Chapter II. Fiction
Re-do
“I think they can’t make it this time.” A sad voice come to my ears as I stared at the plantation. Sadness hangs in my chest as I look at them; frail and hopeless.
“I’m so sorry, Pak. Can we do something?” I asked Pak Danu though I clearly know the situation.
“It’s okay. This is a common thing for farmers. We just can’t stop here.” He said. Still with his determined self since we first started working.
I sighed, it is such a pain to remember all efforts I gave for this plantation. I took a deep breath and looked at Pak Danu. I’m not satisfied yet, “Let me help you again, Pak.”
I can see Pak Danu smiling and nodding his head at me. “Yes, of course. Let’s be careful this time.”
That makes me smile. Come to think of it, in the past, I don’t think working with Pak Danu would give me lots of new knowledge and experience. But look at me now, I like it working here.
***
“This far is enough?” I asked while digging the soil with my bare hand, letting some grain slip into my nails. Few minutes of waiting and no response from the other person, I decided to raise my head and look around. There was my Grandpa, on the other side of the plantation. “Grandpa, I’ll add the fertilizer, okay?” I said without bothering to raise my voice.
“Go ahead, Rin.” I know he can’t hear me from his position so I answer as if I was him.
It’s just a habit I developed in school.
My Grandpa is a farmer, who owned some plantations, three in total. The biggest plantations are planted with lettuce, the smallest are planted with tomatoes, and the other one will be planted with broccoli. Currently, I’m helping him with the broccoli, we successfully harvest the first batch so Grandpa is planning to plant broccoli again.
Dewi 16
Taking good care of the plant is my favorite activity since childhood. I’m not an expert in farming but my Grandfather will always be there to guide me when I’m helping him with the plantation.
I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Rinjani, I’m 21 years old, Faculty of Agriculture student, and currently living with my Grandpa in the village on the slopes of Mount Merbabu. It’s been two months already, almost three. I came here just to visit my Grandpa during semester break initially since we can’t go freely anywhere because of the pandemic but then thought that what if I stay until I start my research for thesis. And here I am, helping my Grandpa while searching places for my research.
“How is it here?” Grandpa’s voice interrupts me. I paused my activity to turn around and look at him.
“Good. I’m doing great. Are you done with the other side Grandpa?” I asked. Grandpa knelt next to me and made sure I have enough distance to put the fertilizer and the seeds with his own inch.
“Not all. Let’s take a break for some time. I’m too old to do this.” He acts like an eighty years old man–well he’s not that old yet.
I chuckled and get up, “None sense. Grandpa, you grow broccoli here from time to time alone before.” My legs feel numb from being in one position for too long. “Okay, let’s rest for a moment, I think I need it. The sun is really strong today.”
Really, even though the wind blows cold but the sun strikes strong. We move to the shack near the plantation to enjoy some bottles of water we brought from home. “If I remember correctly, it looks like this plantation have chilly before. They’re dead?” I start the conversation after seeing a patch of fields with dead dry crops. I can still see some dried chilies hanging.
Grandpa averts his gaze to the plantation I point. “Yes, the owner experienced crop failure and the decreased crop quality, so they decided to kill the plant.” He continues,
“Unfortunately they use herbicide to kill them. You know how fast they killed the plant but how harmful they are for the soil.”
I nodded, agreeing to the statement. It’s one of the fastest ways to replant the land but that indeed will damage the soil. Maybe years from now. In his own opinion, Grandpa doesn’t
Dewi 17
like to use any kind of chemicals to kill the plant. He will turn them into fertilizer instead dried died like that.
“If you know Pak Danu, this plantation is his,” Grandpa adds additional information that makes me wonder. If I’m not mistaken, Pak Danu’s plantation just had a successful harvest a week ago. Guess, he has more than one plantation.
“But I never see Pak Danu work in this plantation. Is it rented?” Wait, of course not.
“Or he hires people to work in the plantation?” I quickly revise my sentence and Grandpa nodded to my last question.
“He employs people on his plantation. But yesterday when I go to the farmer association he told me that he will work on this plantation tomorrow.”
