Does anyone know wether growing Tamarind trees is a viable way of making money. We have about 15 rai but don't what to do with it. It was planted with Rubber but we lost them all and want to consider something else.

We used to have 5 rai of tamarind. The most we ever got offered for it was 8k Baht. Selling it ourselves would have got us more, but then how much is your time worth? Mind you, we never spent a satang looking after it. There's better investments for 15 rai. Where are you?

Regards.

Sai Yok, Kanchanaburi

My wife tells me you have a nice waterfall there. She spent her early childhood there, with a wicked aunt.

I presume you are looking for something low maintenance, which tamarind certainly are. The buyer normally gives a price for the entire crop and is responsible for all picking and costs.

Maybe with 15 rai it might be better to have different crops, say 3 x 5 rai orchards. Just in case a crop fails one year. Take your pick from all the fruits. Dragon fruit was a favorite of mine. Expensive to set up but producing after 14 months.

Maybe even a crop share with a neighbour? We did that with 40 rai of maize for 200K Baht per year. (2 crops)

Search these farming threads. Good ideas abound.

Regards.

"...15 rai planted with Rubber but we lost them all. "

So what happened, 1 rai i would understand but 15 rai is hard to imagine.

Lease it out for 500 baht per rai. 1000 baht if there is water and it can be irrigated. Low stress and you get your money up front. Take a couple of years to see if anyone local can make money and see what resources (tractor, pumps... ) they have. You could let them farm corn or rice, but take you share in grain and sell it yourself.

My wife tells me you have a nice waterfall there. She spent her early childhood there, with a wicked aunt.

I presume you are looking for something low maintenance, which tamarind certainly are. The buyer normally gives a price for the entire crop and is responsible for all picking and costs.

Maybe with 15 rai it might be better to have different crops, say 3 x 5 rai orchards. Just in case a crop fails one year. Take your pick from all the fruits. Dragon fruit was a favorite of mine. Expensive to set up but producing after 14 months.

Maybe even a crop share with a neighbour? We did that with 40 rai of maize for 200K Baht per year. (2 crops)

Search these farming threads. Good ideas abound.

Regards.

If your wifes on about Sai Yok Noi waterfall we live about 3km from there. Dragon fruit may be a good idea we will get income from our rubber but want something low maintenance on that land just to stop it turning back to jungle

"...15 rai planted with Rubber but we lost them all. "

So what happened, 1 rai i would understand but 15 rai is hard to imagine.

Fire

Lease it out for 500 baht per rai. 1000 baht if there is water and it can be irrigated. Low stress and you get your money up front. Take a couple of years to see if anyone local can make money and see what resources (tractor, pumps... ) they have. You could let them farm corn or rice, but take you share in grain and sell it yourself.

The problem with leasing is the only access is through our house. We let the people who worked for us before use the land to grow Cassava but they have moved on.

The thing about Tamarind in Thailand is the sweetest one's come from Petchaboon provence , and every one knows it ,here in Lopburi we have them selling beside the road 60bart/kg ,but not the same, and thay never sell them all,I have payed 90 bart /kg for Petchboon Tamarind very nice thay are to .

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Or, are you writing about the bitter one's used for cooking, thay are all over the county, from our market now,60bart/kg shelled and de-pipped labour intennsive, or like most people, free from the tree end of our soi when in season when dryed,de-pipped will keep a long time.

Can not see it paying, I like the ider of 3 ,5 rie orchards, how about lime trees if the soil is light they will grow well.

Yours Reg

KS

I've just put in 50 lime trees, after paying 7 Baht for 1 lime. Only paid 30 Baht for the trees. (each )

Regards.

Leaving tamarind (a long-lived legume) in small numbers as a canopy crop for other fruit trees is the natural and cost effective way to supply bio-available nitrogen into the soil. Having other legume bushes between trees is also a good source of chop-n-drop green manure for feeding soil, mulching, etc. The more diverse a growth, the more resilient to disease - and the more months of a year that the area will have one fruit or another supplying produce.

http://www.np-garden.com/engcontact.htm have a look at this site

We have about 50 sour tamarind trees takes about 3-5 yrs to get to a good size can be left in early days need water ad compost, can get 30-50bht a kilo local agent or take to Korat stay The night a sizzlers and a film and get 70-100bht a kilo from factory