Growing Tomatoes in Thailand

[kjun12]

Is there a problem with growing tomatoes from seed imported from another country? Seems that my plants get about 10 inches tall and start to die. Leaves get greyish and the plant starts to wither. Any advice?

[loong]

Tomatoes are difficult to grow in Thailand.

In high temperatures toms will not set fruit.

Do not grow in full sun.

If in pots, the pots need to be large and shaded from the sun.

Water only at the base of the plant.

Cherry types are easier to grow.

[Goompa]

I would think that your plants have tomatoe blight , lets see if this gets a post

[sometime]

Hi

First time I had no luck but the 2nd time I was quite successful "although I say it myself"

Have a look at this post, http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/620629-tomatoes-second-attempt.

My third attempt whith the same batch of seeds was useless I should have kept the seeds in the fridge.

Fourth attempt

On a website they said when the seedling get their set of true leaves repot planting them deep, and keep repotting deep and new roots will emerge from the stem, the ones in the picture were repotted three times, in a mixture of the usual Thai potting compost and coconut chips.

Seeing as there is no goodness in the potting mixture, I water with my own mixture of vegetable/fruit waste, grass cuttings molasses, and the added urine for nitrogen, this is left in a water but for around four months, stirring every day, when there is no smell it’s a good brew, dilute 1 cup to 5LT.

And every so often a dose of 16 16 16 depending how they look.

Anything is worth a try

[galoubet]

I've had lots of problems trying to grow plants in Thailand from seeds brought in from the UK. The only plants that seems to grow ok are marigolds. I'd stick to the Thai seeds for tomatoes. My toms in Thailand grow perfectly well.

On a slightly different tack, the datura (big purple/white trumpet flowers) seeds I brought back from Thailand grow wonderfully in my conservatory in London as do the orchids and euphorbias.

[newatthis]

Sometime,

I am interested in your recipe for the liquid fertilizer. Could you tell us how you make it?

Thanks heaps

[sometime]

Sometime,

I am interested in your recipe for the liquid fertilizer. Could you tell us how you make it?

Thanks heaps

How to make liquid fertilizer:

This is my method, there must be 1000s more on the web.

You can easily make a liquid fertilizer from green plants, for this you have to collect a variety of healthy green plants; you can use leaves, weeds, grass to give you a nice brew of nutrients.

When you make liquid fertilizer at home, it will usually contain grass, leaves, weeds or anything organic, fruit and greens from the kitchen, ensure that just the best and the most succulent ingredients go into the fertilizer.

Take a bin with lid, half fill with water and put all the green things into it while they are still fresh, you can continue adding to the bin over the next weeks, leave it, In warm place, not full sun.stire every day, and your liquid fertilizer will be ready in a few months.

However, you will know when the liquid fertilizer is ready. Initially, the mix will froth and have bubbles. It will also have a strong agricultural smell, not a vile smell, once you get a barnyard smell from the mix; you know that your liquid fertilizer is ready.

If you wish you can add liquid gold ( urine) whenever the need takes.

Before using the mix, make sure you dilute it until it is the color of wet tea and you use the diluted mix to boost the growth of your plants.

"Liquid gold" (urine) is really a comparable fertilizer?, urine is a fine fertilizer and has been used by humans for centuries.

Fertilizing with urine has been common throughout history all over the world and provides seven times the harvest yeild as unfertilized soil ... Human urine has approximately the same fertilizing elements as liquid fertilizer used for potted plants, so it's very nitrogen rich. Urine is the chemical prototype.

[wayned]

I grow Thai tomatoes but have never tried to grow "beefsteak" or western tomatos. I also grow garlic, pak chee, eggplant, chilis,(jalapenos and habanero), long beans, Noi Na, Limes, oranges, bananas, mango, farang, papaya, horapa and krapow

[nahkbin]

We had tried, here in the Somkhok area of Pathumthani for more than 10 years. Vatious soils, fertilizesr, seeds, etc. No luck at all. Three years running, on land in the Wang Muang area, we had very good tomatoes. And a great supply. Native soil, cow manure and straw around the base of the staked plants. Watered at the base at least once a week if not enough rain. 1" per week in early morning or late evening.

