DannyS1951

Go to the fiction section of www.dcothai.com althought this is mainly for those English language novels published in Thailand.

I will second that a trip to Jesada is well worthwhile.

Thanks Loong - will read this.

Another question from a newbie. What is good to grow during the rainy season? My courgettes and beans just seemed to stop growing and die. Some tomato plants are still going and the UK seed cos lettuce is OK. Have the beginnings of some musk melons forming on the plant - my attempt at fertilization may have worked. Small eggplants and sweet peppers at about 3-6 inch stage.

You can also buy a legal copy for 500 Baht

Here's the link.

http://www.dco.co.th/product_info.php?products_id=480

In Thailand you may find you have to add a little gelatin. (Because of heat, water or whatever.) You can find it in some supermarkets, Villa in Bangkok for example.

Thanks, I will try this later on the musk melons. Hope I can see the difference

Ok I'll bite How do you hand pollinate and does it need two plants? I have musk melon, courgettes and cucumbers growing. The cucumbers have given some fruit, the musk melon are in flower and the courgettes are doing nothing.

Hi Danny

As loong says experimentation is the best way to find out what works for you and your location.

You could try using sun loving plants (such as those Loong has mentioned) grown up a trellis to provide some shade for more delicate varieties, orientate the trellis along the east/west axis of your plot so that the plants are shaded during the heat of the day but recieve morning and evening sun.

I tend to germinate most veggie seeds under shade netting and then transplant them to the plot. Below is a list giving a rough guide to the number of weeks needed from sowing to planting out (although as always this depends on time of year and local conditions) :

Broccoli 5-7

Brussels sprouts 5-7

Cabbage 5-7

Cauliflower 5-7

Celery 10-12

Corn, sweet 3-4

Cucumber 3-4

Eggplant 6-8

Lettuce 5-7

Muskmelon 3-4

Onion 10-12

Pepper 6-8

Summer squash 3-4

Tomato 5-7

Watermelon 3-4

(remember to sun harden them first and plant out in the evening to lessen the shock of transplanting)

Loong I think the carrots will benefit from some shade as even in the summer in the UK we sow varieties that are selected for heat tolerance. I'll be growing carrots for the first time in LOS later in the year and it is a variety called "Nelson" that I will try so will report back on that later. Anyone had success with carrots out here ??

cheers for now J

Thanks Jandtaa and Loong

I have a big garden that has been more like a kampong garden for more than 20 years. It has mainly fruit trees and various bushes so there are lots of shaded areas. Very few spots get all day sun. Although it is the usual Bangkok clay, years of leaves and dead weeds have helped the top few inches of soil. Hope to get lots of good vegetables all year round although the only successes so far have been cucumbers, the purple stemmed basil, wild rocket and mustard leaves.

That's a very difficult question to answer as it varies from area and time of year. If I am growing from seed, I prefer to start all under shade net and transplant when stronger. Especially April to July, you will find many seeds germinate and then die because they can't cope with the direct hot sun.

Rule of thumb, the bigger the seed (or deeper you plant it), the better it will cope with the sun. Most beans, peas, sweetcorn, pumpkin and other squashes etc will not need shading. These can even be used to shade other plants.

I find that brassicas and tomatoes grow best in shade for their whole growing period.

Root crops, - sweet potato, chinese and other radish cope well with full sun, but I'm not so sure about carrots.

see also

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Plants-Enjoy...de-t238482.html

Thanks Loong

As a complete novice I need some advice for growing vegetables from seed in the Bangkok area. Which vegetables need shade while growing and if so which part of their growing life do they need shade?

Makro has been out of stock for a month or so. (This was a week or so ago.) Might be best to call them first. They sell their cheddar under the Aro brand.

Sorry to read about your jaw Andrew.

For those living in the higher numbered Sukhumvit sois Sikarin Hospital is good choice. It's aimed at the Thai middle class market rather than expats and it shows in the prices. It's off Srinakarin Road near the end of Sukhumvit 103.