“Oh, okay. I hope a successful harvest for him.” I get out of the shack, drinking water from my bottle one more time before running back to bedengan, and doing my job. Bedengan is an elongated mound of soil that is usually made for farmers to plant seeds. Usually covered with perforated plastic but this bedengan we have right here is still soil.
The day goes fast. When the sun rolls towards the west, the clear sky slowly turns cloudy. The wind is colder than before, signifying that I and Grandpa should go home before the rain come. But we’re not that fast. On the way home, the drizzle fell first. The terracing models in this plantation make it more difficult to walk faster.
As Grandpa said, after almost two hours of drizzling, the heavy rain finally came. And the rain lasts until this morning. I wake up with a piercing cold on my skin. I don’t want to touch water, I don’t want to move from my bed because it’s just too comfy here and it’s such a waste to leave this comfortable place. But before I get back under my blanket, Grandpa knocking my door and ask me to come out for breakfast.
***
“Mangga, Pak Karyo,” I turn my head when a voice greets my Grandpa in Javanese style. It’s Pak Danu. I guess he wants to start working on his plantation today. “Oh, there are Rinjani as well. Come to help your Grandfather?” he asked me when our eyes meet.
I smiled, and chuckle a bit. “Yes. I stay to help my Grandfather and do my thesis.”
“Nice, nice. What major do you take?”
Dewi 18
“I’m in Agro-technology, Pak.”
Pak Danu nods his head, “Good for you. Want to continue your Grandfather’s plantation in the future?”
“I don’t think so. But maybe I can consider it.” That was not my first purpose when I decided to go into agro-technology. I just simply like farming, taking care of the plant, growing them, and satisfaction feeling at harvest time.
“I can’t force her to become a farmer. Her future is her responsibility to decide. This plantation would be my heritage for Rinjani’s parents.” Grandpa, who I think heard my conversation with Pak Danu, join the conversation and patted my shoulder.
Pak Danu and Grandpa later have a conversation as I quietly pulled over and continued my work to give fertilizer in bedengan. Today, I continue with fertilizer things and Grandpa with ready-to-plant seeds. With the help of some temporary worker, we put up mulsa, big and long plastic that cover bedengan, and holed it like a template.
I feel sore so I stood up for a while. My eyes then laid on Pak Danu and his plantation.
He digs a hole between the bedengan and throws the dried plant inside the hole. Rather than dump it in the trash. That’s a good method, Grandpa told me.
“Rinjani, can you bring me the rest of the seeds inside the basket?” In the middle of my thought, Grandpa called me to do him a favor.
“Of course Grandpa,” I answered a bit louder and hurriedly ran to the basket near the motorcycle. We need this to be done today.
By mid-day, I see Pak Danu’s plantation has been cleared and leaving some bedengan ready to be planted. In the meantime, I’m no longer helping Grandpa and am engrossed in my own thoughts that suddenly drifted to my research.
“How is it, Mbak Rinjani? Fieldwork is hard, isn’t it?” I was startled by the voice. Mbak is the Javanese way of addressing an unmarried woman. It’s Pak Danu, he’s coming to the shack and I just realize that there is another bag on the edge of the shack, probably Pak Danu’s.
I awkwardly chuckle, “Under this scorching sun, yes Pak. Even though I already wear a hat, the heat is unbearable.”
Dewi 19
“That’s the risk of being a farmer. Just hard work is waiting for you but if you like to do it, the hard work will never betray you.” Pak Danu take out a bottle of water from his bag and drank it. Grandpa told me the same thing and I agree with it.
“That’s right. Anyway, what do you want to plant on the plantation?” I change my sits facing Pak Danu. Ready to start a conversation while waiting for Grandpa to finish the fieldwork.
“Tomatoes.” Pak Danu replied shortly.
“Why tomatoes, Pak? Tomatoes have complicated maintenance if I’m not wrong.”
Based on what Grandpa said and as far as I know while helping to take care of Grandpa’s tomato field.
“Yes, you’re right. I actually have never grown tomatoes. But I want to give it a try. If it works, it means good for me, if it fails, it means I have to try again. And also tomatoes these days have more stable price than broccoli.” He explains to me with an acceptable reason.
“What about the other plantation? It’s past harvest time, right? Will you plant broccoli again?”