Seedlings in the ground in late September or early October. I hope to get a decent crop this year. We pick only vine ripe and give away what we cannot use. I think the picture is from 2009 or 2010. The tomato weighed 600 grams and was excellent eating.

2011 the flood ate my seedlings and 2012 a medical problem kept me from taking proper care. Still got suitable, eating tomatoes last year but nothing to brag about..

I have had problems with some imported seeds. The variety has not made any difference. Beefsteak, BetterBoy, etc. Normally large slicing tomatoes are my choice. Problems.... Not germinating. Not setting fruit. Stunted plants. I attribute it to possible strong Xray of the seeds when they are enroute. No matter in a ladies purse or a guys pockets. Same problems with pepper seeds. Best luck has been with seeds mailed in.

[sometime]

We had tried, here in the Somkhok area of Pathumthani for more than 10 years. Vatious soils, fertilizesr, seeds, etc. No luck at all. Three years running, on land in the Wang Muang area, we had very good tomatoes. And a great supply. Native soil, cow manure and straw around the base of the staked plants. Watered at the base at least once a week if not enough rain. 1" per week in early morning or late evening.

Seedlings in the ground in late September or early October. I hope to get a decent crop this year. We pick only vine ripe and give away what we cannot use. I think the picture is from 2009 or 2010. The tomato weighed 600 grams and was excellent eating.

2011 the flood ate my seedlings and 2012 a medical problem kept me from taking proper care. Still got suitable, eating tomatoes last year but nothing to brag about..

I have had problems with some imported seeds. The variety has not made any difference. Beefsteak, BetterBoy, etc. Normally large slicing tomatoes are my choice. Problems.... Not germinating. Not setting fruit. Stunted plants. I attribute it to possible strong Xray of the seeds when they are enroute. No matter in a ladies purse or a guys pockets. Same problems with pepper seeds. Best luck has been with seeds mailed in.

I had 7 packets of seeds mailed 3 months ago, still waiting

[rice555]

Hello All, some of my next crop, toms are coming up a week

after seeding. Black Cherry, B. Plum and B. from Tula, Yaqui F1,

Brandywine OTV, Costoluto Geneves and two seed Co's seed

for Cisineros tomatillo's.

The rest are eggs(2), jals(3), anaheim's(3), ancho(4), pasilla(1),

and serranos(4).

rice555

[newatthis]

Thanks Sometime

I will start a brew of liquid fertiziler this weekend from my lawmower cuttings. Do you add molasses and what is its purpose? Can't find molasses around here. Would brown suger do the same purpose?

I wiil try again this year to ferment some seeds from the large organic tomatoes that can sometimes be bought in Lotus. Then put the seeds in the fridge and start planting around end of Sept-early Oct.

Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again

[sometime]

Thanks Sometime

I will start a brew of liquid fertiziler this weekend from my lawmower cuttings. Do you add molasses and what is its purpose? Can't find molasses around here. Would brown suger do the same purpose?

I wiil try again this year to ferment some seeds from the large organic tomatoes that can sometimes be bought in Lotus. Then put the seeds in the fridge and start planting around end of Sept-early Oct.

Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again

I have seen molasses in the gardening section of Homeworks 150 baht per Gallon, Thais buy it in 5 gallon drums so it must be easily got.

Just Googled this info

Any kind of sugary carbohydrate source will increase microbial growth in the compost pile, compost tea, or the topsoil.

However molasses products offer more nutrients, plus a wider range of beneficial bacterial, fungal, and algae growth.

