Thread: Green Acres? or the road to self sufficiency

If you have a spare bit of land and a few bucks as well, then build a mini recirculation fish-farm, and use the waste-water as fertilizer, like a hydroponic garden. I will be doing that in a larger scale later this year hopefully...

Originally Posted by oldgit

I have drilled a hole on the rims of old CD's and hung on line above the plot to frighten birds eating my strawberrys in the uk. I have a few rooted baby plants if your interested BD, we come out on 7th March.

Yes please - will be much appreciated.

Did a bit of a back yard dig yesterday - two new plots done. I will post some pictures later on today.

Bdog

Originally Posted by Dalton

If you have a spare bit of land and a few bucks as well, then build a mini recirculation fish-farm, and use the waste-water as fertilizer, like a hydroponic garden. I will be doing that in a larger scale later this year hopefully...

We have the room but at this time I am not able to do it. However I am very interested in finding out more about this.

thanks

Bdog

Been really busy and out of reach so the garden was left to the g//f tender care. She did well - farming stock. Got back and decided to put in another bed and then a third. The second bed now has beans of various types and the third has been settling. This one will take a while because when they built the house this is where they dug a pit and dumped all the rock and crap. The shed is now on top of most of where the pit was but it is directly under my now veggie garden - Plot 3.

After a lot of breaking up and pulling out chunks of concrete blocks etc I have been adding rotting banana palm and other mulch. Turned it over this morning and surprisingly it is looking pretty good. Much more friable soil with a lot of vegetable matter and joy of joy earthworms have arrived.

Bed 1 is going well - the corn is now about 20cm tall and the tomato plants are settled. I need to put in some stakes for the tomato plants but for the life of me there seems to be a total lack of bamboo in this area. I spoke to lots of places and the usual substitute is electrical (yellow) or water (blue) conduit. What ever happened to the concept of renewable resources? I finally found a place that has suitable bamboo but it is more expensive per metre than conduit so apart from aesthetics doesn't seem much point.

I will load up some photographs into the gallery and add them to the thread.

BarDog

This is the three beds after I had just dug them

Bed number 1 - corn and tomotoes

Close up on the corn - this stuff had better work or I am going to be really pissed off.

It's looking good. Well done to you and the missus.

Looking good - as you say toms need staking. What variety of tomatos did you plant? Obviously depending on the variety they need differant care.

I have three different types of tomatoes. The little round ones, roma egg, and the normal sized round ones.

Yes I need to stake the tomatoes but believe it or not I spent the entire day looking for some bamboo and discovered that no one sells it around here. I think I will have to get some of the blue or yellow conduit tomorrow from the building materials supplier.

Another thing that intrigues me is the crap gardening tools. When I did the plot near the garage I had to dig through the rock and broken concrete etc with a hoe that we got from the farming supplier near the g/f's farm. Apparently no one in this country has learned how to make a decent shovel or spade let alone something as complicated as a gardening pick or matock.

Bdog

Originally Posted by bar dog

I have three different types of tomatoes. The little round ones, roma egg, and the normal sized round ones.

Yes I need to stake the tomatoes but believe it or not I spent the entire day looking for some bamboo and discovered that no one sells it around here. I think I will have to get some of the blue or yellow conduit tomorrow from the building materials supplier.

Another thing that intrigues me is the crap gardening tools. When I did the plot near the garage I had to dig the thing with a hoe that we got from the farming supplier near the g/f's farm. Apparently no one in this country has learned how to make a decent shovel or spade let alone something as complicated as a gardening pick or matock.

Bdog

I live about 65 km southwest of Khampaeng Phet and we have a good pick and a proper shovel plus a few of these mattock type of thing that I cannot remember the name of.

Originally Posted by crabfat

Originally Posted by bar dog

Another thing that intrigues me is the crap gardening tools. When I did the plot near the garage I had to dig the thing with a hoe that we got from the farming supplier near the g/f's farm. Apparently no one in this country has learned how to make a decent shovel or spade let alone something as complicated as a gardening pick or matock.

Bdog

I live about 65 km southwest of Khampaeng Phet and we have a good pick and a proper shovel plus a few of these mattock type of thing that I cannot remember the name of.

Where did you buy them? I have asked around CM and the only ones I can get are cheap imports from China that couldn't cut through the crust of a cold custard without bending.

Thanks

BD

They are in the local hardware shop in the next village but I suppose if you need western quality you would have to go to Home Pro or Home works if there is one near you. I would probably cost an arm and a leg at least.

The metal handled shovels and spades are freely available but are not particularly good quality compared to western standards. What I really want is a good matock or pick and that I can't find. HomePro, Global World etc don't stock them.

Originally Posted by bar dog

Yes I need to stake the tomatoes but believe it or not I spent the entire day looking for some bamboo and discovered that no one sells it around here. I think I will have to get some of the blue or yellow conduit tomorrow from the building materials supplier.

Went out yesterday and saw a local Thai building a shed using bamboo. Stopped and wandered over for a chat. He seemed a bit surprised at that but after realising I can speak pretty reasonable Thai we got down to business ie where to buy bamboo. Easy he said, he has a grove of the stuff and after some directions turned up to my place this morning with two bundles of bamboo cut to 1.5 metre length. Each one was about 2cm in diameter and he had sharpened one end as well. Together there was 2x19 making 38 sticks and it cost me 100 baht including him cutting, sharpening one end and delivering them to my house. Damn good value imo. I am not sure why there is 19 in each bundle and not 20 but it is probably an auspicious number meaning my tomatoes will grow straight to Nivana.

