Ripe for the picking

 After four years of complete renovation and replanting, Thailand’s largest seed distributor Choncharoen Farm has once again thrown its gates wide to welcome the public to the 2015 edition of the Chia Tai Fair. 

With temperatures at a cool winter low, it’s a great time to visit Kanchanaburi and learn about the latest in agricultural innovations while admiring a colourful backdrop of more than 200 species of flowers and plants. The concept for this year’s event, which wraps on Sunday, is “eating rice mainly, eating vegetables as medicine”.

Among the highlights are Atlantic giant pumpkins weighing a massive 80 kilograms, pollinated and hybrid seeds of heirloom plants, fruits and herbs developed by Chia Tai and demonstrations of how to make the very most of personal outdoor space, no matter how small it might be.

Spread over 100-rai and surrounded by mountains, Chonchareon Farm is one of several integrated research stations run by the Chia Tai Group, a seed subsidiary company of food giant Charoen Pokphand Group. 

The fair has been held biannually since 1999 in an attempt to educate farmers, gardeners and the public about what is happening in the agro-industry.

“Part of the reason for refurbishing the landscape was to allow better access to visitors in wheelchairs. We want to share our new innovations and technological updates as well as the techniques used in seed nurseries with local agriculturists and also with anyone who may be interested,” says chief operations officer Manus Chiaravanond. 

“The fair is a great opportunity for farmers to meet with and talk to the public. We attracted some 300,000 visitors in 2011 and are hoping to exceed that number this year,” Manus says. “Our focus this time is on vegetables as part of efforts to encourage Thais to eat more legumes and look after their health. More and more urbanites are growing vegetables in their gardens and on their balconies and we are aiming to help them become more productive in their endeavours by demonstrating mixed garden arrangements, vertical growing and aquaponics.” 

The pavilion at the entrance to the farm is home to an exhibition of agricultural products, flowers and colourful vegetables growing in glass pots while the six zones inside are devoted to different types of agriculture. 

The Heirloom Plant Conservation for Sustainable Living garden has cockroach berry, a flowering plant often grafted with eggplant, roselle and bitter gourd planted alongside chilli and bird peppers and demonstrates the differences between local seeds, open pollinated (OP) and filial hybrid (F1) seeds.

Watermelon, pumpkin, chilli, tomato and corn dominate the next zone, all of them economically viable veg that are rich in nutrients and should, where possible, be included as part of the daily diet.

Plant breeding section manager Kanya Rotsianglum showcases the farm’s F1 hybrid pink and red tomatoes – the Kanya 001, Petch Rung and Renger – which he says are rich in lycopene and vitamins that help protect from cancer.

Hybrid watermelons known as Run Run are yellow, sweeter than their red cousins and full of beta-carotene while the hybrid peppers are not only hot, large and colourful, making them perfect for northern-style pastes, but also have a long-shelf life, meaning less waste. 

A tunnel made with bitter and bottle gourds and a colourful flower arch lead to the demonstration home garden, which is full for ideas for the would-be urban farmer. 

Holy basil, chilli, eggplant, Chinese kale, Chinese cabbage, water morning glory nestle alongside celery cabbage, sponge gourd, lemon glass and coriander. Many of these healthy vegetables and plants are fast growers, with some needing just 19 days between planting and eating, while others take up to 60 days.

“It’s very easy to turn your balcony into a vertical vegetable plot by creating a wall of 1x1-metre tree pots. More than 90 kinds of vegetables can be grown this way,” says sales chief Nopporn Klom-In.

Chinese kale, holy basil, water morning glory and cos salad thrive in any backyard when grown with a easy-to-install aquaponics system or in a hanging garden where the vegetables are grown upside down.

A new addition to this year’s event is a traditional house surrounded by a green paddy field and a vegetable garden boasting corn and chilli that underlines the benefits of organic cultivation. 

The greenhouse zone remains a popular stop and is home to melons, balloon-shaped squash, giant pumpkins and sweet watermelon. The adjacent flower nursery boasts more than 200 species of blooms including blue sage, sulphur cosmos, zinnia Magellan, dwarf cosmos, moss verbena, begonia mint, hybrid vinca bali, celosia plumose and dianthus ideal.

A small store offers fresh melon juice, ice cream and some snacks as well as CPF foodstuffs, fresh vegetables, fruits and seeds plus local products.

You can also choose to pick cauliflower, celery cabbages, broccoli and tomatoes to take home or prepare then in a cooking class.

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