The Best Type for Boosting Fertilizer

For organic gardeners, I recommend unsulfured cane blackstrap molasses as the best choice because it is the most nutritionally (trace elements) valuable of the various types of molasses.

molasses is also a chelating agent, which means that it can 'help' convert 'some' chemical nutrients into a form that’s 'more' easily available for organisms and plants to use.

Here’s a link to some good info http://www.doityourself.com/stry/using-molasses-to-boost-fertilizer

Happy growing

[loong]

Thanks Sometime

I will start a brew of liquid fertiziler this weekend from my lawmower cuttings. Do you add molasses and what is its purpose? Can't find molasses around here. Would brown suger do the same purpose?

I wiil try again this year to ferment some seeds from the large organic tomatoes that can sometimes be bought in Lotus. Then put the seeds in the fridge and start planting around end of Sept-early Oct.

Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again

I think that molasses is available everywhere now, any place that sells fertilisers etc.

กากน้ำตาล

is the Thai word, Gahk Num Dtahn.

Unfortunately, there is a rule that you are not allowed to post in Thai script, but hopefully the mods will be sensible enough to realise that going to a supplier with what you want in Thai language, you are more likely to get it.

[khunkeith]

I have been growing tomatoes (Big Boy and Beefsteak) for 3 years now in Thailand. Trial and error but, improving my crop every year. this year, I started with 27 seedlings that I started myself and transplanted. I figured on at least a 50% loss based on previous years plantings. I have 17 plants living now and about 15 are heavily flowered and producing fruit. nothing ready for picking but, the fruit is growing steadily with the largest being about the size of a baseball and the smallest being marble sized. Maybe 100 tomatoes altogether but each plant has a dozen or so flowers. Hope for a bountiful harvest this year.

[rice555]

Hello All, I'm now slowly getting some tom's to eat, started getting black cherry's

a week ago and some others are starting to ripen.

[oldsailor35]

Tomatoes are difficult to grow in Thailand.

In high temperatures toms will not set fruit.

Do not grow in full sun.

If in pots, the pots need to be large and shaded from the sun.

Water only at the base of the plant.

Cherry types are easier to grow.

Rubbish about the "High temp" One of the main crop of the farming area of Bowen which is in Tropical Queensland is ....................yes TOMATO ! Up there in central tropical Queensland it can get just as hot , if not hotter than areas of Thailand, these toms grow in large open farmland under irrigation.

My neighbour has got half a dozen plants grown from seed which i brought from Australia, variety GROSSE LISSE. They are about 2 months old about 4 ft high and very very healthy. We will have to wait to see if she gets fruit !

I think its all about soil conditions.

[oldsailor35]

Hi

First time I had no luck but the 2nd time I was quite successful "although I say it myself"

Have a look at this post, http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/620629-tomatoes-second-attempt.

My third attempt whith the same batch of seeds was useless I should have kept the seeds in the fridge.

Fourth attempt

On a website they said when the seedling get their set of true leaves repot planting them deep, and keep repotting deep and new roots will emerge from the stem, the ones in the picture were repotted three times, in a mixture of the usual Thai potting compost and coconut chips.

Seeing as there is no goodness in the potting mixture, I water with my own mixture of vegetable/fruit waste, grass cuttings molasses, and the added urine for nitrogen, this is left in a water but for around four months, stirring every day, when there is no smell it’s a good brew, dilute 1 cup to 5LT.

And every so often a dose of 16 16 16 depending how they look.SAM_1159.jpg

Anything is worth a try

Tomato's need Potassium

[oldsailor35]

We had tried, here in the Somkhok area of Pathumthani for more than 10 years. Vatious soils, fertilizesr, seeds, etc. No luck at all. Three years running, on land in the Wang Muang area, we had very good tomatoes. And a great supply. Native soil, cow manure and straw around the base of the staked plants. Watered at the base at least once a week if not enough rain. 1" per week in early morning or late evening.

Seedlings in the ground in late September or early October. I hope to get a decent crop this year. We pick only vine ripe and give away what we cannot use. I think the picture is from 2009 or 2010. The tomato weighed 600 grams and was excellent eating.

