Mixed planting doubles profits, Zhangjiakou's Wang Liang innovates with a clever approach
Bright red strawberries dot the green leaves, refusing to fade away; freshly emerged fresh-eating corn seedlings are verdant and tender; clusters of green beads on grape vines bask in the sunlight, growing freely; tourists, overwhelmed by the red and green, busily pick and take photos... On May 5, in a greenhouse picking shed in Xiaomanling Village, Houjiamiao Township, Xuanhua District, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, three crops at varying heights create a stunningly beautiful "mixed" scene for visitors.
Such a unique planting structure must be the work of agricultural technicians, right?
Unexpectedly, this is a three-dimensional planting model that returning migrant worker Wang Liang developed through his own practice. Years ago, because farming income was low, Wang Liang chose to work in the city. In 2010, a chance opportunity planted the idea of returning home to start a business. That day, a friend took him to a picking garden on the outskirts of Beijing, where strawberries in a greenhouse sold for 60 yuan per kilogram, which deeply struck him. In 2011, with a stubborn, never-give-up spirit, Wang Liang built the first strawberry picking garden in Xiaomanling Village.
Greenhouse strawberry cultivation takes place in August each year, and the picking period can last until May of the following year at the latest, leaving a 3-month idle period in between. The ever-thinking Wang Liang wanted to make use of those 3 months. The first thing he thought of was growing grapes, because he had seen people grow grapes in greenhouses before, roughly harvested in July or August, but he was not sure what kind of grapes could be grown, nor whether the grape vines would affect the strawberries' growth. So he began traveling around to investigate. Hard work pays off. After visiting many places, Wang Liang finally discovered this "strawberry + grape" three-dimensional planting model at a picking garden on the outskirts of Beijing. Xuanhua is located in a high-cold region. Although it is also greenhouse cultivation, the macroclimate has a considerable impact on plants, and the soil is not fertile enough. Could this method succeed? "How will you know if it works unless you try it!" In 2013, Wang Liang introduced this "strawberry + grape" three-dimensional planting model. With the help of local agricultural technicians, his three-dimensional planting was a great success. In 2014, the picking garden's profits doubled.
Having tasted success, Wang Liang did not stop there. The local area has a long tradition of intercropping, and inspired by this, Wang Liang tried interplanting corn in the strawberry beds. To increase profits, he chose fresh-eating corn, brought to market out of season and sold cooked by the ear. In 2015, he really did carry basket after basket of fresh-eating corn out of his greenhouse.
Wang Liang calculated the accounts for the reporter: "From January to May is the strawberry ripening and picking period, corn comes to market in June, and greenhouse grapes can be picked by the end of June. Being sold out of season, they fetch a high price. At the same time, the grape picking period in the greenhouse can even be extended to the end of November, also selling for a good price. One greenhouse can harvest four to five thousand jin of grapes, three to four thousand jin of strawberries, and also 5,000 ears of corn. Calculating at 1 yuan per ear of corn, 20 yuan per jin of grapes, and 30 yuan per jin of strawberries, the total can sell for more than 200,000 yuan! The yield from my one mu of land can match the income from twenty mu of field corn!"
In Xiaomanling Village, this kind of "three-dimensional farm" is not the only one! Under Wang Liang's leadership, many villagers in Xiaomanling Village have developed greenhouse cultivation. In 2014, Wang Liang also led the establishment of a planting professional cooperative, and by teaching planting techniques, providing high-quality seedlings, and introducing a new strawberry-grape three-dimensional planting model, they developed more than 20 solar greenhouse pollution-free sheds, with an annual output of more than 40,000 kilograms of strawberries and grapes, driving the development of the village's picking tourism economy.
"In the future, this farm will be even more three-dimensional. We not only want to open a farmhouse restaurant, but also a 'fruit feast' Western restaurant," Wang Liang happily shared his dream of prosperity with the reporter.