MrWiggle

Thanks....funny should mention. We been calling around today looking for a slasher, nobody seems to have one in our area, strange. We use a couple of locals for ploughing but they do not have or know anyoine that does.

The old fashioned way at 200b a day looks the go.

And TA...the real old fashion way was by the teeth...ewe first but.

Yes, lucerne was my choice, but as you say does not like wet.

As for the sheep, I will be giving them a go.....I have shorn one or 2 in my day....mind you I mean 1 or 2....actually about ten. But I had done a lot of dagging. I think i could remember how to do it as required....even just one a day. All the concerns noted and same concerns I had, but i do know someone who is raising them successfully, so will be chatting to him soon. Humidity, ticks, dogs, flyblown etc will be problems.

Thanks for the advice re leaving the natives grasses, yes sounds sensible and i shall give that a go....how to sow a fast legume amongst the natives though ?

Hi TT....we have 7 rai on this property and another 8 rai elsewhere.

The 7 rai we have about 5 or 6 of it planted with fruit trees and veges......experimenting by trial and error. We are not doing this for a commercial venture, but for our own family food so we know what we are eating and to give away to friends, temples and local school and workers etc.

The 2 rai which is part of the 7 rai is on the river bank, we have water all year in the river, but it does flood from time to time in bad rains, but drains away very quickly.

This 2 rai simply because it floods, I do not wish to plant to veges, seasonal crops or fruit trees, as when you cannot grow anything there because of the flood probabilities, the weeds takeover and become 10 feet tall.

So, the sheep or the cows are again to manage the weeds/pasture and provide meat for a hungry aussie family.

Couple all of this with doing it organically and see this thread in Organic section.....and you can see where I coming from....

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Storyadvice-...me-t265330.html

Cheers

Here is my story.

Growing seeds…..I have been diligently planting some seeds recently. For someone who previously killed everything he tried to grow, I consider this a remarkable achievement, but mind you these seeds have not grown yet anyway.

I found a tree in Kanchanburi that I had not seen anywhere else, then after all the hard work found one near where we live, but I believe not as brightly coloured as the tree at KCB. So, I collected the seed pods from this tree and have at least 200 seeds. I sorted these into 2 groups, which I believe are good solid quality seeds and a poorer seed, maybe to dry or small etc.

I planted each group in a few different ways in the seed trays, trying to see which way works best. One thing to mention is that with this one tree at KCB it did not have any seedlings underneath it, whereas other trees of the same variety had plenty. So digging up seedlings was not an option.

I planted one row of good seeds in a composted soil, rich and black. Then another row of good seeds in a coconut mulch only. Then repeated this with the poorer seeds. I then soaked another batch of the good and poor seeds in water overnight and planted them the same way, coconut and soil variations.

I am hoping some of these take off as the tree is stunning and I would like to grow them out.

Next, where we live in the last few days there has been a rather large seed fall to earth from somewhere, cannot see what tree they are coming from, but believe they are from the mountain top where we live next to. The wind picks them up and they fly down to our property. Fly I say because they have 2 large wings above the seed and it flies like a helicopter to earth. We planted several of these also because I want to see what kind of tree they come from. Also my son wants to take one to science class if it grows and a seed and show off how it all worked.

Lastly, I have about 40 flowers drying in a white paper cone hoping the seeds will pop out and fall to the bottom then I can simply spread them where I want them. I believe this is a weed, but it looks like a nice weed and it covers the ground completely so that no bad weeds can grow at all. I want this coverage in some areas and want to see if it works. Then I will try with some other ground covers.

Apart from that, we have a compost heap happening, all the old weeds, some good potting mix thrown in and a pile of cow shit when it arrives and chook shit also when it arrives. Not sure if I need to keep these separate or not or if mixing all together is fine. Also have dozens of bags of rice husks thrown in there and several bales of rice straw for the hel_l of it.

Figuring I should get a shit load of shit out of it to cover a large area. We have about 150 fruit trees and half a rai of vege gardens and probably half a rai of normal gardens and lawns to feed.

Got the ‘tea’ pots already, 2 x 100 litre tanks to mix the compost teas in I have read all about here. One for a compost tea and the other for an insecticide tea.

We laid down 150 bales of rice straw already and will be laying the balance as the need arises. I have the luxury of a reasonable plot of land and on the river so plenty of water, so our vege patch is around half a rai made up of approx 15 beds 60cm wide and around 20m long. We planted most of them with various vegetables and used a mix of buffalo and soil mixture, the rich dark black one you see and some straw mulch on top.

