Total novice question:

Have access to some land literally at the base of Doi Suthep - about 3 rai.

What would be a nice little cash-crop to keep the connections busy, add long-term value to the land, and maybe produce some income??

Said 'connections' want to plant lemon trees given their current high price.

(The land slopes softtly up the hill, water available, but will need to be pumped. Sunlight, well the same you'd get if you were at the zoo)

Ideas and advice appreciated, because I have none.

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opium

Seeing as lemons are 7Bt/lemon you can't really go wrong but you will have to get them to produce in the hot season which apparently is quite hard.

Try rhubarb, that's totally selfish as it would be nice to have a supply being a rhubarb addict.

I have seen the most enormous mangoes being grown (apparently from Australia) and very tasty. They would fetch a good price.

opium

Don't forget to leave room near the front for the museum and a rather large parking lot..... about 2.5 rai

I'd go for a mixed approach.. don't put all your eggs in one basket.

So include some avocado, other citrus, etc.

Nice location by the way!

Join us on the ThaiVisa 'Farming in Thailand Forum' and you will find a wealth of information and experienced growers of all kinds of crops, and the most friendly, helpful and civilized forum around.

Also check out www.ourchiangmai.com and Gum Hak Doi Suthep (friends of Doi Suthep) of which Ricky Ward is the principal organizer. He's the "Jonny Appleseed" obsesive-compulsive tree planter of northern Thailand and holds a wealth of information. Of course he will want you to reforest with native trees; not much of a cash crop, but a very worthwhile, socially responsible thing to consider.

Regarding lemons; you and others are probably refering to 'manao' or the common market green limes. They are a good crop, but will take a few years to establish productivity and to recover your considerable investment for trees. Yellow lemons are sold by specialty markets like Rimping, but probably not enough demand here to be profitable.

But check out the farming forum, and PM me if you want a referral for a site consultation on crops and irrigation system. don

A Money Tree, Coz you can never have too much money.

Hemp because the new thing is all about cloths.