Why is potted chives so popular? What exactly are the reasons?
Kong Xiangyan, a villager from Shahe Village, Zhangzhai Town, Shenxian County, Shandong, grows chives in flower pots and sells them to large and medium-sized cities such as Liaocheng and Jinan, earning an extra 20,000 yuan a year from this alone. Because these "potted chives" have a certain ornamental value and can be harvested and eaten at any time, they are sought after by many urban consumers.
Having grown chives for more than 10 years, when talking about his original intention for growing "potted chives," old Kong said: "In recent years there have been 'poisonous chives' incidents, and many city people want to eat them but dare not. So why not let them grow and manage them themselves, and eat chives they can trust? From this, I got the idea of growing 'potted chives.'"
The author saw that the flower pots for planting chives are rectangular, about 50 cm long and 25 cm wide, with small fences made of white wooden boards around them. The bottom of the flower pot is a layer of black sandy soil 20 cm deep, and the upper part is neatly planted with green chives. Kong Xiangyan said that chives have strong vitality and are easy to manage; as long as the nutrients keep up, "potted chives" can be kept for three to four years, and can be harvested once every one or two months, with one jin harvested each time. Because they grow and eat them themselves, city people feel safe eating them. At the same time, growing "potted chives" allows city people to personally experience the growing process, watching the chives sprout, grow and be harvested, and enjoy the pleasure of labor. Moreover, because they are not large in size, chives can be placed on balconies, in bedrooms or even on office desks, and can beautify the indoor environment.
Kong Xiangyan did a calculation for the author: "potted chives" sell for 100 yuan per pot, more than 600 pots can be sold each year, and the annual profit can be more than 20,000 yuan. In addition, he grows vegetables in two winter-warm greenhouses, and his family's annual income can reach 100,000 yuan. He hopes to "be the first to eat crab" and set an example, leading other farmers to also grow "potted chives," making the industry bigger and stronger and getting rich together.