“Yes of course. I already like broccoli, maybe I will plant something else later but for now, in that plantation, it will be broccoli.” He answered. I respond to Pak Danu's story with a simple nod and without I realized it we were talking for quite sometimes
***
As usual, when another morning came I will help Grandpa on the plantation. This time, since he already plant all the seeds, our task is to water the seeds. If the rain comes at night and lasts until morning, we don’t need to do the watering because nature already helps us out. But yesterday the rain come in the evening and stop before midnight.
“I think we don’t need to water the plant now, the ground is still wet from the rain, we can water them later if it doesn’t rain this evening,” Grandpa said.
“Okay, so we will go to the lettuce field now?” I asked. Walk between the bedengan to see small green broccoli leaves.
“Yes. I will go to the lettuce field. If you want to go home, it’s okay. You still have the assignment to do right?” Grandpa's response to my question.
Dewi 20
It’s true but I usually do my assignment at night. I want to answer him and tell him not to worry about my school stuff but then my eyes catch an activity from Pak Danu’s plantation.
“Grandpa, I think they start to work with the plant,” I mumbled. “Is it okay if I come to watch them?”
I thought Grandpa wouldn’t agree with my idea, but it turns out that he let me go to Pak Danu’s plantation. I quickly give the bag I brought to him and run to where the plantation is.
When I arrived, I don’t see Pak Danu around. There are just two workers that helped him yesterday.
“Is this tomato, Pak?” I already know what seed is it, actually. It’s just how I start the conversation while standing not far from where they’re working–I don’t want to bother them by standing too close.
“Yes, this is tomato, Mbak.” One of them answers me. I nodded and watched them working from the side. Sometimes bother them with one or two questions and sometimes they also ask me a question.
“Rinjani is it? I see Pak Karyo working on the lettuce field, you don’t help him?” It’s just a coincidence that I turn my head together with Pak Danu who just came.
“Hehe, not today, Pak. I want to be here watching the tomatoes, can I?” Let’s say I ask for permission from the landlord. If Pak Danu doesn’t want me to be here, I will go back home.
Pak Danu smiled and instead let me watch the worker, he ask me if I want to help him or not. That’s how I end up helping Pak Danu dig the ground for the fertilizer. About four of seven bedengan have been done, so I and Pak Danu work on the rest of the bedengan. “Isn’t it too much fertilizer for this kind of weather, Pak? The rain comes almost every day so don’t need to add that much.”
“It doesn’t matter. Tomatoes need a lot of nutrients so they can grow healthy. This amount of fertilizer is enough, I tried it on my other plantation and the results are good.” He said. I just recall the memory of my classes in college about the weather, fertilizer, and all of the chemicals that influence plant growth.
“But would it be too much nutrient since they will receive a lot of water from rain, too?” I’m talking while my hand keeps digging the hole. “You can save the fertilizer more by
Dewi 21
reducing the amount of fertilizer you put in the hole. And maybe it could hurt the plant because it’s too much. Fertilizer is hot, Pak.”
“It’s okay, no need to worry, Rinjani.” Pak Danu replied. “And about the fertilizer, it’s okay to be a bit wasteful as long as my plant can grow nicely.”
There’s nothing good in being wasteful, it’s not about whether can you afford it or not, but about the understanding of the need of plants. I can’t say anything, just helping Pak Danu with his plantation and if we talk about experience, I’m absolutely lost.
“But, Pak Danu, we have to adjust the needs of the soil and plants. Otherwise, tomatoes are very sensitive to weather. With this too much rain it would be so much nutrient and if you add a lot of fertilizer would it make the plant absorb too much?” I’m still not giving up and trying to argue with all my knowledge from Grandpa and books.
“Rinjani, I’m not just planted one tomato but so many tomatoes in this small plantation, and every bedengan have two to three rows of the plant. The rest of the nutrients will be taken by other tomato roots.” Pak Danu explained.
“But, Pak, non-organic fertilizer is harmful to the soil, doesn’t it? Organic is better if you want to be wasteful.”
“No. They are grow beautifully and I don’t have a problem with the soil. They are fine.
Otherwise, the result is good.” Pak Danu talks to me as he faces rebel kids. “Do you learn it from books? In fact, the practice can be different, Rinjani. You need to know your land before making a move. And I know my land enough.” He insisted. “So, just follow me and learn more.