The new employment act allows for 2 year work permits.

I think if you check it has a stamp saying it is valid for the lenth of your permit to stay even though you won't have to do a renewal for 2 years.

Immigration does not give 2 year extensions (other than some under BOI rules).

If you can meet the requirements you could get a 1 year extension.

Do the new rules mean that if the WP has been approved/renewed for 1 or 2 years we no longer have to run to Labor to get it validated to match the 'permit to stay' stamp?

My WP has always been renewd and endorsed for one year but I still had to go to labor to get it validated matching my 'permit to stay' status (under consideration stamp, final aproval etc.).

opalhort

It does look that way. Last month the Ministry of Labour in Bangkok, for the first time, let me extend my work permit for a year when going in with passport with just a one month stamp while immigration processes my usual one year Non-O visa.

Thaiepay is especially good if you want to accept Thai Baht in payment. 2Checkout.com is a standard credit card payment gateway. PayPal has now become a very good credit card payment option as well as handling PayPal members and shouldn't be under-rated.

For the best looking Italians a visit to the Jesada Technik Museum at Nakorn Chaisri is in order. Here's a Fiat 850 Spyder.

There's a good looking German up the road from me awaiting restoration, a 356.

But back to the Jesada for a Brit, one of two MGAs thay have.

These pictures are from last August. The E Type is real and I remember it had the original engine in there. The other two bodies are Karman Ghias. The shop in the soi, (behind or to the side) does beetles and Karman Ghias. Also had an old truck in back.

Karman Ghia Rebuild

Where is the shop?

Not sure how much they are but the shop is at the end of a small lane coming off the Bangkok Ringroad frontage road on the left after the Chonburi Motorway junction going north. The soi is just before a paintball park and wat. Go past various gardening suppliers until you see all the beetles. There 3 Karmans in the shop when I was there.

At the end of my street is a Ford Anglia. The bloke in the shop has 2 50's International trucks and a 1964 Royal Enfield Bullet. In the area I live is a garage that does up old beetles and the owner (I guess) drives a lovely Karman Ghia.

And this morning I saw a mint Austin 1100 60's version.

Up the road is a paintball place just off Rama 9 and there are 3 bodies there and one is, I am 95% certain an E type jag. I am guessing thst the owner has them there to sell

The Jag is the gold dust if it's real. Even rusted. Especially if it happens to be an early flat floor convertible.

Here in Chiang Mai there's a 1956 International stepside pick-up, one of what may have been a small fleet run in the 60's by the Thai government. Any chance of photos of these two??

These pictures are from last August. The E Type is real and I remember it had the original engine in there. The other two bodies are Karman Ghias. The shop in the soi, (behind or to the side) does beetles and Karman Ghias. Also had an old truck in back.

E Type

E Type

Karman Ghia Body

Volkswagon Shop

Karman Ghia Rebuild

For those living to the east of Bangkok there are roadside grilled rat sellers on Onnut Road. You need to drive a fair distance out of town, past the airport and start looking once past Lat Krabang and the last motorway entrance turnoff.

Two decent bilingual Thai Road Map Atlas in book form I know of.

The biggest and most detailed is Thinknet's Thailand Deluxe Atlas 2nd. edition in 1:550,000 scale at 550 Baht.

Smaller at 1:1,000,000 scale is the Roadway Thailand Atlas at 199 Baht.

If you can't see them in the shops or at a Caltex pump try my site at dco.co.th

Danny

Can anyone identify what this is. Seen outside a spray shop in a back soi of Bankapi. We think maybe a 50s Hudson.

Thanks

DannyS

Karman Ghias in Bangkok!

Here are three.

And another

Danny

Both off of Onnut Road

Chevrolet Bel Air 1970s?

MK. 1 Escort

Danny

UK's most loved car (or not)

Austin Allegro off of Onnut in Bangkok

Danny