grown old and dry? On a couple of occasions, I hit the jackpot with a few fresh and tender ones. But most of the time, the okra was too large, tough, and woody to be eaten. In those cases, the old pods still have to be removed from the plant because they absorb the nutrients necessary to produce new pods. With one of the plants, I let the overripe pods dry naturally to save seeds for the next year. After they were all dried and withered, I cut open the pods and removed the seeds. Then after the seeds have dried, they can be shared with others to plant; seeds are a gift that money cannot buy. Okra is not affected by any specific pest infestation. It does, however, attract a particular type of beetle-like insect called dysdercus, commonly known as the stink bug. These bugs love to feed on plant juices, and small plants like okra are no exception. It’s called the stink bug because when it is in danger, it releases an unpleasant odor to ward off enemies. Farmers usually burn or stomp on them, but will never kill them with their hands, for obvious reasons.
纏著秋葵不放的臭屁蟲。 Stink bugs attack!
005 冬田花花菜 儘管經歷接連打擊，但我的種田經驗，也非全盤愁雲慘霧。 夏天的苦瓜和秋葵固然叫我懊惱，可是同一時間，茄子就長得非常不賴，收成穩定而持 續，足夠吃了一整季的麻醬伴茄子。 潺菜和蕃薯苗也是盛夏當造的葉菜，兩者同樣粗生易養，幾乎沒蟲蛀吃，而且同樣長得 鋪天蓋地，只要不嫌纖維高、相對較具嚼頭(其實也沒資格去嫌)，也就不愁沒菜可吃。 此外我特別把小部份土地劃作香草區，栽種羅勒薄荷臭草到手香……夏天一到，紛紛嘩 啦嘩啦的冒起，綻放出一個小叢林，並神奇地愈勤修剪，愈是長得起勁。 每當風一掃過，那氣味就是清新，成為炎熱天下田的額外趣味。 唯一煩惱可能是：香草這麼多，該怎麼用才是？ 羅勒我會用來做香濃惹味的pesto醬，薄荷當沙律食材或調校飲品；比較頭痛的是到手 香，一發不可收拾似的，有手作人會拿來為肥皂調味，台灣人就喜歡把它混合蜜糖打成 汁，據說能舒緩喉嚨痛。 瘋狂生長的還有臭草，本來是煮綠豆沙不能或缺的材料，但總不成每個星期也吃綠豆沙 吧？！ 而說到真真正正的豐收季，肯定是冬天──夏末初秋播種培苗，天氣轉冷，業餘農人如 我，居然都有本領種出看頭來：油麥菜、芥蘭頭、白蘿蔔、西生菜、羅馬生菜、紅菜 頭、包心芥菜、茼蒿、西蘭花等等，都是這兩年曾經種過，並成功獲得收成的作物。 尤其接近春節前夕，溫度格外低，蔬菜「上糖」充足，長得特別茂盛，一整行地開出一 朵朵翠綠的「花」，場面燦爛，完全洗去夏天瓜果失收的頹氣，心裡有種扳回一仗的竊 喜：嘿，誰說自家種菜會餓死！ 冬天下田時禁不住幻想，假如懂得分配地方和品種，多款而少量地種，那麼農地就是一 大窩雜菜煲，要不也可拼湊成豐富可口的雜錦有機沙律碗。 冬天菜不獨帶來味道，也讓我上了意料之外的植物課：蔬菜的花。 要不是親自種田，大抵不會了解菜花原來這樣美──芥菜的花小小的，白如野菊；蔥花 像滿天星也如蒲公英，一球球小清新；而芸芸花海，要數茼蒿花最得我心，潔白花瓣中 泛出一抹優雅的黃，像用水彩顏料塗出來，好幾回忍不住摘下，拿回家插在花瓶呢。 當然，菜田開出漂亮的花園，也代表作物已步入晚年，開花後快要結出種子，繁殖後 代；而這時候的菜葉已經老掉，通常不好吃。 作為種田的人，迎向生命循環，面對發芽長葉開花結果與凋零，即使無聲，也就是跟土 地最直接的一種對話。
005 winter blossom Despite setback after setback, my farming experience was not entirely disastrous. While bitter gourds and okras have gave me so much agony; eggplants on the other hand were thriving. Harvests were steady and constant enough for an entire season of eggplant with sesame source. Ceylon spinach and sweet potato shoot are leaf vegetables of the summer. Both are easy to grow, require only basic care and almost have no pest infestations. They are a little chewy if you don’t mind their high fiber properties. After all you don’t need to worry about if you will have any kind of vegetable to eat. I also allocated a small section on my for growing basil, peppermint, common interesting that the more I prune them, thrive every summer, and the scent is under that warm summer breeze.
