What Seeds To Bring To Thailand

[n0mad]

Hi,

I'm coming to Thailand with my Girlfriend next month. I promised her uncle who lives in Chonburi i would bring him some seeds from Australia.

Basically he has a small peice of land perhaps no more than 40m2. he currently grows banana's, Guava, Pomegranite and other fruits as well as various flowers. He consumes himself as well as selling (especially the flowers).

wanting to see if anyone has had success with growing any native Australian fruits or flowers or even varieties that aren't native but grown in Australia and not Thailand. preferable would be varieties that could be sold (hopefully for a premium being exotic).

any help would be much appreciated, i live in Sydney so will hopefully be able to acquire the relevant seeds.

regards

[turnpike]

i've had very limited success with seeds brought from canada, but sunflowers do quite well. if you find a good garden center, you will likely find at least a dozen or maybe a lot more sunflower varieties. they come in all sizes, shapes and colors. although he likely wouldn't be able to sell the flowers, he would have seeds forever to replant.

eggplants seem to do well here, many varieties to choose from. i've had luck with tomatoes but took me 3 years to get it right.

just my $ .02

[turnpike]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Success-Failure-t331410.html

heres a recent topic in the farming section, might help you some.

i'm sure if you do a further search there, you'll find a lot more helpful info.

hope it helps,

tp

[Thaifan2]

I've had very limited success with seeds brought from canada, but sunflowers do quite well. if you find a good garden center, you will likely find at least a dozen or maybe a lot more sunflower varieties. they come in all sizes, shapes and colors. although he likely wouldn't be able to sell the flowers, he would have seeds forever to replant.

eggplants seem to do well here, many varieties to choose from. I've had luck with tomatoes but took me 3 years to get it right.

just my $ .02

Can you give any tips for growing Tomatoes ? I grew them every year back in Ireland but have problems getting them past the seedling stage here .

Have just recently moved up to Chiang Mai and i am hoping with the cooler climate up here to have more luck .

[Iamemjay]

Just compare the climatic conditions where you live to the point of origin in Oz.

I live in the far North and have a garden which has many Oz wildflowers and other plants my wife has collected during our trips there. But these are from the Brisbane area with conditions very similar to here. We have no problems at all in growing them. It's interesting that the tall yellow wildflowers (have no idea of their name) that appear beside the roads in Southern Queensland every springtime have even adjusted their time of germination to the climate patterns here - they now just pop up every year around March/April.

But be careful - it is illegal to carry Oz natives out of the country without special approval - there are heavy fines! I've only brought seeds, not live plants unless they are not natives.

[Iamemjay]

I live in Fang, North of CM and have had some real successes (as well as failures) with tomatoes, but Fang has much cooler nights than CM, and I think this is an important variable.

Firstly you shouldn't have any problems if you stick to the types of tomatoes commonly available here - cherries, romas and other small varieties.

However if you are like me and long for the richer and sweeter flavours of the large varieties greater care is needed.

Firstly, ignore the "experts" and grow them in at least 50% shade - as long as they get some sun. even dappled they'll be fine. Otherwise the hot sun will cause them to "boil" internally. Another option is to grow them under a roof of clear plastic. This reduces the heat and blocks some of the harmful rays. It also allows you to control the watering.

During the growth phase I give them a weekly foliar dose of fish emulsion, but stop once the fruit are forming (too much causes them to split). This, as well as giving them a growth boost (nitrogen) provides some pest and disease protection.

Another trick is to cut small handkerchief sized squares of cotton and place them over the forming bunches of fruit. This allows the sun to reach the plant but not the fruit. It also provides protection from eg. fruit fly which always sting the tops of the fruit.

Lastly, timing. You can ONLY grow the larger varieties during the dry months. In CM I would be planting the seeds in planter boxes right at the end of the rainy season so that by the time they are ready to plant out, the cooler weather is starting. This should allow you to get your crop before the heat starts again. On the other hand you can grow cherry toms. most of the year except in the depths of the wet - too humid for even them.

A great resource is Leonnie Norrington's book "Tropical Food Gardens" A guide to growing fruit, herbs and veges in tropical and subtropical climates". You can get it through amazon.com. Just remember it is written for conditions in Darwin, Australia. Very similar climate but you need to account for the opposite seasons in the Southern Hemisphere.

[reallyok]

I've had very limited success with seeds brought from canada, but sunflowers do quite well. if you find a good garden center, you will likely find at least a dozen or maybe a lot more sunflower varieties. they come in all sizes, shapes and colors. although he likely wouldn't be able to sell the flowers, he would have seeds forever to replant.

eggplants seem to do well here, many varieties to choose from. I've had luck with tomatoes but took me 3 years to get it right.

just my $ .02

Can you give any tips for growing Tomatoes ? I grew them every year back in Ireland but have problems getting them past the seedling stage here .

Have just recently moved up to Chiang Mai and i am hoping with the cooler climate up here to have more luck .

I come from SE Queensland where i have had success growing tomatoes. Having brought a couple of pkts of seeds (Grosse Lisse) with me, i am having problems finding a seedling raising mixture. Can anybody recommend something to me and suggest where i can get it on Samui.

Incidentially, the "When to sow" chart on the pkt suggest that i can grow them all the year round in this climate which is similiar to my part of Queensland.

I would like to try the method of growing toms in a hanging bucket, but have to consider that Grosse Lisse when grown in the ground reach quite a height, does anyone think this would work ?