My wife is interested in indigo dyeing and we have space to grow indigo. Seems like it could be a good crop for agro tourism in conjunction with on site classes in dyeing and dye production to me. Anyone know where to get seeds for either Japanese indigo or SE Asian varieties? When is the best time to plant? I was thinking best for us would be the season before the rice crop (January to April) but have room to do it on another part of the property at any time.

You can always order online from America

 

I usually order from rareseeds.com via registered airmail about 4 weeks and if you keep it below $40  or so no tax

Thanks for the suggestion, love the website. Sadly, no indigo (except as a color description for tomatoes). Out of curiosity, how do you do with these seeds in Thailands climate?

the seeds mostly work but you have to plant in the correct season example cauliflower only in the winter

 

Maybe they used to have indigo because I bought some from them last year.

Thanks, I’ll double check

6 hours ago, islandguy said:

Thanks for the suggestion, love the website. Sadly, no indigo (except as a color description for tomatoes). Out of curiosity, how do you do with these seeds in Thailands climate?

Might try your local or extended regional nurseries. 

Or they might be able to point you in the right direction. 

 

Also, Google Thai might be a helpful friend.

There are a wide variety of sources, info, and contacts available locally. 

I know a village in Savannakhet Province of Laos where they grow indigo for dying the cotton fabrics that they also produce.  They also grow other plants for natural dyes of various colours (for example I think I remember they get a red or brown dye from guava). But I'm sorry I don't have other information or contact numbers. You could try joining the LaoFAB forum via GoogleGroups and post an enquiry there. It's a forum for people involved in agriculture in Laos (mainly in agricultural development) with about 1,500 members. It's in English language.  

You could try contacting these people https://www.saobancrafts.com

You will see reference to indigo on this page https://www.saobancrafts.com/our-artisans/ if you click on the tab: 

Ms. Mae Mai

Cotton artisan and indigo dye expert 
Savannakhet Province 

 

You can read about the founder of this organization at the web. He disappeared some years ago. If you PM me I will give you the email of his wife. 

 

 

This youtube is based on the village in Savannakhet 

I tried searching for the textile company mentioned - they used to have a shop in Vientiane - but it seems they may no longer be around.