Indigo flowers and fruiting season

The indigo is finally starting to bloom.

After the second indigo harvest was completed, the leaves had grown so much that I thought we might be able to do the third harvest.

This year, until the recent Typhoon No. 14, the summer was good for indigo growth, probably because of the continued humidity and heavy rainfall.

However, since Itoshiro is at a high altitude and autumn comes early, the third cutting was not possible and indigo flower buds began to appear.

It is said that when the flowers bloom, the pigment in the leaves is absorbed into the flowers, and the leaves can no longer be used for indigo dyeing. So when the flowers bloom, I think, "Ah, this year's indigo fields is coming to an end."

The indigo harvest requires constant close attention to the weather forecast, and we worry daily about the state of the indigo plants and the conditions of the sky, but when the indigo flowering season arrives, we reach a state of mind where all we can do is pray for good flowers to bloom and good seeds to bear fruit.

If the plants do not look like they will bear fruit before the frost hits, cover the seed plants with non-woven frost protection fabric and then wait for them to bear fruit.

The indigo we cultivate has red flowers, and when in full bloom the fields are covered in brilliant, fiery red flowers. It makes you wonder how this red plant can produce indigo.

As someone who dyes using the power of plants, I am filled with gratitude to be in an environment where I can create things from the earth like this.

I'm still not able to run the fields perfectly, but I would like to improve little by little without pushing myself too hard.

For those of you who are able to come to our main store from now on, we believe you will be able to see the indigo flowers throughout October, so please look forward to it.