Adequate mulch can solve that issue, too. If you can make a grow like that work without breaking the wallet then go for it.

What sorts of soil borne problems do you get when growing those plants in Thailand?

Are you able to get fresh durian where you are?

nc-crn. The mulch idea sounds good. I will try that on my in ground beds. Much cheaper to build in Thailand than in the U.S. My 8 foot by 20 foot by one meter deep cement fish pond and ten 3' X 4' cement block beds 24 to 30 inches deep only cost me a little more than $1,000. We will raise tilapia for food also. The fish pond water will feed the plants as we water them. Hopefully we will get all of our veggies and fish from this project and be able to skip the market. John

Happyday. I don't know the tech names. My wife is trying to look up the names in the Thai/English Dictionary so I can google and ask questions on this forum. But on the zucchini sort of like a bug in the stem of the plant near the base causing that branch to die and then the whole plant. On all three veggies worms and bugs eat the leaves. On the tomatoes I also get early blight and blossom end rot which I can't do too much about due to heavy rains this time of year. Maybe in the dry season I will not have those problems. I am hoping that by planting above ground in the raised beds to have better luck and be away from some of the things that like the veggies. In the raised beds the plant roots will be one yard above the soil planted in the mixture and fed and watered directly from the fish pond. Since this is my first attempt at gardening in Thailand I am learning. I did get some nice cucumbers but the plants died early. Fresh durian are available in April thru June. I love them. John

Johnra, sounds similar to here, sounds like you have a type of squash vine borer on the zukes, can be killed with insecticide dust or spray like Sevin or injected BT. Or you can squash the eggs and slit the stem, kill the grub and bury the stem.

Worms are probably caterpillars and grubs laid by moths and beetles, which fly, so they may be able to get into your raised beds too. If you don't want to use insecticide, sometimes row covers are used. This can backfire when bugs are trapped underneath the row covers.

Tomato blight is caused by bacteria in soil, does not usually hurt the plant too much. Best to mulch the base so that soil is not splashed up onto the leaves, or you can cut off the lower leaves when they turn brown if you like. Always burn the vegetable matter, do not compost tomato or squash material, only mulch with other plant material like hay or straw, this is to minimize buildup of virus or bacteria which are specific to tomato and squash plants.

Blossom end rot or BER is said to be caused by inadequate watering not transporting calcium to the tissues, but if you get it during the rainy season, that puts a wrench in that theory. It's caused by lack of calcium and usually only affects the first fruits. You can pick and discard the first fruits, or let them grow and cut the spot out, the rest of the fruit is usually good. You can also try putting crushed eggshells, TUMS, vitamin pills, etc. into the hole at planting or use limestone in the soil, usually limestone is cheaper, someone will tell you to get a soil test first, can you get a soil test in Thailand?

Where in Thailand are you located, where are you from originally? I wish I could get fresh durian. I buy it at the nearest Asian grocery, over 100 miles away. I can only get Monthong, as it's all they import. Can you get the other varieties, the red and white fleshed ones, and the really strong smelling ones?

Happyday. I was raised in New Orleans. Lived over thirty years in Florida. After I retired I got bored and started traveling. As most men do floating around the globe you meet a misses wonderful and then it's all over. I am married and settled down in Nakhon Ratchisima, Muang, Korat, Thailand. Been here a little over seven years now. About the fruit, durian, I will have the wife check it out. I still don't know the language well enough to get technical about anything.

Google the Backyard Aquaponics dot com website, they have plenty of useful information and a good forum for questions, free.

Sue

Happyday. The durian we have here is green on the outside and yellow on the inside. Some people like it but most say it smells like rotten fish or garbage. It is not allowed in many places. My wife said it is not good for me since I am diabetic so a reason why I am not familiar with it. Are we talking about the same plant?

Johnra, yes that's durian, the usual color of segments is yellow. Monthong is yellow and from Thailand. There are other varieties like the white and red but you might have to travel to find them in places like Borneo or Malaysia. I just wondered if you were able to find the other varieties where you are.

It's just a fruit so no reason a diabetic can't eat fruit as long as you monitor your blood sugar. Durian is very healthy. Asians may believe that it is a "hot" or yang food and so it should be taken in moderation and never with alcohol. It is called the king of fruits. It is banned from hotels and public transport because of the smell. Those who love it will travel and pay to get it. I want to visit SE Asia to try it fresh and also try other tropical fruits. Someday.

Why do you want to skip the markets? Are the markets high priced or not have good food?

Low prices in the market and plenty of nice looking food. Maybe it is a little expensive for the Thai people themselves. As a retired American I receive more than ten times the monthly income of the average Thai. For example I make more than one hundred dollars a day and a Thai farmer or factory worker makes much less than 300 baht (ten dollars) per day. To help and to educate the poor people in the village I live in I started this aqua phonics project. If it works well and produces enough food and fish for a few families then I will look into getting more ponds and planting beds set up. At a cost of about $1,000 or less without labor I would be willing to pay for the setup if the Thai's provide the labor and are serious. Most people on the street where I live are family or have known my wife since she was a child. All are far from well off. Other reasons for staying out of the market is I don't like chemicals. I am an OG for more than 40 years now and I love a garden. There is so much tropical fruit here you would go crazy. I love tropical weather and the fruit. Be careful when you travel to Asia. It can be habit forming. LOL. John

belgianpup, Sue, thanks for the link. I am going there now. John