farmland as herbal area rue and patchouli. It’s the more they grow. They particularly refreshing
The only thing that’s annoyed me is: So many varieties of herb, how to use them? I would use basil to make that tasty pesto sauce. Peppermint for salad ingredient or mixing drinks. Patchouli is rather versatile, someone would use it to mix fragrances for soaps, the Taiwanese love to mix it with honey to create a drink that can supposedly ease sore throat. Another thriving herb is common rue. It’s an essential ingredient for making green bean soup; but we can’t just have green bean soup every week, right? The real harvest season has to be winter - sow the seeds during end of summer/early fall, and harvest the crops when temperature drops. For an amateur farmer like me, I could actually grow Indian lettuce, kohlrabi, Japanese daikon, head lettuce, romaine lettuce, beetroot, cabbage, crown daisy, broccoli and so on. These are the vegetables I have grown in the past two years, and have yielded successful harvest.
茼蒿菜的花，嬌美得沒話說。 My favourite vegetable flower: Crown Daisy.
Temperature is particularly low when approaching the eve of Chinese New Year. Vegetables are packed with nutrients, and they are flourishing. The wonderful sight of seeing them thriving had completely washed away the gloomy mood of the failed harvest from previous summer. I thought: “Who said I will starve to death by farming myself? I began to imagine, if I knew how to allocate land and species, emphasized on varieties instead of quantity. Then my farmland was like a gigantic mixed vegetables steam pot or a bowl of delicious mixed organic veggie salad.
Winter vegetables not only brought me the taste, but also an unexpected botanical lesson: Flowers of the vegetables. Had I not farmed myself, I would never know how beautiful those vegetable flowers can be - leaf mustard flowers are tiny, and as white as Indian Daisy; while green onion flowers remind me of baby’s breath and lavender. Crown Daisy is my favourite among them. It’s white pedals have a hint of yellow, almost like being painted with water color. In a few occasions I couldn’t help but brought a few back to my home and put them in the vase. When the flowers have already blossomed and about to develop seeds for reproduction, that means the plants are already in the later stage of their life, and not tasty at all. As a farmer, looking at the entire life cycle of the plants from birth to death; it’s the best dialogue between you and the land, even it’s silent all the way.
新鮮茼蒿菜。 Refreshing Crown Daisy.
西蘭花成功，椰菜花失敗。 Broccoli succeeded. Cauliflower failed.
好大一顆紅菜頭！ Huge beet!
蔥花好像蒲公英。 Flowers of spring onion.
006 懶人務農法 由於沒上過正式耕作班，沒頭沒腦便執起鋤耙，碰著釘子去學習，有時難免孤立無援。 兩年來的務農時間，每當遇上問題，唯有打電話向相熟農夫問功課，當中打擾最多就是 「老農田」(O-FARM)的葉子盛。他是農民子弟，1999年在粉嶺丹竹坑開地種菜，但不 以賣菜維生，而是把農地租予城市人，假日走進鄉郊耕田。 而作為從旁指點的導師，子盛是出了名的狠辣，但凡做錯，即使是客人，直斥無誤。 經他訓練出來的業餘農夫，大部份種得異常出色，「老農田」每年都會舉辦種植比賽， 讓農友各自把作物端出來，鬥靚鬥大！ 「種田是科學，有理論，需要研究。」子盛常把這句掛在口邊：「現在很流行那種浪漫 的『文青式』種田，拍照寫字的時間，比真正勞動還要多，種得好才怪。」 我當然屬於這樣的一份子。可是子盛從沒嘲笑我的種田資歷，因為問題不是一星期抽多 少時間，而是每次站在田裡，你有沒有專心去種？ 「很多人也說，種田是要和泥土溝通，但有多少曾經認真的觀察一棵菜的狀態，它現在 健不健康，快不快樂？」子盛覺得這是最基本的一份功課。 假如一星期只能下田一天，自有一天的種植方法。 城市農夫最欠缺的資本，是時間──如何充份(及聰明地)運用短短的一天，大概是成敗 的關鍵。 以下是子盛給我的實用建議，如果你也在實踐七份一農，不妨參考一下，並試著好好發 揮，那七份之一的力量。 1.