Okay?”
I don’t understand the way he thinks. “Ugh, oke-oke. Guess you really believe in this non-organic fertilizer. Any specific reason?” I asked while focusing on the bedengan. Refuse to see Pak Danu directly. Actually, I’m a little annoyed but trying to cover it with a question.
“Non-Organic fertilizer is more environmentally friendly and already contains all the nutrients the plants needed. New knowledge for you and you definitely would argue with me about it.”
That statement makes me turn to him. Yes, I have an opinion here. “How can it be environmentally friendly?” I strongly don’t agree with that one. Most of the non-organic
Dewi 22
fertilizers will decrease the soil's ability and it’s a long-term effect. “Why don’t you use organic instead? Become semi-organic farmers maybe, I think you can do it. Well–“
“Because non-organic fertilizers have a kind of sulfate element that can inhibit the formation of methane gas. You learn about this too, haven’t you?” Pak Danu cut my sentence.
“And that would save more time since non-organic fertilizers work faster than organic ones.”
I immediately said, “No if you diligently take care of them, they would grow fast too.
Fertilizer is just nutritional supplement food.” Organic or semi-organic is a saver for the plant and soil. Doesn’t they?
“In the field, sometimes the processes that occur are not always in line with what we expect. Organic fertilizer may be nice and safe, but this kind of fertilizer has a long and delicate process. If the fertilizer is not fully ripe it will kill the plant instead, if the decomposition process is not careful it will produce methane gas. Anything can happen in the field, Rinjani.
That’s why you can’t only hold on to your book knowledge alone. Practice a lot so that you know what the reality in the field looks like.” Pak Danu stood up and look at me with a smile on his face.
I swallowed my frustration and tried to think more openly. He’s right but Pak Danu can't change my opinion about fertilizers because I believe my theory regarding fertilizers and the weather is true. I still can't accept that non-organic ingredients can be more environmentally friendly than organic ones. Is it an advertisement?
***
“How is it going with Pak Danu’s plantation?” Grandpa asks. We are currently in the living room. I’m with my laptop and Grandpa with his television show.
I get back around 5.00 PM from helping Pak Danu with his plantation. It’s not really helping, I spend most of my time there watching the workers work while sometimes talking with Pak Danu. Well, we have a friendly discussion.
“Hmm, I think he’s a nice person, he has a lot of experience with lettuce, broccoli, and onion, but,” I paused my sentence. Writing a few sentences on my laptop and then turn to face Grandpa. “I’m a bit uncomfortable in the way he plants the tomatoes.”
Dewi 23
Maybe it’s just me being Ms-Know-It-All, but based on what I know, a tomato can’t live in a humid place. I’m sure Pak Danu knows it, but why is he giving that poor tomato too much fertilizer? Based on my understanding that will make the tomato takes too much food.
“What? Is there any problem?” Grandpa looked at me, abandoning the show he always watches at this hour. “Pak Danu is indeed a good farmer. He has a strong opinion when it comes to agriculture. You might find him stubborn and sometimes he really is. You can learn from his persistence, Rin. He may be wrong, because sometimes you’ll find him difficult to accept other people’s input, but if he faces failure he doesn’t give up and will try again. Based on my experience, that’s the time when you can give him input. He’s a good person and farmer.”
I nodded. Maybe I should be waiting for the right time to speak my thought to Pak Danu. It’s not like I’m hoping anything bad happens. “Thank you for your sentence. It’s just…
I don’t know but he put too much fertilizer on the tomato in this kind of weather.”
“How do you know if it’s too much?”
I’m not sure myself, “I’m majoring in agro-technology, Grandpa, I learn that. If it’s rainy we don’t need to put much fertilizer, even more, non-organic fertilizer. And as you said too, rain already helps the plant get the nutrient they need from the soil. Too much non-organic will just harm the soil.”
“Then what do you want to do? You can’t teach him.” Grandpa said. Yes, I’m aware that I can’t teach him with my current situation and knowledge. I haven’t got my bachelor’s degree yet.
“I agree to help him with the tomato to see the results. I already ask for his permission too that I will use his plantation for my research. If I’m not mistaken it will take three months, right? Until harvest time?” I remember Grandpa told me tomatoes take at least three months until the first harvest.
