My Amazing and Talented Gardener

Without a shadow of a doubt, my biggest break when I moved to Thailand came when I went into a restaurant/bar in Minburi owned by a friendly lady who helped me learn about the country, improved my Thai, and took me to places I hadn’t heard of and had no means of reaching before she became my partner and then my wife. And she’s an amazing gardener whose efforts keep me healthy.

Learning From Scratch

The amazing thing is that Taew only discovered she was a brilliant gardener when we moved to Sisaket. Just as she became a good cook by watching social media and learning from YouTube, she used the same approach to turn the family plot into a source of healthy, fresh fruit and vegetables.

I thought it was quite romantic on our first visit when we headed into town and bought four plants from a shop, which she planted when we returned, hoping for mangoes and apples to grow on them. How little I knew.

Early Days in the Garden

A Garden Plot Awaits

We are blessed to live in a bungalow on a large plot of land. It was far larger than I’d ever experienced. Indeed, I'd either lived with my parents, who had no real garden, lodged with mates in similar accommodation or rented bedsits. In addition to a large front lawn, a similar untended space lay down the side. That was to change.

Once we moved in, our trips to Sisaket or Kantharom meant visiting stores or street outlets selling plants and gardening equipment. I was more than happy. One of my concerns was that Taew wouldn’t have enough to do and would be bored away from her friends. I knew I’d be fine if I had Wi-Fi, a bicycle and occasional trips to watch football.

Natural Assistance

The name of our village, Suan Kluai, should have given the game away, as it translates to Banana Plantation. The fruit grows here naturally, as do coconuts, mangoes, rubber, and cashews. She wanted to add to the list. Taew certainly achieved! It’s tough to remember everything I eat off the land, but I’ll do my best.

We are never short of herbs and chillies. She grows spinach and other plants for the glorious morning glory dish, depending on the season. Her knowledge and adaptability to the seasons ensure something’s always growing. I eat watermelon, guava, more mangoes, cucumber, rambutan, jackfruit, gourd and eggplant from the land, among other items. Friends are astonished when they visit and often go away with some produce.

Creativity Abounds

I’ve never met anyone with such inventiveness and creativity, with DIY skills that outdo most blokes I know. The stems of plants and branches are cut down with a machete and shaped before being fixed to make a trellis for more plants to grow. My good lady refills empty water bottles from the tap and arranges them into squares, protecting each plot as it grows something different.

Local Produce

She has cultivated a frog farm, buying metal sheet fencing and tarpaulin to create a pond within the barriers, with lots of little features so the frogs grow naturally. Once they reach a good size, they are sold, as frogs are a favourite snack in Isan. I feel slightly sad when I eat delicious gop tord (fried frog) with a sweet chilli dip and wash it down with an ice-cold beer.

There are also occasions when my father-in-law makes a delicious spicy dish after reducing the number of chickens in the garden by one. Hens lay around a dozen fresh eggs each morning. The family rice farm produces more than enough each year to keep us.

The Garden Expands

Another opportunity to grow came when we demolished the old rice shed and bought a more accessible replacement. Taew has cultivated the redundant area and uses it for growth, often corn on the cob, to provide another delicious snack when roasted.

I didn’t realise the plot extended further, as it grew wild behind the open range kitchen. That was until we paid for a new metal fence to replace the barbed wire at the front. Spare panels from the new fence and sheeting from the demolished rice shed enclosed the land. A wagon arrived to dump fertile soil, and another operation got underway.

Gradually, Taew and her dad raked the area and planted banana, mango, and guava trees. Taew tried to grow durian, but it needs special volcanic earth. I’ve no doubt she’ll find a way, along with other solutions, like putting small plastic bags over fruit as it grows. This stops birds and insects from eating fruit.

An Insight into Our Garden in this YouTube Video

In Closing

Our location is ideal for agriculture, with its warm climate, steaming hot summers, and heavy rainfall. Plus, there are no restrictions on watering the garden. With new equipment and plants, and the frogs and chickens needing food, it costs money, but it offers a fantastic return on the investment. And we are healthy, thanks to my amazing wife.

If you enjoyed this story, feel free to check out my YouTube Channel, where I share videos about everyday life in Thailand, local football, and travel across the country.

Thanks for reading.