Stakes are in, tomatoes and beans tied up with twine and everything is good in the dog's house.

Originally Posted by Dougal

I broughty out some seed from the UK and have had mixed results.

Spring Onion: White Lisbon from the UK either the row comes up or the whole row fails and I have not figured out why. When it does gerrminate it grows well but unlike the native varieties that they sell in the market, it starts to wilt as soon as it is pulled. I haven't found a source for the local seed yet.

AFM seeds (from Chiang Mai) sell spring onion seeds. I was looking for some a while back and didn't find them but normally they are plentiful. If I find some packets I will grab them and send you a PM.

Originally Posted by Dougal

Suttons Sweet Pepper - Worldbeater: This looks quite promising, all the fruit is still at the green stage.

Looks good - they are small(ish) round spicy peppers as in Chilli or sweet like capsicum?

I got some bell peppers but the blasted sparrows took the lot from the seedling trays. Pushed over the clear cover and went to town on them.

Originally Posted by Dougal

Thompson & Morgan Chilli Ppper - Heatwave: This one also looks like it is going to be worthwhile, I'm not sure what I am going to do with all the peppers though.

I have six bird's eye pepper plants going at the moment and doubt if they will keep up the supply. We go through bags of the things.

Originally Posted by Dougal

I am keen to grow tomatoes but my efforts have been mixed. I have been overhead spraying which has probably not helped and someone else pointed out that I should not let the leaves touch the ground. I won't give up on them.

One of my tomato plants (a bush variety) is just starting to fruit - couple of small round fruit. They need to be watered well and often or the fruit will fall. I am watering early morning and when they are in shade before evening every day at this time.

Originally Posted by Dougal

Less successful, in fact an abject failure has been my attempt to grow Cantaloupe Melons. They seem to germinate OK and then just wither away. Lavender, which I thought would grow well here won't even germinate.

I find that the most successful way is to plant the seed in a small pot and put a cut off water bottle as a cap - acts as a mini green house. Water from the side so you don't have to remove the cover. Once in the ground they need to be well mulched and watered but when the flower and the fruit starts to form they are water pigs. Forget to water one day and they drop fruit or it loses sweetness.

Originally Posted by Dougal

Of the local seeds, Mange Tout grows well and the little short cucumbers gave me about 20kilos from two plants. Lettuce (variety Grand Rapids) which has no real heart to it but plenty of leaf, Corinander and Basil of course.

Had similar results as you. Lettuce is a problem - it will bolt to seed at the first sign of heat. I got some of the little globe lettuce - the seed was in a tin from China at a farm supplier. I planted them and they make a head about the size of a softball. Not in the iceberg size but very sweet and crisp. Too hot now for them but after the wet and when still warm but not hot they grow well.

Originally Posted by Dougal

The soil has been uncultivated for years and is full of couch grass which makes digging a new row a lengthy and preferably early morning, exercise.

I don't seem to have too much trouble with pests, maybe the frogs, lizards and birds take care of them.

I found two HUGE MUTHERF&*^%ER catapillers on my tomato bushes the other day. Big green ones about 8cm long - neighbour's chickens had a snack but they had done some serious damage to two plants in a very short period of time

Originally Posted by Dougal

I am keen to grow tomatoes but my efforts have been mixed. I have been overhead spraying which has probably not helped and someone else pointed out that I should not let the leaves touch the ground. I won't give up on them.

Another tip is when the tomatoes are in flower give them a tap or slight shake as an aid to self pollination. Overhead spraying of toms is not good in a hot climate, it will burn the leaves, they much prefer their nourishment through the base roots.

see once report about one guy with problem of bending his back, a retiree, not easy going to floor...

He just raised his garden, kept the alleys low, found the idea good, why go to veggies if they can come to us...

Not sure about irrigation and other such necessities then...

Dougal;

If you have too many peppers pickle them.. make great munchies or pizza toppings.

Many many recipes available.

E. G.

Originally Posted by forreachingme

see once report about one guy with problem of bending his back, a retiree, not easy going to floor...

He just raised his garden, kept the alleys low, found the idea good, why go to veggies if they can come to us...

Not sure about irrigation and other such necessities then...

I did a hydroponic set up ages ago with lettuce and similar. the trays are all at standing hight and the water flows in channels down the tray to the bottom where it is filtered and recirculated. I did same thing with tomatos and the blasted things grew up to 2.3m tall where I pinched them out. Grew great looking fruit but to be totally blunt they were almost tasteless - like a western g/f looks good until you buy and take her home then wonder why the fuck you bothered.

The patch is coming along pretty well. The corn/maize is about 4 feet tall now and the tomatoes looking good.

Originally Posted by forreachingme

see once report about one guy with problem of bending his back, a retiree, not easy going to floor...

He just raised his garden, kept the alleys low, found the idea good, why go to veggies if they can come to us...

Not sure about irrigation and other such necessities then...

This is a good idea, particularly if you have bad soil. The house we rent is full of rubble from fill, there's much more rubble than soil. So I raked all the leaves up and used old timber to retain it, on top of the leaves I thru coconut fibre dust and manure.

Stuff grows much better in this area than the proper garden beds.

Now I've got some land and we've pruned back alot of trees. I'm using the small branches and leaves to do the same thing, there's hollows in the ground that need to be raised, this is where I'll throw all the branches. I'm trying to get hold of some composting worms to add also. It will breakdown quickly in with the heat and rain.

I'll throw chillie, papaya and pumpkins seeds in there also. From past experiences I think it will work well, I can't be bothered digging.

Anybody had success with Roma tomatoes?