The Learning Curve

I’ve learned a lot about gardening in Japan this year. It's been a real education by fire sort of thing.  Here’s a quick rundown of my newly earned wisdom.

Japan loves trellises. Many things are grown vertically. Even bushy plants like egg plant or peppers have their own mini support system of carefully angled bamboo (or aluminum) sticks.

It rains a lot in June. I knew this before I started gardening. I just didn’t realize how wet the soil would get from that deluge.

When the soil gets wet and stays wet (yeah pottery country!) and then a typhoon whips through your town (woot, wind farm country!) your poor American style garden will fall down and beg for mercy. 

While my dear husband runs off to surf, my weekend will be spent by picking up my corn and tying it to a newly purchased series of poles. I just hope it doesn’t rain.  I'm about ready to cry uncle myself.