My Big Front “Yard”: Best Options?... Me, ‘No-LIke Cut Glass’…

[GammaGlobulin]

My Fellow Horticulturists:

 

I need your HELPFUL and CREATIVE Suggestions, PLEASE…

 

Here is my situation, a plot of land in front of my house, which could be either my pleasure or my curse during the next five years—

 

This plot of land in front of my house (approx 100 meters by 150 meters) was once full of trees. Then, the trees were cut, and now there is nothing but glass.

 

I don’t have a riding lawnmower, and I don’t like the noise of one, either.  Therefore, what might be the best option for this piece of dirt?

 

For example, if I were to plant apple trees, they would not bear fruit for many years, if ever, and so this option is out

 

But what about papaya?  Even that might take more than a few years to produce really BIG fruit, and I don’t want to wait that long.

 

I don’t necessarily want to plant anything that bears fruit, actually. I just don’t want to cut grass, and I don’t want to spread stones over the land instead of grass, and I don’t like snakes, either.

 

I like the idea of planting something, though.

And, I don’t want to become a farmer in the hot sun.

Therefore, I need a solution which will not be so time consuming.

I like beauty, and so I would like to sit on my stoop and feel peaceful as I look at something that is aesthetically pleasing to me.

 

What are my options?

What can I do that will provide me a sense of accomplishment, and also provide me with pleasure each and every time I look out through my sliding glass doors?

 

There must be tens of different solutions, I think.

 

What would be best in my case?

 

REALLY thanking you this time,

Regards

Gamma

 

 

 

[Ralf001]

[Elkski]

Sell it.  Why would you cut the trees down if you didn't have a plan. 

Edited August 18, 2023 by Elkski

[Moonlover]

Leave it to mother nature. She knows best.

[Lacessit]

Plant grass, and buy some sheep or goats to graze it quietly.. Be careful of the billies, though.

I understand alpacas make excellent guard animals.

[GammaGlobulin]

31 minutes ago, Elkski said:

Sell it.  Why would you cut the trees down if you didn't have a plan. 

It was not I who did the evil deed. I would never cut down beautiful trees. 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

20 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Leave it to mother nature. She knows best.

Snakes! 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

16 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Plant grass, and buy some sheep or goats to graze it quietly.. Be careful of the billies, though.

I understand alpacas make excellent guard animals.

How would you keep them from wandering off if the gate were left open? 

 

Or, are they like dogs that know enough to return home? 

 

 

[Ralf001]

19 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Plant grass, and buy some sheep or goats to graze it quietly.. Be careful of the billies, though.

I understand alpacas make excellent guard animals.

Sheep idea is a winner.... fatten the offspring up with the grass then put em in the freezer.

[Lacessit]

50 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

How would you keep them from wandering off if the gate were left open? 

 

Or, are they like dogs that know enough to return home? 

 

 

Put out a salt lick and a water trough, they'll always come back.

On Australian stations ( ranches to you ) the etiquette is -  if a gate is open, leave it open. If it is shut, leave it as you found it.

[Lacessit]

52 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Sheep idea is a winner.... fatten the offspring up with the grass then put em in the freezer.

Goat stew is quite tasty.

[Ralf001]

29 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Goat stew is quite tasty.

True dat... make good cheese too.

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

buy some sheep

Where to buy in Chiang Mai? 

How many? 

Have wall and gate, 

Sheep won't travel. 

 

 

[Grumpy one]

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

My Fellow Horticulturists:

 

I need your HELPFUL and CREATIVE Suggestions, PLEASE…

 

Here is my situation, a plot of land in front of my house, which could be either my pleasure or my curse during the next five years—

 

This plot of land in front of my house (approx 100 meters by 150 meters) was once full of trees. Then, the trees were cut, and now there is nothing but glass.

 

I don’t have a riding lawnmower, and I don’t like the noise of one, either.  Therefore, what might be the best option for this piece of dirt?

