Planting Rice Paddies

Transplanting rice seedlings.

Planting rice is a communal activity where everyone gets involved in this labor intensive project.

Most of the group works on gathering the seedlings, washing the roots, and tying them into bundles to get ready for planting in the afternoon.

This field is just down the street from my place and I asked the workers if they wouldn’t mind me taking a few pictures.

The mud is almost knee deep but I stepped in to take the pictures so I would be just as muddy as they were.

Fortunately my friend Dave’s place is at the edge of this field so I was able to hose down after taking the pictures.

The mud is washed off the roots of the seedlings and then they are tied into bundles in preparation for the planting.

Rice planting video – youtube

Bundles of rice seedlings.

Jenny directs the action in the rice field.

Rice seedlings – gani

Rice seedlings to be transplanted to the bigger fields.

Rice tractor preparing the soil on the next field over.

It is a tough job to manhandle this tractor through this heavy mud. The tractor does do most of heavy work but the driver is walking through knee deep mud.

Carabao are used for pulling the plows in the provinces because they are a hardy beast and they don’t need gasoline.

Rice bundles.

I am going to try to try to be sure to get some pictures of the actual planting but am thinking that they are going to start transplanting tomorrow.

6 am this morning – the workers were ready to go and get the fields planted before it got too hot.

Caribao in rice field video

The fields were planted in no time at all. It’s 8:45 am and they are almost half way finished.

Rice field in Ormoc City – Cogon

These guys were like machines.

Looks good!

Ha Ha!

Two weeks later the rice is off to a good start!

planting rice