Advice for a newbie buying farm land in Thailand

[jvs]

We also grow our own veggies and over the years we have learned how.

If you are just growing for your own use you do not need to grow a large area at all.

The way we do it now proved the best solution for our needs and maybe it will be ok for you too.

I will ad the pictures so you can see for yourself.

We also have a large compost heap and all organic matter goes into there.

Rings are easy to move if needed and you do not have to be on your knees to work them.

You also only need to water where it is needed.

We just planted some again hoping it will rain soon.

 

[patman30]

On 5/22/2023 at 8:33 PM, Steve910 said:

Thank you for your comments, we are in the idea stage, we are just starting to sketch up the layout, the concept is outdoor living, the actual house we want fairly small (50-60sq meters), with most of the time spent outdoors. Thankfully part of the land has cracking shade cover with big trees where we can relax outside in a sala. 350k for 1 rai, next door owns the land we plan to buy, does pineapple farm, we hope if we want more land and the owners want to sell there is the option of getting more land.

 

Chanote is red.

Our plan is to use a knockdown house or container for living quarters, with a concrete outdoor kitchen and large sala area for relaxing. have not looked at if any planning will be needed for that.

Thank for all for your comments saying that 1 rai may be too small, I have met other couples in my age demo (mid 30s) and they often complain that 2 rai is too big because the amount of gardening that is required.  May I ask those who have bigger plots of land what you do with the extra space, grow more food for profit?

I should add the land we want is close to a national park where you have camping and an array of outdoor places to visit each day, we are only 10 mins away from this park and we plan to spend a few days a week there so we figure the 1 rai is a good size for us.
 

for outdoor living, have you stayed there already all year round?
i would not advise containers for living space, unless they are in good shade as they get hot
any land you want to buy i would suggest you buy all at once
as any ajoining land will suddenly increase in value once you have bought your plot
even if there are no other buyers
as for 1 rai being too little or too much
extra space allows you to plant more very low maintenance trees, that may take a few years but will be worth it
i don't plan on growing for profit, but will see what i can do once i have the excess produce in ways of preserving and it could always go to animals or compost
make sure you plan a space for composting and worms etc.
just to add we feed our chickens from stuff in our garden, so do plan to grow for them too
there is no need to buy chicken feed
do you plan to have a small pond for water and fish ?


 

Edited May 31, 2023 by patman30

[Steve910]

The concert pots look like a good idea, 5-8 of them should be enough for me and the wife.

We have stayed in Pranburi for over a year, we have a good feel for what the weather is like all year round. The only parts I don't like outside are the haze months from Feb-April but it tends to be better here as this area is known for strong winds. 

We have asked to buy the land nearby but currently not for sale as the owners want to give to their kids, but they are all aware we are ready to buy.

We will have wells for water storage, I am not keen on a pond as the land size might be a little tight but that's something we are now looking into, would be something small.

[Reginald Prewster]

On 5/22/2023 at 11:58 AM, Hummin said:

I can guarantee you now, you will feel the need for more land. We started out on same idea with almost 4 rai.

I have 3 Rai in Ban Phe now up for sale... LOL

 

It was a bargain and we thought, lets live of the land.

Plans and Drawings were made, turned, made new, some trees planted to find out how fast they grow and how much they shade out....

 

This winter we bought a 17 Rai farm.....

 

....in April we rented 7 more rai.... 

 

Lesson learned: THINK BIG - tropical farming is making addictive..

 

The People above mentioned all important stuff from the right chanot over is it allowed to build a house on it and has it fresh and no saltwater... 

Enjoy..

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by Reginald Prewster

[MJCM]

On 5/21/2023 at 11:07 PM, still kicking said:

What happens if he split up with his wife won't he lose the land?

He can get a usufruct

[jvs]

3 hours ago, Steve910 said:

The concert pots look like a good idea, 5-8 of them should be enough for me and the wife.

We have stayed in Pranburi for over a year, we have a good feel for what the weather is like all year round. The only parts I don't like outside are the haze months from Feb-April but it tends to be better here as this area is known for strong winds. 

We have asked to buy the land nearby but currently not for sale as the owners want to give to their kids, but they are all aware we are ready to buy.

We will have wells for water storage, I am not keen on a pond as the land size might be a little tight but that's something we are now looking into, would be something small.

A pond is very important if you can but on one rai it can not be very big.

Buy two rai with a one rai pond,you can grow enough fish in there to always have protein enough.

[kickstart]

On 5/31/2023 at 11:15 AM, patman30 said:

for outdoor living, have you stayed there already all year round?
i would not advise containers for living space, unless they are in good shade as they get hot
any land you want to buy i would suggest you buy all at once
as any ajoining land will suddenly increase in value once you have bought your plot
even if there are no other buyers
as for 1 rai being too little or too much
extra space allows you to plant more very low maintenance trees, that may take a few years but will be worth it
i don't plan on growing for profit, but will see what i can do once i have the excess produce in ways of preserving and it could always go to animals or compost
make sure you plan a space for composting and worms etc.
just to add we feed our chickens from stuff in our garden, so do plan to grow for them too
there is no need to buy chicken feed
do you plan to have a small pond for water and fish ?


 

For a house try something like this, Penty about. bigger than this one too, this one is made of Teak wood, others I have seen a metal frame with pressed cement boards, you will have to build a bathroom.

You can put where you like, any problems load it up and move it somewhere else, this photo I took a few years ago, it was 250 000-baht, metal frame ones would be a lot cheaper.

[patman30]

21 hours ago, jvs said:

A pond is very important if you can but on one rai it can not be very big.

Buy two rai with a one rai pond,you can grow enough fish in there to always have protein enough.