 

For example, if I were to plant apple trees, they would not bear fruit for many years, if ever, and so this option is out

 

But what about papaya?  Even that might take more than a few years to produce really BIG fruit, and I don’t want to wait that long.

 

I don’t necessarily want to plant anything that bears fruit, actually. I just don’t want to cut grass, and I don’t want to spread stones over the land instead of grass, and I don’t like snakes, either.

 

I like the idea of planting something, though.

And, I don’t want to become a farmer in the hot sun.

Therefore, I need a solution which will not be so time consuming.

I like beauty, and so I would like to sit on my stoop and feel peaceful as I look at something that is aesthetically pleasing to me.

 

What are my options?

What can I do that will provide me a sense of accomplishment, and also provide me with pleasure each and every time I look out through my sliding glass doors?

 

There must be tens of different solutions, I think.

 

What would be best in my case?

 

REALLY thanking you this time,

Regards

Gamma

 

 

 

Roundup is one option

[LaosLover]

Take a look at wine and roses thyme. Slow-growing, maybe 3-5 years to fill in, depending on if it's plants or seeds. Think of a 4 inch pot doubling every year. Like walking on pubic hair. Hard not clench your toes in it.

 

For faster: Do clover.

 

I'll be back to this topic. Lawn replacement for eco and Won Buddhism reasons is something I studied back home.

 

But now that house is an Air BnB. And guests want to see real grass ($300 a month to have it mowed).

 

Fact: no matter how Zen you go, grass is still the most popular ground cover since the dawn of civilization for a reason.

[EVENKEEL]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Put out a salt lick and a water trough, they'll always come back.

On Australian stations ( ranches to you ) the etiquette is -  if a gate is open, leave it open. If it is shut, leave it as you found it.

I haven't seen salt licks here in Thailand.

[LaosLover]

Gardenia's grow fast here too. Look up flower blossom by month, light requirements eco. or better yet, just ask the Nursery guy.

 

Or you could go ornamental jungle plants and banana trees of varying sizes. Banana trees are the most tropical-looking and fastest growing plants for the money. Plants that cost $200 for six ounce pot on Etsy, cost a quarter of that here. 

 

For the lowest hassle and the highest Thai-factor, notice the little pot plant assemblages you see outside of businesses and food stands. They're not the loveliest plants, but they are pretty indestructible.

[Lacessit]

41 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Where to buy in Chiang Mai? 

How many? 

Have wall and gate, 

Sheep won't travel. 

 

 

Somewhere between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, up in the hills, there is a tourist attraction that runs a herd of about 100 sheep. You'll have to research it from there.

Start with one, it depends on the carrying capacity of the grass. Add more as necessary.

If you need help herding them, a dog is man's best friend. They can herd goats with equal skill.

 

 

[pomchop]

hibiscus/chaba very pretty grows pretty fast...does need some watering

 

and bougainvilla....grows fast low maintenance....bougainvilla seems to do better when you just plant it and ignore it...full of thorns as well but can be quite pretty and blooms a lot...

[Lacessit]

9 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

I haven't seen salt licks here in Thailand.

It's very common to use salt licks for sheep and cattle in Australia.

Maybe that's why Thai beef is so terrible.

[LaosLover]

8 minutes ago, pomchop said:

hibiscus/chaba very pretty grows pretty fast...does need some watering

 

and bougainvilla....grows fast low maintenance....bougainvilla seems to do better when you just plant it and ignore it...full of thorns as well but can be quite pretty and blooms a lot...

Google Image Luang Prubang Garden. That's prob the most house-proud gardening I've seen in SEA. LP is the most bougainvillea-overgrown place in Asia. 

[GammaGlobulin]

4 hours ago, Grumpy one said:

Roundup is one option

Yes, Roundup is one option for growing corn, I guess.

 

But, I don't want to grow corn in my BIG front yard.

