My wife and I started gardening in Fukuoka (Japan) in 2003. There was nothing but muddy clayey sloping land. At the beginning we made several structure such as steps and paths, and planted turf, fruit trees, roses, herbs etc. In 2010, we visited several famous English gardens, including Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Mottisfont Abbey Garden and Hidcote Manor Garden. We were shocked by the glory of those gardens. Since then, we have been trying to make small but glorious gardens by ourselves.
honey suckle
庭の紹介
6/07/2026
EARLY JUNE GARDENIG IN THE POTAGER (六月初めのポタジェの庭仕事)
5/27/2026
THE POTAGER GARDEN IN LATE MAY (五月下旬のポタジェガーデン)
At the entrance to the potager garden, the new shoots of the golden holly are a beautiful golden colour. The foxgloves are still blooming beautifully, their flower spikes stretching upwards. We have finished harvesting the cabbages from the pentagonal raised bed, and the potatoes will soon be ready for harvesting. The California poppies continue to bloom with their vibrant yellow flowers. The asparagus has grown tall and leafy, and the harvest is now largely complete. The chamomile has finished flowering; we have cut it down, dried it, and are using it as mulch for the mini watermelons. The flax is bearing plenty of seed. We will soon be entering the rainy season, followed by the intense heat of midsummer.
ポタジェガーデンの入り口ではオウゴンヒイラギの新芽が美しい黄金色です。ジギタリスは花穂を伸ばしてまだ美しく咲いています。五角形のレイズドベッドのキャベツの収穫が終わり、ジャガイモがもうすぐ収穫の時期を迎えます。カリフォルニアポピー(ハナビシソウ)が鮮やかな黄色い花を咲かせ続けています。アスパラガスは大きく枝葉を伸ばし、収穫も一段落です。カモミールの花も終わって、刈り取って干して小玉スイカの敷き藁にしています。亜麻はたくさんの実をつけています。まもなく梅雨の時期にはいり、そのあと猛暑の真夏に突入です。
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| Golden holly オウゴンヒイラギ |
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| Foxglove and rose ジギタリスとバラ |
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| California poppy ハナビシソウ |
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| White flowers of Deutzia setchuenensis シセンウツギの白い花 |
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| Asparagus アスパラガス |
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| Potato ジャガイモ |
4/30/2026
TODAY'S VIDEO CLIP: The Potager in Late April
今日の動画:四月下旬のポタジェ
In the potager garden, the onion harvest is complete, the apple blossoms have almost finished, and the roses are beginning to bloom, marking the transition from spring to early summer.
We are continuing to harvest spring cabbages and asparagus little by little; the chamomile and flax are in full bloom, and the potato leaves have grown quite lush. Meanwhile, in the border beds, the foxgloves are beginning to bloom in abundance.
With just over ten days to go until the Open Garden, preparations are well underway to welcome our visitors.
ポタジェガーデンではタマネギは収穫が終わり、リンゴの花もほぼ終わり、バラが少し咲き始めて、春から初夏へと移ろい始めています。
春キャベツやアスパラは少しずつ収穫を続けていて、カモミールや亜麻は満開になり、ジャガイモの葉がだいぶん茂ってきました。そしてボーダー花壇ではジギタリスがたくさん咲き始めています。
オープンガーデンまで10日ほどになり、来園の皆さんを迎える準備が進んでいます。
4/20/2026
ASPARAGUS IS SPROUTING (アスパラガスが出てきました)
The asparagus has started to sprout in the potager garden. It is purple asparagus grown in a pentagonal raised bed. It looks as though we’ll be able to harvest it for a while to come.
ポタジェガーデンではアスパラガスが出始めました。五角形のレイズドベッドに育てている紫色のアスパラガスです。これからしばらく収穫できそうです。
3/12/2026
PLANTING POTATOES AFTER HARVESTING VEGS (野菜の収穫後、ジャガイモの植付け)
It's time to plant the potatoes, so I harvested all the vegetables from the raised bed where I plan to plant them. These included beetroot, Swiss chard, and spinach. We removed weeds and plant roots to prepare the bed for planting potatoes. We then planted the seed potatoes we had saved from last December. Fertiliser was placed between the seed potatoes. Flowers are expected to bloom in two months, with harvesting planned for three months later.
ジャガイモの植付けの時期になったので、ジャガイモを植える予定のレイズドベッドにある野菜を全部収穫しました。テーブルビート、スイスチャード、ホウレンソウです。雑草や植物の根を取り除いてジャガイモを植える準備をしました。そして昨年12月に種芋として残していたのを植え付けました。種芋の間には肥料を入れました。2か月後に花が咲き、3か月後に収穫の予定です。
12/16/2025
AUTUMN POTATO HARVEST (秋じゃが収穫)
Seed potatoes are planted in March and September, with harvests occurring in June and December. While the December yield is smaller compared to June, cultivation continues to secure seed potatoes for the following spring.
This year, seed potatoes were planted on the 31st of August. They sprouted in September, grew substantially by October, and even flowered. Come December, as the weather turned cold and the leaves began to wither, they were harvested.
ジャガイモは3月と9月に種芋を植えて、6月と12月に収穫します。6月の収穫に比べて12月は少ないですが、次の春の種芋を確保するために栽培しています。
今年は8月の31日に種芋を植え付けました。9月に芽吹き、10月には大きく育って花も咲きました。そして12月になって寒くなり葉が枯れてきたので収穫しました。
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| October 10月 |
10/16/2025
POTAGER GARDEN IN MID-OCTOBER (十月中旬のポタジェガーデン)
Even though we're now into October, days with maximum temperatures nearing 30 degrees Celsius continue, though thankfully the intense heat of midsummer has passed. Gardening has become a little easier too. The summer heat has become more intense and prolonged, affecting the cultivation of flowers and vegetables, with more crops failing to thrive. In the potager garden, marigolds are now thriving, blooming profusely with vibrant orange and yellow flowers. The potatoes planted at the end of August have grown considerably. The mini tomatoes, planted as seedlings in September, are bearing many fruits, and I look forward to seeing them ripen red.
10月に入っても最高気温が30度近い日が続いていますが、さすがに真夏の猛暑はなくなりました。庭仕事も少しやり易くなりました。夏の暑さが厳しくなり、期間も長くなったことから、花や野菜の栽培にも影響がでていて、うまく育てられないことも増えてきました。ポタジェガーデンでは今、マリゴールドが茂って鮮やかなオレンジや黄色の花がたくさん咲いています。8月の終わりに植え付けたジャガイモがだいぶん育ってきました。9月に入って苗を植えたミニトマトがたくさん実をつけていて、赤く熟すのが楽しみです。







