The 4 or so remaining beds not planted I am going to experiment with by using the compost brewing on one bed when ready, on the other three I am going to place all the fresh compost on top of the bed and let it go to work there in place on top of the bed and see how that works as I can leave those beds decompose in place for months if need be. Then use some different mixture teas on half a bed each and see what pops up.

We also brought a truckload of coconut fibre mulch and use that a lot, but a 10 wheel truck is a hel_l of a lot of mulch.

All the fruit trees have a thick straw layer around them, but the bloody neighbours chickens dig it all up and spread it about. Same will go for mine I guess as they are set loose to free range during the day.

When we started all of this the ‘experts’ working with and for us said not to do any of this to thick as it is hot and will kill everything. I started it on the garden of heliconias only and while the straw is hot, you put your hand under on top of the soil and it is moist all the time, dig under and it is nice and cool. So I followed my own instincts and experience from long ago back home and did it all my way.

I read about the benefits of complementing the areas with flowers and herbs that help repel the bugs not wanted and attract the one wanted. I want to give this a go, but then I take a look at the flower pot out front where we put some very nice flowers in and marigolds in the middle and they are slowly dying, I would have thought they would have thrived. The soil is deep and rich, yet some croaked and others are following in sympathy. So it makes me wonder if the effort will be rewarded or wasted.

It is difficult when everyone is against what you are doing, simply because they do not know any different, even the missus bags me and thinks I am stupid, but at least she likes the idea of chemical free fresh food.

The biggest obstacle is the god dam_n super weeds, in a blink of an eye they swallow up the landscape. I do not know how people can justify the cost to control all of this for organic foods and come out in front.

We have the chickens, getting numbers up to supply eggs and meat year round. Same will go for pigs and we are thinking to get sheep or a few cows and using these to keep the grass down, weeds at bay somewhat and to eat. Figure a whole cow every 6 months should satisfy my beef requirements. Rib bones on the barby twice a year..hmmmm and a roast lamb monthly with cold lamb sandwiches a few days a week …more hmmmmmmmm.

So if anyone lives near Khao Yai and Pak Chong and wants to chatter about growing shit, then let me know.

I shall post some pics when I can.

Cheers.

Hi Smithson…..you know who it is.

Thanks, yes I remember Paspalum from back home now.

Thanks, yes see this tree all over the place, so after something a little different.

Any recommendations for tree or palm species which grow easily and quickly. Something exotic, maybe something not common in Los and can be imported by seed easily ?

Cheers

What is a good and easy pasture grass to grow here for either cattle for beef or sheep ? Only a couple of rai as it can be irrigated all year when required it should keep full growth easily.

Needs to be able to handle some flooding, nothing severe, just maybe underwater for a few days a couple of times a year before subsiding quickly.

Cheers.

Thanks MF.

Thanks for the info and links.....unfortunately squirming through them all is difficult with no internet at home.

Shall give chinatown a go.

But if anyone knows where to get the plants in los....please advise.

The temperature range should suit where we live then I hope.

But if they failed at CM where it is usually constantly cooler in the hills...anyway, I usually like to try for myself and see it fail before my eyes.

Cheers

it had a lot of charcoal in it also from the logs.

Anyway, proof for me.

bugger...thanks anyway

Thanks MF.

Could you give me directions to drive past his place also, would like to drop by and see whats cookin.

Cheers

We planted about 20 pawpaw trees and one in particular is in the middle of where we burnt some old logs and vegetation.

This single tree is out performing all the others and is very strong and healthy.

Proof I guess.

I read on here about an Australian guy growing redclaws in the Pak Chong area.

Does anyone know of him and contact details or directions to his property ?

I could not find any more information on him here as yet.

I would appreciate his contact number if anyone knows it by PM would be fine.

Cheers.

Does anyone know where to get this plant from here in Thailand ?

Please forgive a few new threads with enquiries here in earnest. I do not have an internet connection and rely on a cafe for my internet access. Searching is slow and painful.

Does anyone have a contact number for the LDD in either the Korat, Pak Chong, Mauk Lek or Saraburi areas ?

I have a number but it rings out constantly and have not been able to locate another.

Also if anyone has heard anything of the 'soil doctor' that operates from them in all areas apparently. They come test water and soils for free.

started a bonfire

I shall be attempting a 2.5m tank soon. Found the builder of the tanks, so can get the nam ya added, hopefully.

Interested to hear the rest of the tower building info.

10 rai, securely fenced.

Introduce an 18 foot crocodile into this swampy land and go hunt it.

Only allowed to use bows and arrows though.

Do grapes grow high up on overhead trallice gazebo like structures. I seem to remember the Italian neighbours having a huge grape vine growing like this, but all the vineyards only grow them to chest height.

Anyone know where to buy these ?

Tried Jatujuk market but no luck.

Plants I mean, not the fruit.