Exactly this????
a pond is essential if you want to grow food
i would also suggest
a workshop area as you will have small jobs
a drying area
and definately grow some bamboo to use later
all these things quickly eat up space

[patman30]

On 6/1/2023 at 10:00 AM, Steve910 said:

We will have wells for water storage, I am not keen on a pond as the land size might be a little tight but that's something we are now looking into, would be something small.

what is your elevation?
i have a well, but it is not a limitless supply
my well is 100m deep
i also have a large pond, water is fed into pond
then to garden
we have fish in pond

[JonnyF]

Main things I checked before buying...

 

1.   Is it in a flood area.

2.  Is the soil OK (salty?)

3.  Is water/electricity available.

4.  Is 4G/5G available via my SIM.

5.  Are there any plans to put a highway through it any time soon?

[Steve910]

The land is very close to the dam and less than 30 meters there's a canal with clear water pumped from the dam for general use. Water should not be more than 10 meters deep, in Pranburi most areas have water, as I'm deeper near the mountains I expect this water to be better than the sea, but we'll see.

My elevation, at the top of the city, the land can get pools of water during big rain because it's farm land, but I think a french drain + soakways + improving slope will fix most flood issues.

 

Land has gov water, electric and all mobile internet. No roads being built here as it's a dead end to the mountains. 4g Have.

Soil is very good, land has 2 mango trees already giving fruit, custard apple, lime, banana, coconut, sake and a few others. 

[Steve910]

On 6/1/2023 at 1:52 PM, jvs said:

A pond is very important if you can but on one rai it can not be very big.

Buy two rai with a one rai pond,you can grow enough fish in there to always have protein enough.

We are currently figuring out what would be better, a small pond that is 3x3 and 6-8 meters deep or perhaps a dry well to store water around 2m wide by 8 meter deep.

Edited June 6, 2023 by Steve910

[kickstart]

3 hours ago, Steve910 said:

We are currently figuring out what would be better, a small pond that is 3x3 and 6-8 meters deep or perhaps a dry well to store water around 2m wide by 8 meter deep.

I would look at this way, you could keep some fish in a pond, but you could not keep fish in a well.

But, as we have found a pond is alright, you have water for irrigation, but during the dry season evaporation is high, but, at say 8 meters deep maybe not so much of a problem, and what is the soil type, on light soil water could leach away, heavy land should retain the water, you might have to put in a pond liner. 

[MAF666]

350k for red chanote in PKK is fair.

We are on 10 Rai in Chanthaburi.

5 Rai would be more manageable.

PEA access would be compulsory.

Town water not so much.

Land levels at the road are paramount. Your property ideally should be 500mm above current road grade.

A modest dam 12mt deep would give you enough fill to raise the land and potential house site.

Dont worry about the soil too much.

Raised beds with locally acquired amendments will feed your family easily.

Stock the dam with tab Tim.

Life is good.

We raise Redclaws and Quail for the BBq. Goes fine with a frosty Leo.

[jvs]

4 hours ago, Steve910 said:

We are currently figuring out what would be better, a small pond that is 3x3 and 6-8 meters deep or perhaps a dry well to store water around 2m wide by 8 meter deep.

3x3 and 8 meters deep does not sound practical to me.It would have to have vertical walls(sides) and that is nearly impossible.

If you do not have enough room for a pond a well would be nice,drill it on the higher part of the land so you can use the natural slope to flood irrigate.

We have two fish tanks that hold around 200 fish and we have no filter system.We let the water run out a few times per week and the water runs over the garden,free fertilizer.

One rai is just not enough imo,there will be a house,a drive way ,a shop and big trees for shade.

Permaculture is a good way of growing things,it keeps the labour down.

[patman30]

On 6/6/2023 at 9:52 PM, MAF666 said:

PEA access would be compulsory.

what do you mean compulsory?
 

On 6/6/2023 at 5:18 PM, Steve910 said:

a small pond that is 3x3 and 6-8 meters deep

have you found someone that gave you these dimensions?
as others mentioned this sounds undoable
pond will have steps, mine is about 3-4 meters deep and it is about 8m wide total
with the water being about 6m wide
the pond size/depth will be dependant on the digger being used.
the good thing is you can use the soil to raise up other land

[MAF666]

4 hours ago, patman30 said:

what do you mean compulsory?
 

have you found someone that gave you these dimensions?
as others mentioned this sounds undoable
pond will have steps, mine is about 3-4 meters deep and it is about 8m wide total
with the water being about 6m wide
the pond size/depth will be dependant on the digger being used.
the good thing is you can use the soil to raise up other land

PEA can install a service for a modest fee tomorrow.

Off grid will take time and +150k to implement 

[patman30]

12 hours ago, MAF666 said:

PEA can install a service for a modest fee tomorrow.

Off grid will take time and +150k to implement 

that does not answer the question
obviously PEA can connect you,
and obviously you pay for new cables and posts if none already

you said it is "compulsory"
How so?

 

Edited June 10, 2023 by patman30

[kickstart]

Guy up the road from us is worker looking after 100 rie of newly planted trees, he has a small house all run on solar cell no, PEA, think about it.

His main job is watering the newly planted trees, from bore holes, again all solar cell.

[CLW]

I am quite sure I've seen the land that the OP is looking for on DD Property. 

It's not farmland but rather some speculation from the owner or property agent to built something like a resort or whatever commercial there, hence the expensive price tag....

[Encid]

On 6/6/2023 at 10:52 PM, MAF666 said:

Dont worry about the soil too much.

Raised beds with locally acquired amendments will feed your family easily.

Stock the dam with tab Tim.

Life is good.

We raise Redclaws and Quail for the BBq. Goes fine with a frosty Leo.

 

Good advice. 

 

Just out of curiosity, what are "tab Tim"?