2011 the flood ate my seedlings and 2012 a medical problem kept me from taking proper care. Still got suitable, eating tomatoes last year but nothing to brag about..

I have had problems with some imported seeds. The variety has not made any difference. Beefsteak, BetterBoy, etc. Normally large slicing tomatoes are my choice. Problems.... Not germinating. Not setting fruit. Stunted plants. I attribute it to possible strong Xray of the seeds when they are enroute. No matter in a ladies purse or a guys pockets. Same problems with pepper seeds. Best luck has been with seeds mailed in.

I had 7 packets of seeds mailed 3 months ago, still waiting

If they were from the northern hemisphere, UK or Europe, don't give you much chance of success, try getting seeds from Australia where the climate is more similiar.

[NeverSure]

Tomatoes are a tropical fruit, but are grown fall through winter in the tropics rather than in the summer as in most places.

If you're wanting Western type tomatoes, Big Beef, Early Girl, Sun Master and others will do well. Look for any variety that states it will do well in zone 10 in the US, which is the S. tip of Florida.

Tomatoes like loose soil and if I don't have it, I grow them in pots with commercial potting soil. They need quite a bit of complete fertilizer because they are voracious feeders. I am in zone 7 so I plant as early as possible in the late Spring or Summer, after the last possible freeze. I also start seedlings inside in a window so I can set out plants to get an earlier harvest.

I also strip off the lower leaves so I can plant them as deeply as possible. They will form new roots along the buried stem and get stronger.

The plants will have a main stem and side stems. In the crotches of those stems there will begin to form small useless stems which should be pinched off because they are a waste of energy.

All of my tomatoes need support or they will lay on the ground and rot the tomatoes. I either buy the wire supports for that, or drive wooden stakes and tie the plants to those.

Good luck!

[khunkeith]

Tomatoes are difficult to grow in Thailand.

In high temperatures toms will not set fruit.

Do not grow in full sun.

If in pots, the pots need to be large and shaded from the sun.

Water only at the base of the plant.

Cherry types are easier to grow.

Rubbish about the "High temp" One of the main crop of the farming area of Bowen which is in Tropical Queensland is ....................yes TOMATO ! Up there in central tropical Queensland it can get just as hot , if not hotter than areas of Thailand, these toms grow in large open farmland under irrigation.

My neighbour has got half a dozen plants grown from seed which i brought from Australia, variety GROSSE LISSE. They are about 2 months old about 4 ft high and very very healthy. We will have to wait to see if she gets fruit !

I think its all about soil conditions.

It's not the high temperature, rather it's the sun's intensity here in the tropics. Pattaya is about 13 degrees north which is similar to the latitude of Queensland. Whereas Miami is about 25 degrees north. Tomatoes grow well in Florida as well as in the US midwest where it gets much hotter than in Thailand but, the sun has much less intensity. Most American varieties say they require 'full sun' but that pertains to the geographic area they have been developed for. Wth trial and error and giving my plants different amounts of direct sunshine every day, the ones that do best get about 6 hours of direct sun daily. More than that, they are withered and the fruit is small and developing completely. Less than that, and it's about the same.

I change the fertilizer when my plants are almost fully developed. I start with a fertilzer that is high in nitrogen and when the plants are developed, I switch to a fertilzer that is high in nitrogen. I also only fertilize right before givng a deep watering. I deep water about twice a week instead of a shallow watering daily.

I got a late start this year on planting. I started a couple trays with seeds in early August this year but, the trays were accidently overturned 3 or 4 weeks later when they first started to sprout. I had to restart the seeds the first week in September. I picked my first 2 tomatoes yesterday, both about baseball sized and a deep red.

