Challenge for Six Melons per Vine at Kamigaki Farm (Shizunai, Hokkaido)
September, 2025
Takeshi Matsunaga, OK Engineering Co., Ltd
Kamigaki Farm has successfully taken on the challenge of harvesting six melons from a single vine. About one-third of the total harvest reached the “3-ball size” (weighing over 2.7 kg each).
Stepping Up to Six Melons per Vine
We received a report from Mr. Kamigaki, the grower at Kamigaki Farm. Since 2020, he has been actively improving soil quality and cultivation techniques, utilizing the OK Nozzle (300 L/min model) to generate fine bubbles.
2025 Report
“Last year, we challenged ourselves to harvest five melons per vine, while the conventional practice is usually four.
Result
“As a result, thanks to the effect of nanobubbles, many melons reached the ‘3-ball size’ (over 2.7 kg) and ‘4-ball size’ (over 2 kg). This year, encouraged by Mr. Matsunaga, we decided to push the limits and aim for six melons per vine.”
Stepping Up to Five Melons per Vine
Over 80% of the total harvest reached 4-ball size (over 2.0 kg).
2024 Report from Kamigaki Farm
Below is the report from the previous year (2024):
“By utilizing fine bubbles, applying organic fertilizer, and improving soil quality with aerobic bacteria, we challenged ourselves to grow five melons per vine instead of the conventional four.”
Result
“We set the goal of cultivating five melons per vine, combining the effect of fine bubbles generated by the OK Nozzle with organic fertilizers and beneficial bacteria.
Even with this challenge, the harvested melons maintained an average of 4-ball size, with over 80% of the total yield in this range.
In addition to the increased harvest, both sweetness and taste were as excellent as usual, and the melons received high praise from many customers.
The size balance was good as well, and we were pleased to hear many positive comments about the flavor.”
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Comment This is an excellent example showing how soil preparation using fine bubble technology can significantly contribute to achieving both fruit yield and quality. We hope that advanced initiatives like Kamigaki Farm — where fine bubbles directly promote the growth of living organisms — will provide valuable insights for the future of agriculture. |
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Note: In Japan, the melon size is often described as “3-ball size,” “4-ball size,” and so on. This unique sizing system is based on the number of melons that fit into an 8 kg shipping box at the time of shipment. For example, the “4-ball size” means four melons per 8 kg box, which corresponds to a fruit weight of around 2 kg or more per melon. This size classification method is unique to Japan and not commonly used overseas. |