“Yes, three months from the flowers bloom. And at least, if the tomatoes have a nice grow they can harvest it for fourteen times.” Grandpa continued, “I told you before right?
tomatoes are very sensitive plants, they can easily die from pests, and weather, and once their stem is rotten and hasn’t cut out, slowly it will spread all over the plant. That condition is the worst because we can’t save it anymore.”
Dewi 24
“Yes, I remember you told me this when we were taking care of the tomato plantation.
Do you have any suggestion for me to help Pak Danu take care of his tomatoes?” Grandpa is a tomato farmer and our tomato plants grow in a good condition. So, I think his advice will help.
“Okay, basically, every farmer has their own way. But this is a piece of general advice I use in my tomato plantation. You need to pay attention to the water and look at the leaves. If the tip of the leaves is dry you need to cut it, if the stems are rotten you need to cut them too.
It will make part of the plant die but you can save the other part before it’s spreading. Look carefully, Rinjani.” Grandpa explains. “Good luck.” And pat my head gently before turning back to the television show he ignore before.
***
The next morning and days after that I help Pak Danu at his plantation, to take care of the tomato and gather some data for my thesis. As Grandpa said I pay attention to the leaves and stems and make sure they don’t have any pests stuck in them. For the first three weeks, until the flowers begin to bloom, the condition is good, but when the tomato appears, some stems seem to be rotten.
“Yesterday, some stem has rotten, Rinjani. So I cut them, unfortunately, they are connected to some big tomatoes so we have to let them go.” Pak Danu shows me two rotten stems that have already been cut off. He left them hanging there. It is sad to see them like this.
I immediately checked on the other tomato plant to make sure there are no rotten stems or dried tip leaves.
Another week of taking care of the tomato plantation. It’s been four days since I do not come to Pak Danu’s plantation because I have to deal with my online classes and all of the assignments. Grandpa also asks me to help him on our plantation because there is almost harvest time for our lettuce.
“Pak, there is some big tomato already. And this one is reddened.” I said in excitement.
Some plants have grown nicely.
“Yes, I just spray them medicine yesterday and it looks like they have grown nicely.”
Pak Danu said proudly. “This type of fertilizer and medicine is indeed the best.”
Dewi 25
I smiled. Still remember that Pak Danu adds lots of fertilizer before planting the tomato.
And maybe the amount of fertilizer he put in the ground doesn’t influence the plant’s growth at all. So, the reality is different from what I know.
I stand by my opinion that too much fertilizer is not good for the plant’s growth. But what is present in front of me says otherwise. This is new and I can write it in my data.
I manage my time between school stuff, helping Grandpa, and helping Pak Danu. I see some tomato is broken because Pak Danu said that some bird eats them. He doesn't have a problem with it because there are still many tomatoes that will grow and ripen.
Today I help Pak Danu with evening work because he said he have other things to do in the morning. But when I came to his plantation I have everyone gathering in the middle of the plantation.
“What happened, Pak?” I asked them the time I arrived.
Pak Danu looks at me for a moment and the bad news comes to me suddenly. “They are in a good condition yesterday but I think we miss one rotten stem and it’s spreading faster to other trees.”
My eyes still catch some plant that survives but half of them is not in a good condition.
If we want to continue with the current condition, the plantation won’t give us satisfactory results and could be a bigger loss.
Pak Danu approaches one of the tomato trees. The air is filled with disappointment and sadness. “We need to clear them out and plant new seeds. There must be something wrong while in the way, beyond our carelessness of course.”
There is. I immediately think.
“I think they can’t make it this time.”
***
After a little discussion and a bit of a question and answer session with Pak Danu, we decided to re-plant the tomatoes. Depending on the previous results, we will use different ways this time like giving less fertilizer than before, taking care of it more carefully, paying attention to soil moisture, and trimming dry leaves regularly. Still, it’s not easy because even though we already pay full attention to the tomatoes, there are still one or two rotting stems. Pak Danu is
Dewi 26
right, I need to be careful because there are many possibilities that happen in the field. We need to be ready for all the results and conditions. I hope this time we will be able to get a good result and harvest the tomatoes in time.
*****