Out of 27 seedlings, 17 plants have survived and are producing. Previously, when plants have started to yellow, I have tried to nurture them but, now, when a young plant is starting to yellow, I worry about disease spreading to healthy plants so I pull them up and dispose of them. 2 years ago, one plants was starting to yellow and then it spread to the neighboring plants before I started to pull them up. I lost about 80% of my plants. I don't know if it's disease or insect infestation but, I don't take the chances any longer.

I fnally found a garden sized roter tiller this year and it breaks the ground into very small pieces (after first using a pick axe to break the ground). I am prepping the soil for the next planting season. I am hoping the looser soil with help with next years crop.

[SurinBeach]

WAYNED ......Just interested in the Oranges and Mangos ....where do you live ?

I grow Thai tomatoes but have never tried to grow "beefsteak" or western tomatos. I also grow garlic, pak chee, eggplant, chilis,(jalapenos and habanero), long beans, Noi Na, Limes, oranges, bananas, mango, farang, papaya, horapa and krapow

[SurinBeach]

Or more specifically has anyone grown Oranges or Limes or Mangos in Phuket ?

WAYNED ......Just interested in the Oranges and Mangos ....where do you live ?

I grow Thai tomatoes but have never tried to grow "beefsteak" or western tomatos. I also grow garlic, pak chee, eggplant, chilis,(jalapenos and habanero), long beans, Noi Na, Limes, oranges, bananas, mango, farang, papaya, horapa and krapow

[rice555]

Hello All, SurinBeach have you tried the Phuket forum?

Hello khunkeith, was that baseball a hard or soft ball?

rice555

[khunkeith]

Hello All, SurinBeach have you tried the Phuket forum?

Hello khunkeith, was that baseball a hard or soft ball?

rice555

good morning Rice 555.

Guess you are not an American. :-) a baseball is only one size. a soft ball is a soft ball and a baseball is a baseball. :-)

Most of my tomatoes are about 2-3" in diameter. some are about the size of Thai tomatoes and some are baseball sized or a bit bigger. I picked one last week that weighed a bit under .5 kg, a little over 1 pound. The cold snap we have had the last couple weeks has retarded the growth though. The heavy dew falling at night on the leaves and the sun not drying them out in the morning has caused some leaf rot that I have been trimming off the last couple days. I started with 27 plants in the ground in September and now down to 14 bearing fruit. If I suspect a plant is becoming diseased, I pull it up and dispose of it immediately. a couple years ago, I tried to nurse sick plants but, it just spead to the other plants and the fruit became mottled looking and had a distinct sour taste and mealy texture. .

[kikoman]

Well last year we had some Thai tomato's grow from discarded seeds, we had a lot of little Thai tomatoes, I asked my son to send me some tomato seeds, he sent "Big Beef Hybrids and Garden leader Monsters" i planted them had great germination, plants grew well after transplanting into bigger pots, the growth slowed down, to where it seem like it stopped growing and remained that way.

At the beginning of the cold spell, I noticed my tomatoes growth increased almost before my eyes, and had remarkable growth, as I had almost given up on having any tomato's this year. they were growing so rapidly, that I had to re-stake them all, adding Bamboo stakes.

Even the tomato plants my wife planted directly into the soil began rapid growth, and were a much fuller plant then the potted tomato, that are taller. Recently the potted plants started to become fuller and started some small tomatos. See attached pictures..

I think I will have a great tomato crop this year as I have about 30 tomato plants currently that are growing great.

Cheers

[khunkeith]

Well last year we had some Thai tomato's grow from discarded seeds, we had a lot of little Thai tomatoes, I asked my son to send me some tomato seeds, he sent "Big Beef Hybrids and Garden leader Monsters" i planted them had great germination, plants grew well after transplanting into bigger pots, the growth slowed down, to where it seem like it stopped growing and remained that way.

At the beginning of the cold spell, I noticed my tomatoes growth increased almost before my eyes, and had remarkable growth, as I had almost given up on having any tomato's this year. they were growing so rapidly, that I had to re-stake them all, adding Bamboo stakes.

