Our in-house project “SUNNY FARM” has officially kicked off full-scale farming! Members work hard through their first-ever experience.
Hello! This is Tanaka from SUNNY SIDE UP.
Our in-house project “SUNNY FARM,” led mainly by younger members, made its farm debut in December and officially got underway in January! This time, we will share how our complete beginner members rather awkwardly tackled everything from preparing the soil to sowing seeds.
What is the in-house project “SUNNY FARM”?
Centered around younger in-house members, the project is based on the concept of “Growing communication, not vegetables.” Crossing departmental and team boundaries, we are starting farming from scratch at a rental farm. Our goal is to harvest the vegetables we grow ourselves and hold a harvest party in the office.
You can read our previous article introducing “SUNNY FARM” here.
SUNNY SIDE UP’s SDGs: SUNNY FARM kicks off!
At last, it’s time to farm! But before that…
With the days to harvest in mind, we really needed to start farming right away—but our Sunny Farmers wanted to start with the look first. “When you think of clothes for the field, it has to be overalls!!” So we made our own original overalls.
Even though we struggled with fabric spray for the first time, we somehow managed to finish them in between work tasks.
And of course, on the chest is SUNNY SIDE UP’s symbol: the fried egg. The production team was praising themselves, saying, “Isn’t it super cute!?” Now we are all set!! Excitement is building for our activities in the field.
Farm Day 2 (Making ridges / Sowing seeds)
“SUNNY FARM” is supported by “Share Batake Kugayama Ekimae,” located in a quiet residential area a 6-minute walk from Kugayama Station on the Keio Inokashira Line.
At “Share Batake,” if you make a reservation in advance, an advisor will support your work (of course, you are also welcome to come and go freely without a reservation). With zero farming knowledge, our Sunny Farmers finally begin the work while receiving instruction from the advisor!
STEP1: Preparing the soil >>>
Vegetable growing starts with preparing the soil. Let’s create nutrient-rich, fluffy soil to grow delicious vegetables! First, we spread fertilizer evenly throughout the plot where we will grow the vegetables.
After spreading the fertilizer, we used a hoe to dig down to a depth of about 30 cm, turning the soil over. This helps incorporate fertilizer and air into the soil, making it easier for vegetables to grow.
We needed to dig much deeper than expected, and the work was surprisingly strenuous… After so much telework, our Sunny Farmers’ stiff legs and backs were crying out. Even so, their excitement was at its peak as the activity finally started to feel like real farming!
STEP2: Making ridges >>>
Once the fluffy soil is ready, the next step is making ridges. We mound the dug-up soil to about 15 cm and level the surface using a wooden board or similar tool. Raising the ridges above the surrounding ground helps secure space needed for growth, makes it easier for roots to spread, and also improves ventilation and drainage.
Next, we cover the ridges with a black plastic sheet. This helps warm the soil and supports vegetable growth.
STEP3: Sowing seeds >>>
For this round, the Sunny Farmers voted in advance and planned to plant daikon radish, cilantro, green beans, and spinach. However, based on the advisor’s suggestion—“You have enough space, so why not try one more?”—we decided to add mizuna at the last minute! In total, we will be growing five types of vegetables.
Using a hole punch, we made holes in the black plastic sheet and carefully sowed the seeds one by one. Still, it felt strangely amazing that vegetables can grow from such tiny seeds…
STEP4: Setting up a plastic tunnel >>>
After sowing the seeds, we thought the day’s work was done—but there was one more task. Since it was still midwinter, we set up a plastic tunnel in addition to the black sheet to protect against cold and frost (yes, that thing you often see in fields…).
That is all for the day. We left the field with growing anticipation, wondering when the sprouts would appear.
Farm Day 3 (We came to pull weeds, but…)
About four weeks after sowing, we thought, “We need to go pull weeds!” so we went to check the field. We peeled back the black plastic protecting the ridges, but…
!?
There were no weeds at all (lol). Come to think of it, it was midwinter, so weeds would not grow. Everyone burst out laughing at how silly we were.
However!!
There were no weeds, but the vegetable sprouts had come up nicely!!
Overexcited, the Sunny Farmers simply took photos of the adorable little sprouts and left the field.
Please look forward to our next update to see how these tiny sprouts grow!
Click here for the official “SUNNY FARM” note, where you can see what the Sunny Farmers have been up to.
https://note.com/sunnyfarm
Author
Public Relations Division, Bureau 3 (Sports)
Mikako Tanaka
In her third year as a new graduate hire. Since joining the company, she has handled PR across a wide range of fields, from major sports events to games,
