Did you know that Sweet Peas grow on a vine that can become 20 to 25 feet long? This means that one tiny seed can produce about 30 stems of cut sweet pea! Scroll down to learn more and to watch the video from a Sweat Pea farm.
Who are the grower?
Large Organization (Japan Agriculture): 10-12
6-8 farms join in each JA
Large JA: 20 employees
Small JA: 3-5 employees
Miyazaki Pref: JA Osuzu, JA Hamayu, JA Takachiho, Nishioka, Hyuga, Taiyo
Oita Pref: Bungo Takada, Saeki, Bungo Ono
Where they are located?
Mainly in the Kyushu region (Miyazaki and Oita prefectures), it is scattered throughout the Pacific Ocean from the Kyushu region where has a lot of sunny days to the central part of Japan.
Miyazaki & Oita Prefectures
Climate
In Winter, mainly sunny, temp is around 5-15 degrees
How many people work at the farm/grower?
Each farm: 3-8 workers
What do they grow?
Sweet peas
What is the process of growing?
Sweet pea is planted in August and shipped from late October to late March.
It is a climbing plant, and since it grows long upwards, it is harvested while lowering the growing vine in the house and constantly lowering the vine (vine becomes 20-25 feet) so that the flowers will bloom in a position where it is easy to harvest.
Since sweet peas grow as a vine, one seed will produce about 30 stems flowers that bloom from late October to late March.
If it is not treated after harvesting, the flowers will fall off, so it is soaked in STS (Silver ThioSulfate complex), treated, bundled in 50 stems in one bunch, and then shipped to the market.
What makes this farm unique?
Compared to other flowers, sweet pea itself is a flower that takes a lot of time to supply, and by properly performing the processing, it will have a long life and can be shipped with a long stem.
The part where soil preparation is very important. Close the Greenhouse in the summer and disinfect the soil at high temperatures. Sweet pea roots very deeply, so it is important to create good soil before sowing seeds.
Sweet Pea Video Transcript
0:00:10 Bungo Ono, Oita Pref
0:00:13 Oita Prefecture is surrounded by a warm climate and abundant nature, and has many hot springs.
0:00:25 Hot spring synchronized
0:00:43 Bungo Ono City, located in the southern part of Oita Prefecture, is actively cultivating sweet pea with agriculture as its core industry. In Bungo Ono, strong and beautiful sweet pea is cultivated by utilizing the fertile soil where volcanic ash soil spreads and the abundant irrigation where many rivers gather.
0:01:04 Growing sweet pea is very difficult. From morning till evening, remove buds and vines and take care to grow straight.
0:01:16 At Bungo Ono, all producers check flowers one by one and perform sorting to check the state of flowering and whether there are any scratches.
0:01:26 Assemble in a fan shape and pack in a box.
0:01:37 In addition, professional staff perform a final check before shipping to maintain high quality. We are delivering our thoughts.
0:02:10 Sweetpeas from Bungo Ono
0:02:16 With the aging of the population in recent years, the production areas of various agricultural products are shrinking nationwide. Meanwhile, in the sweet pea production area in Bungo Ono City, Oita Prefecture, the number of young producers who are newly starting to produce sweet pea in the last few years is increasing.
0:02:36 The appeal of sweet pea is that it has a lot of variations and a good scent. We would like to deliver beautiful sweetpeas that makes the best of the characteristics of Bungo Ono.
0:03:11 “I moved from Kobe in Hyogo prefecture 10 years ago. With the addition of the local friends here, we started farming and cooperated in supplying. I would like to continue to increase the number of new producers like me and increase the shipment volume to keep the production area. I hope that new farmers will increase.”
0:03:56 Among the producers who have newly started cultivating sweet pea, there are various people such as immigrants from outside the prefecture, U-turns, and people who have changed jobs from other industries.
0:04:06 “When I came to Oita, I decided to start farming myself. As I continued farming, my wife & I was fascinated by the charm of sweet pea. It is a production area that has been established to teach young people the experience and cultivation techniques of farmers who have been cultivated for many years, so I think it is a production area that can be expected in the future.”
0:04:44 Young producers frequently go to senior farmers to acquire skills and knowledge. They spend their lives from outside the prefecture and make efforts to grow it. Senior farmers utilize their experience and skills to raise young people and revitalize their production areas.
0:05:07 Now, half of the producers are in age 20s to 40s, and they have inherited the knowledge and experience of senior farmers and are working together to protect the production area.
0:05:20 “I want the new leaders to distribute good flowers and protect sweetpea farms.”
0:05:28 “I want you to create new ideas that we can't think of”
0:05:37 “Oita is currently the second-largest sweetpeas producer in Japan, so I'm looking forward to the future.”
0:05:48 Senior Skilled producers who have protected the production area for a long time have taken over the high-quality sweet pea of Bungo Ono, and expect and trust the young producers who are working hard. And all the producers work together to deliver sweet pea that will satisfy you.
0:06:11 We hope that the sweet pea Organization in Bungo Ono, Oita Prefecture, you will pick up the sweet pea we raised somewhere and make you feel healed and happy. We grow sweet pea hard every day.