Tomatoe And Strawberry Growing In Isaan

[dmax]

i would like to start on a small scale growing some tomatoes /strawberries etc, anything simple really, where can i buy seeds in isaan, are good beef tomatoes easy enough to grow, i imagine they need good soil and plenty of watering , im just a starter and it will only be a hobby of mine while here in boring isaan, just something to interest me then hopefully expand later. i know absolutely nothing about gardening/ farming but i want to learn. was in tesco lotus the other day and bought 3 beef tomatoes for 64 baht , they are expensive !!!

any help much appreciated thanks

p.s !! i would also like to know from you guys what can i grow simply to start me off if not tomatoes or strawberries , any ideas ?

[WatersEdge]

Strawberry are a lot more involved than Tomato.

They require a night time low of 12C to blossom.

Mountain locations have that in the "Winter", low elevations don't.

They are raised first in the nursery,

then transferred out as field ready plants.

There is a post by Bob Nottlemann in Northern California on this forum.

He has all the professional system and gene stock at the ready

for sale to anyone with the significant capital required.

Two major strains offered for tropical conditions,

one originating in Florida,

the other from Australia.

He told me the King's Project at Mae Salong, north of Chiang Rai,

raises strawberry, which has in turn facilitated the private sector industry.

Chiang Rai is a significant growing area,

evidenced by the roadside retail stands,

between Chiang Rai and Mae Sai.

So for Isaan, it seems Tomato is the practical choice,

unless you want an aircon greenhouse.

If you have no experience, there's no time like the present.

The first time won't matter much what variety you try,

just get the experience.

Local seed shops will have tomato seed,

although you should not expect that it will actually sprout.

There are a lot of tricks up the sleeve of Thailand's cheap seed producers.

It's in a container like seed, it looks like seed, but does it germinate?

I sprout in trays with peat moss,

move up to potting bags with pig manure,

then when they are large,

set them in the ground with pig manure packing a big hole below each plant.

Plenty of fertilizer, plenty of water,

but neither to excess.

They will quickly show you what they like.

Tomato deal well with transplanting,

as their roots want to thrive.

[soidog2]

WatersEdge gave you a good hint, if at all possible; buy heat resistant, American or European tomato seeds.

Thai seeds are full of surprises.

Search the forum, there are endless threads about tomato growing.

Good luck

Edited October 24, 2010 by soidog2

[xylophone]

Tried growing cherry tomatoes and a few other veges without much luck!!

Came to the conclusion that the bags of soil/potting mix bought in the nurseries contains very little in the way of nutrients, seems almost like "washed out/sour" soil??

Good luck with your endeavours.

[IsaanAussie]

DMAX,

You hit the nail on the head, vegetables need good soil. Here in Isaan it is mostly clay based. Because the particle size is so small the soil compacts very quickly. You will have to spend more time on your soil than your vegetables, get loads of organic materials into the soil and be patient. Remember that the nutrients in most organic products are not as concentrated as in chemical fertilisers. Also that most of the fertiliser applied is not used by the plants anyway so it is not a matter of more is better.

If you want a more instant result than look at using raised beds and fill them up with a mix of soil and compost. I make pig manure compost and now produce vermicompost and vermicast as well. If you work some compost into the soil first then build a bed on top of that. Most vegetables will need 6-8 inches of good soil to thrive. I suggest you use concrete blocks to form the bed, they are cheap and quick to put together. Put a bit of mortar between the blocks at the top to give the wall a bit of strength but leave a gap lower down for drainage.

The attached shows layouts for raised beds. Note planting dates are for USA.

Block style layout.pdf

Planting guide raised bed.pdf

To improve the soil consider growing a nitrogen fixing crop first or in concert with other plants.

Isaan Aussie

Edited October 25, 2010 by IsaanAussie

[dmax]

thanks a lot for your time guys, will try something soon on a very small scale.