I have a wildlife zoo

Chapter 287 Leisurely Farming

Fang Ye jumped twice on the wooden box and asked Lan Li, "Want to join in for some exercise?"

Lan Li smiled sweetly, "Sure!"

She placed the calico cat on the ground, took off her shoes, and was pulled onto the wooden box by Fang Ye's extended hand.

The two of them, holding hands on the compost box, started to bounce like they were on a trampoline.

Fang Ye looked at Lan Li with a smile, and Lan Li, feeling somewhat embarrassed by his gaze, turned her head away, "Why keep staring at me?"

"Don't you also often look at me? I'm just looking back," he replied.

The cat on the ground watched the two people bouncing in place on the compost box, tilting its head slightly, wondering what they were doing.

It then tried to imitate them, attempting to stand on its hind legs and also started hopping around!

Seeing the cat mimicking their jumps, Lan Li exclaimed in surprise, "Director, this cat is so much fun!"

Fang Ye couldn't help but glance sideways, "Hey, it is pretty interesting!"

After bouncing for a while to compact the material inside, he jumped down first and then lifted Lan Li down from the compost box.

He opened the cardboard and continued to pour more material into it from a burlap sack!

Adding more material and compacting it increased the temperature of the compost.

After covering it again and pressing it down a bit, it was okay this time.

Once finished with the compost, Fang Ye, sitting on a lounger by the poolside, blowing in the wind and basking in the sun, gently stroked the cat in his arms, resting comfortably.

Lan Li gathered her hair, blown about by the wind, peeled an orange, and tenderly offered a segment to his lips, "Speaking of adopting the cat, should we give it a name?"

"Ah um~" Discover stories with empire

Fang Ye bit into the orange and asked, "What name are you thinking of?"

Lan Li thought seriously, "How about calling it Tricolor? It has three colors, and there's no other cat."

Fang Ye scratched his chin, "Let's call it Huahua, it rolls off the tongue better, and even though it's a bit feminine, it doesn't matter."

Looking at the cat in his lap, which was being petted comfortably and lying on its back exposing its belly, he scratched its chin and chuckled evilly, "Anyway, its balls will be gone soon."

Fang Ye then placed the potatoes 20 cm apart in the designated area, buried them slightly in the soil, and covered them with a layer of dry straw.

He watered them a bit, and that was it—planting potatoes was really simple!

The strawberries were planted in some clover-shaped special pots; by rotating and misaligning, a pot's slot underneath could be hooked onto the edge of the pot below, stacking them up into a hexagonal pagoda shape.

Watering from above, the water would overflow through the holes at the bottom, and the tray beneath would catch excess water and sediment for recycling. Once the strawberries grew, each tier would receive sunlight.

This strawberry tower also saved space significantly. One pot had three sections, each section planting one strawberry plant, and 10 strawberry towers lined up next to the vegetable garden, stacked up to six layers—that's 180 plants in just two square meters of space. Once they matured, not only would there be more than enough for himself, but he could also share them with friends.

You could also mix in other plants; this would reduce pests and diseases. For example, cilantro, rosemary, lettuce, and so on. Mixing viburnum with strawberries could help attract insects for pollination, draw in pests' natural enemies, the strong scent of cilantro could ward off pests, and big marigolds could sacrifice themselves to attract the attacks of pests.

However, Fang Ye thought that he might as well keep things simple for the first planting and consider various combinations and pairings later.

Lan Li mimicked Fang Ye, scooping some soil mixed with spiritual soil from the vegetable garden into a flowerpot, made a hole in the middle, then picked up a strawberry seedling and placed it in, and filled in the soil.

Fang Ye glanced at her and said with a smile, "That's not right! You missed a step."

"Eh?" Lan Li was somewhat surprised, she was sure she had copied him exactly.

Fang Ye picked up a strawberry plant and demonstrated, "Before putting it in, gently spread out the roots with your hands first; this way, the roots can breathe and grow better in the soil.

When you cover them with soil, make sure only the roots are covered and not the crown; about the thickness of a finger above the rootlets."

"Oh!"

Lan Li observed carefully and realized that Fang Ye indeed did gently caress each strawberry plant before planting it, reminiscent of a wandering poet playing the zither or a mage enchanting an item—it served that purpose.

With a mix of admiration and frustration, she said, "Head Gardener, how do you know everything!"

Fang Ye laughed, "I learned it, of course. When it comes to farming, I'm actually a beginner too. Don't worry, I'll teach you if you don't understand."

It took half the day, but they got all the strawberry seedlings planted!

Afterward, Fang Ye spread a layer of pine needles from the tiger exhibit under the pine trees into the pots to keep the soil moist and fertile.

Strawberries are prone to waterlogging; too much can lead to reduced yield, so this time, instead of using the pot, he filled a watering can from the water tank and gently sprinkled the water over them.

After everything was planted, Fang Ye wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at the vegetable garden, which was now teeming with life, and couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment rise within him.

Perhaps this was the joy of farming.