泥土深度：如果菜田位於大廈平台或天台，並使用種植盆的話，就要首先考慮 泥土深度(亦即種植箱的高度)，不適宜種植根部較深的作物，例如蘿蔔、南瓜 等，大部份葉菜均可。至於一般農地則沒這問題。
2.
先種葉菜：如果不能每天務農，應該盡可能選擇種植葉菜為主，因應時間許可 再種別的瓜果作物，否則難以作出緊密貼身的照料和管理，或錯過放蟲及收成 的最佳時間。
3.
嚴選品種：取易捨難，是假日農夫爭取最高收成量的折衷辦法。打個比方，車 厘茄就比大肉番茄易種，茄子可選擇泰國圓茄，幾乎不用打理。葉菜盡量不要 揀選那些會結球的品種，像西蘭花、椰菜花和包心生菜等，因為需較多時間管 理。而買種子該挑氣候較接近香港的區域，例如台灣和東南亞，成功機會較 大。
4.
高矮混種：如果農地面積有限，不妨想法子物盡其用，把不同高度的作物種在 一起，形成幾個層次。譬如地面種一層向橫發展的潺菜，上面可搭個矮棚種茄 子，中間還有空間種幾株羅勒和指天椒，這樣小小一塊地也可種出豐盛。
5.
下田時間：假日務農，不期然會遷就個人作息表。睡晚了，先吃個遲來的早 餐，大概正午時份下田，黃昏前離開，還可安排晚上節目呢──如此一來，不 但會令自己承受最猛烈的日照，最重要是農作物也吃不消，尤其夏天30度高溫 以上，植物處於昏睡狀態，這時候不論澆水、下肥或修剪，都會帶來傷害。最 理想的務農時間，是早上8至10時，或者下午3至6時，人和作物也輕鬆。
6.
勿常翻土：也許是出於對農人的既有印象，許多城市農夫有個壞習慣，就是動 不動便搗翻泥土，認為經常翻土可令泥土質素更好。事實是太鬆散的泥土欠缺 結構，水份和有機質也更易流失。
7.
參考書籍：真的沒空上耕作班，至少也得抽時間翻一翻耕作書。西村和雄的 《懶人農法：活用雜草打造無農藥的有機菜園》便是不錯的入門讀本。西村是 京都大學農學博士，退休後於郊外創辦農業學校，集中培訓農民新血。他主張 省力省時的務農法，善用雜草來加強土壤肥沃度，對城市農夫很有參考價值。
006 be smart, be lazy Going head-on into farming with a hoe in your hand but without any formal training, it’s inevitable that you’ll hit a few rocks and helpless moments. I have been farming for the last two years now, and every time there has been a problem, I have had to call up a fellow farmer friend for the green cheat sheet. The one I have bothered the most is Chi-Shing Yip from O-FARM. Chi-Sing hails from a farming background, and since 1999 he’s had a piece of land in Dan Chuk Hang, Fan Ling, to grow vegetables. He is not engaged in commercial farming, though; instead, he rents out lots to weekend farmers from the city. As a farming instructor, he is famous for his spicy, no-nonsense attitude. He’ll point out mistakes directly to a person’s face, even if he doesn’t know the person well. Most of the amateur farmers trained by Chi-Shing have excelled in their farming practices. O-FARM hosts an annual planting competition for participants to show off their best work. But ChiShing always says, “Farming is a science; there is theory behind it that needs to be studied. I doubt that popular, hipster-style farming can succeed when the time spent writing and snapping photos is longer than the time spent on actual labor.” Of course I belong to that category, but Chi-Shing does not ridicule my meager farming experience, because the standard does not lie with how much time you allocate to farming in a week, but rather whether or not you’re focused on farming while you’re standing out there on the field. “Many say that in order to farm well you need to make a connection with the soil. But how many of them actually pay attention to the condition of the plants, observing whether they are healthy and happy?” Chi-Shing believes this is the most fundamental rule of thumb. If you can only farm once a week, there are ways to make it work via that one day. The capital which urban farmers lack most is time, so intelligently utilizing the entire day is the key to success or failure.