 

Also, concerning Roundup, please refer to this image:

https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/roundup-ready-crops/

 

Monsanto also produced AGENT Orange, as did eight other companies, back in the day.

 

I would rather find a different solution.

And, I don't want to produce a ground zero using an A-Bomb.

 

Edited August 19, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

[GammaGlobulin]

4 hours ago, LaosLover said:

Take a look at wine and roses thyme. Slow-growing, maybe 3-5 years to fill in, depending on if it's plants or seeds. Think of a 4 inch pot doubling every year. Like walking on pubic hair. Hard not clench your toes in it.

 

For faster: Do clover.

 

I'll be back to this topic. Lawn replacement for eco and Won Buddhism reasons is something I studied back home.

 

But now that house is an Air BnB. And guests want to see real grass ($300 a month to have it mowed).

 

Fact: no matter how Zen you go, grass is still the most popular ground cover since the dawn of civilization for a reason.

AMAZING solution...I believe.

I would never have thought of this!

Thank you!

I will definitely look into this...

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

29 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I'll be back to this topic. Lawn replacement for eco and Won Buddhism reasons is something I studied back home.

Yes, please DO return to this topic.

 

I know that innovative and creative solutions will be of much interest to both landlords, tenants, homeowners, and even hypothetical tenants.

 

a. We need to work harder to conserve water

b. We need a cooling groundcover around our homes to lower AC power costs.

c. We all need lower stress which can be provided by a more natural environment surrounding our homes.

d. We need low-maintenance solutions, knowing that wages for manual labor continue to rise.

e. So many more justifications for creating better "microhabitats" in our neighborhoods...

f.  Etc., etc., etc.

 

Thanks.

 

 

[LaosLover]

Google poor soil medeteranian herb garden. 

 

https://www.buzztribe.news/3-foreign-herbs-that-we-can-grow-in-thailand/

 

 

In Chiang Rai, you could even grow lavender.

 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/342104/bad-news-lavender-lovers---these-

sweet-smellers-can-t-take-the-heat

 

-Just take a trip to The Royal Project. They would be falling over themselves to advise you. That and just talking to the Nursery guy and then making a plan of graph paper 

[alanrchase]

So you want to sit back and view your accomplishments without having to do any of the work involved in the process?

Plant jackfruit trees and pay someone to keep everything tidy till the jackfruit provide enough cover to keep the grass and weeds down.

[sandyf]

9 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

What are my options?

What can I do that will provide me a sense of accomplishment, and also provide me with pleasure each and every time I look out through my sliding glass doors?

Depending where you are you may get taxed if the land is not used constructively. The owner of the land next to us just got taxed 20k for last year and 20K for this year.

It did have coconuts on it but the old guy got too old to look after it, the insects ate the trees and it became overgrown. A few weeks back the daughter got a JCB in to clear the land and she has planted some bananas to avoid this years tax.

Mangoes and longan are probably easiest to grow, most others need looking after, and the same can be said for decorative plants.

Other option would be to rent it out, a few around here rent out bits of land to the tapioca farmers.

[rwill]

This probably will not work for thick growth:  Robotic Lawn Mower

 

If you like playing with joy sticks and for heavier growth: Lawn tractor with remote contol

 

Or for a couple thousand baht a month you could probably have someone come cut it for you every week.

Edited August 19, 2023 by rwill

[GammaGlobulin]

7 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Somewhere between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, up in the hills, there is a tourist attraction that runs a herd of about 100 sheep. You'll have to research it from there.

Start with one, it depends on the carrying capacity of the grass. Add more as necessary.

If you need help herding them, a dog is man's best friend. They can herd goats with equal skill.

 

 

One head of sheep is GOOD. 

 

But I don't want a menagerie. 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

8 hours ago, Lacessit said:

It's very common to use salt licks for sheep and cattle in Australia.

Maybe that's why Thai beef is so terrible.

Water buffalo don't get enough salt?