Even the tomato plants my wife planted directly into the soil began rapid growth, and were a much fuller plant then the potted tomato, that are taller. Recently the potted plants started to become fuller and started some small tomatos. See attached pictures..

IMG_1250.JPG IMG_1251.JPG

IMG_1252.JPG IMG_1253.JPG

IMG_1255.JPG IMG_1257.JPG

I think I will have a great tomato crop this year as I have about 30 tomato plants currently that are growing great.

Cheers

looking good. I used concrete mesh this year and made circular cages for the first time. I had been staking them in previous years but, this works out better. give it a try, you are not out there constantly restaking. though, some of my plants, the branches have extended beyond and I have used the plastic Thai twine to hold them up whenthe fruit starts to get heavy.

I am going to try some in pots next year as well and see which does better.

The cold stagnated the frout growth on mine but, since it's warmed up, they are growing like crazy and ripening quickly too. Now I am afraid of them all getting ripe within a few days of each other and my harvest will be over 2 weeks after it starts.

[chiang mai]

Tomatoes are a tropical fruit, but are grown fall through winter in the tropics rather than in the summer as in most places.

If you're wanting Western type tomatoes, Big Beef, Early Girl, Sun Master and others will do well. Look for any variety that states it will do well in zone 10 in the US, which is the S. tip of Florida.

Tomatoes like loose soil and if I don't have it, I grow them in pots with commercial potting soil. They need quite a bit of complete fertilizer because they are voracious feeders. I am in zone 7 so I plant as early as possible in the late Spring or Summer, after the last possible freeze. I also start seedlings inside in a window so I can set out plants to get an earlier harvest.

I also strip off the lower leaves so I can plant them as deeply as possible. They will form new roots along the buried stem and get stronger.

The plants will have a main stem and side stems. In the crotches of those stems there will begin to form small useless stems which should be pinched off because they are a waste of energy.

All of my tomatoes need support or they will lay on the ground and rot the tomatoes. I either buy the wire supports for that, or drive wooden stakes and tie the plants to those.

Good luck!

Tomatoes were never a tropical fruit, not unless the UK and Europe have relocated recently:

http://www.tomatofest.com/tomato-growing-zone-map.html

Between this and the GDP of Greenland, what were you saying about idiots!

[khunkeith]

Tomatoes are a tropical fruit, but are grown fall through winter in the tropics rather than in the summer as in most places.

If you're wanting Western type tomatoes, Big Beef, Early Girl, Sun Master and others will do well. Look for any variety that states it will do well in zone 10 in the US, which is the S. tip of Florida.

Tomatoes like loose soil and if I don't have it, I grow them in pots with commercial potting soil. They need quite a bit of complete fertilizer because they are voracious feeders. I am in zone 7 so I plant as early as possible in the late Spring or Summer, after the last possible freeze. I also start seedlings inside in a window so I can set out plants to get an earlier harvest.

I also strip off the lower leaves so I can plant them as deeply as possible. They will form new roots along the buried stem and get stronger.

The plants will have a main stem and side stems. In the crotches of those stems there will begin to form small useless stems which should be pinched off because they are a waste of energy.

All of my tomatoes need support or they will lay on the ground and rot the tomatoes. I either buy the wire supports for that, or drive wooden stakes and tie the plants to those.

Good luck!

Tomatoes were never a tropical fruit, not unless the UK and Europe have relocated recently:

http://www.tomatofest.com/tomato-growing-zone-map.html

Between this and the GDP of Greenland, what were you saying about idiots!

saying "never a tropical fruit" is quite a blanket statement. Tomatoes were "discovered" in central American during the Spanish colonization and brought back to Europe (like the potato) then it spread all over the world. It's origins are the tropics but, have been cultivated and developed to grow in more temperate climates.

[chiang mai]

Point taken that we should rarely use the word "never" but given that, "Tomatoes were not grown in England until the 1590s", I feel fairly comfortable that this was not a function of genetic food engineering.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato