Wilderness on alluvial land: 'Eating' the tops, flowers and fruits

In recent years, pumpkin trees, also known as “bu bar” by local people, have been widely grown by farmers in Anh Son district in the Lam River alluvial plains. Not only grown for their fruit, the “bu bar” trees are also grown for their shoots and flowers.

These days, Anh Son farmers are focusing on harvesting vegetables, bringing in an income of 5-6 million VND/crop per sao. Photo: Thai Hien

This winter crop, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha's family in village 4, Linh Son commune, planted 2 sao of Bu to get the tops. Ms. Ha said: "Bu is grown a lot here, but mainly for the tops and flowers, not for the fruit like other places. Currently, Bu's tops and flowers are very popular in the market, so the output is always guaranteed and the price is good. On average, her family picks 30 - 50 bunches per day, with a price of 4,000 - 5,000 VND/bunch, and on average, the family also earns approximately 200,000 VND/day.

According to Ms. Ha's experience, with the super-top variety, after 45 days of planting, it is ready to harvest. When harvesting the first batch, use a knife to cut all the tops 10-15cm from the base. Then, clean the grass and fertilize with nitrogen. When the base tops continue to sprout, choose to keep 2-3 of the strongest tops, and remove the rest to focus on growing big, plump tops. With 2 sao of tops planted, her family has a source of income of nearly 12 million VND/crop.

To ensure safe vegetable growing areas, households here do not use pesticides or stimulants, so they are trusted by consumers. Photo: Thai Hien

While nimbly harvesting plump young green water spinach, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga in village 4, Linh Son commune happily shared: Her family has 3 sao of land along the Lam River, and for the past 3 years she has invested in replanting.

According to Ms. Nga, this is a type of plant that does not require pesticides, and is harvested over a long period of time with many types of products such as shoots, flower buds, young fruits, and mature fruits, so it is very easy to sell. Moreover, the shoots are harvested continuously for about 4-5 months before having to be destroyed to plant a new crop. Calculating the average income from shoots and flowers, minus expenses, Ms. Nga earns a profit of nearly 20 million VND/crop.

Currently, the entire Lam River area in Linh Son commune has nearly 10 hectares of land that people have planted to compensate, with more than 30 households planting and caring for it. On average, each hectare earns over 100 million VND/crop.

This winter crop, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha's family in village 4, Linh Son commune, grows 2 sao of shoots. Currently, shoots and flowers are very popular in the market, so the output is always guaranteed and sold at a good price. Photo: Thai Hien

Growing Bu vegetables for the tops is widely grown on the land of the fields and alluvial land in the communes of Cam Son, Thach Son, Phuc Son, Linh Son, Anh Son district with the total area of ​​the district from 25 - 30 hectares. According to the assessment of households, Bu is a type of plant that is easy to grow and care for, this type of plant does not have many harmful pests and diseases, requires little labor but brings high economic efficiency. Therefore, expanding the area by specializing in growing Bu plants for the tops of vegetables is the right direction that Anh Son district is implementing to all localities, thereby helping people develop agricultural production to bring high economic value.

Thai Hien