I've recently moved to Hanoi from northern Virginia, where I was an avid backyard gardener with a strong tilt towards organics. I am keen on growing tasty vegetables with a flower or two for color. I am trying to set up a backyard garden here but with mixed success: expats don't seem to garden and locals are either farmers or not-farmers. The man who takes care of my yard thought it was hilarious when I said I wanted to purchase cow (or buffalo) manure and have a few yards trucked into my semi-posh expat neighborhood. Although he is happily building a compost pit in the backyard.
You guys are the experts: where do I begin (after the compost pit)? Is it acceptable to send an email or two to members from Vietnam? The organic growers I found are commercially focused. How do I find veg seeds appropriate for tropical climates (hot and wet much of the year)? The tomatoes here are flat and mealy... can I grow the sweeter varieties I learned to love in the US? Are there good books you can direct me towards?
Thank you and delighted to be a new member!
Hello from Hanoi new member
Hi Vkozel, E komo mai! Welcome to Tropical Zone Gardening.
If you google Oriental Vegetable Seeds, you will come up with a large amount of suppliers.
Aloha, Dave
yes, welcome Vkozel... Dave's suggestion is good about googling for seed companies. I have purchased many from asian vegetable companies ... can't remember the names, but they have been successful!!! If you haven't tried Winged Beans, they are wonderful!
University of Hawaii has some good online information about growing vegetables in the tropics....
Aloha,
Carol
Hello, Vkozel, and welcome to DG and to TZG forum!
Alexandra
Thank you! I didn't know Hawaii had such hot summers, I will definitely look at the U of Hawaii website. More generally I will treat Hanoi as zone 10b or 11 and see what seeds are known to work well. Thanks also for the advice on oriental seeds: many must be designed for warm climates.
Returning to my earlier question: is it OK etiquette to contact people registered on dave's garden who live in Vietnam? I would love to link up with some local gardeners.
Aloha vkozel, and welcome! Please tell us about your garden and Hanoi - what an adventure!
I think it is perfectly fine to contact other gardeners through the D-Mail system - it's a great way to meet other gardeners from your area!
Jenn
Much of my challenge is growing the vegies so the hoards of bugs don't get them first.
If you wish to grow salad vegetables, it is a good idea to grow them up off the ground to avoid slugs and other pests.
Growing vegetables that you cook will help avoid getting any diseases that are associated with eating fresh produce in the Tropics.
Thanks again for the warm welcome.
I will tell you all about my garden once it gets underway.
I gotten to know someone here working with a fair trade coop, also some Vietnamese ag specialists. Tomorrow I go to "garden street" here in Hanoi, armed with Vietnamese words for some of the garden things I need.
There is a lot of interest with members of the coop on growing better tasting tomatoes for local (expat) markets as well as possible export. U of Hawaii has some interesting zone 11 varieties. University of Florida also appears to have developed some heat resistant varieties. Does anyone know if U Fla has a program for seed purchases?
Thanks!
I know that the University of Hawaii sells their seeds. Not expensively, either.
To download a seed order form from the University of Hawai'i, College of Tropical Agriculture Seed Program, go to:
www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/seed/order.asp
thanks again. am looking into a seed research effort to develop appropriate varieties for tropical countries in East and South Asia. anyone interested can look at their website www.green-genetics.com.
I got a nice response from U. Hawaii guys, who thought high levels of rainfall in Hanoi might be a problem for some Hawaii varieties.
Manoa, O'ahu is where they develop the seeds. It is a leeward area. They get much less rain than we do on Kilauea, which is on the windward side.
Their corn needs to be in a somewhat drier climate, but things such as pole beans, snow peas, cabbages, and other table vegetables should do fine, especially during the summer months.
Dave...where would you get corn seeds for our area????
Hi Carol, most any corn does well here if it's grown between Spring and Fall, but it requires a lot of care, especially fertilizer scheduling, to get it to do well.
For the amount of work involved, I would rather plant taro, plantains, and other easy to grow carbohydrates.
Add some cumin and sage to the steamed, grated, plantains and they make great tamales!
Welcome!!!