The following is practical advice from Chi-Shing. If you engage in a 1/7 farming practice like me, have a look and do your best to make the most of that 1/7 power. 1.
Soil depth If the farm is located on a high-rise podium or in planters on the rooftop, then you need to take into consideration the depth of the soil inside the planters. It’s not suitable to plant species with larger and more extensive roots that would only thrive when grown on farmland. Carrots, pumpkin and most leaf vegetables are all suited to be grown in planters.
2.
Grow leaf vegetables first If you can’t engage in farming activities on an everyday basis, concentrate on growing leaf vegetables first. Then grow fruit species as time permits. Otherwise, it’s difficult to maintain and monitor the plants, and you may miss the best time window for insect prevention and harvest.
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4.
Choice of species Choosing an easy path is a promising way for weekend farmers to maximize their harvest. For example, cherry tomatoes are easier to grow than regular tomatoes; Thai eggplants are better than the regular variety as they require minimal care. Avoid selecting species belonging to the cabbage family, like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, because they need more time to maintain. Seeds from regions like Taiwan and South East Asia will have a greater success rate because they share a similar climate with Hong Kong. High-low mixed planting If there is limited farming space available, try to make the best of it by sowing plants of different heights together in a multi-level setup. For example, you can plant Malabar spinach at ground level, construct a short scaffolding on top for eggplants, and then plant a few basil and capsicum pepper plants in the space between. Even a small area can have different varieties of plants in one spot.
5.
Farming time While engaging in weekend farming, you might inadvertently have to adjust your daily routine. If you sleep in on Sunday, start farming around noon, and stay until dusk, you will have to endure the scorching sun, and the crops will have a hard time as well, especially during the hot summer period when temperatures can reach over 30 degrees. Activities such as watering, fertilizing and pruning are harmful to plants during that period as they thrive on a circadian sleep cycle. The best farming periods for both farmers and plants are 8-10 am in the morning and 3-6 pm in the afternoon.
6.
Don’t plow the soil too often Perhaps originating from those romantic notions of what they think real farmers do, many urban farmers have a bad habit of plowing the soil too frequently. They think that by plowing it more often they can improve the quality of the soil. In reality, loose soil lacks structure, making it easier for water and organic substances to drain away and be lost.
7.
Reference books If you really don’t have time to attend farming courses, then you should at least spend some time to read books on agriculture. Lazy Man’s Farming: Utilizing Weeds to Create a Pesticide-Free Organic Farm, by Kazuo Nishimura, is a good reference for entry-level farming. Nishimura was a Professor of Agriculture at Kyoto University. He established a farming school after retirement with the aim of training the next generation of farmers. He called for a cost-effective way of farming and utilized weeds to enhance the fertility of the soil. It has been a great reference for many urban farmers.
木製植盆版的《香港農民曆》為限量製作，在農耕同好及HK FARMers之間分享傳閱， 而所有內容的電子版本以及工作坊的紀錄可於其出版人Spring工作室的網頁免費下載。 www.springworkshop.org/the-hk-farmers-almanac .
The HK FARMers’ Almanac is produced as a limited-edition volume-in-a-planter, to be shared among fellow agriculturists and other nurturing souls. Digital versions of all content as well as documentation from its publisher Spring Workshop will be downloadable from www.springworkshop.org/the-hk-farmers-almanac .