Dokmai Garden proudly hosts the ‘Tropical Gardening School & Homestay’. For more information email info@dokmaigarden.co.th
We tailor-make the program for each student, depending on your background, interests and expectations. We accept farmers, garden amateurs, college students and academic professionals. Some wish to spend two weeks just learning names – fine, we can do that, some want to spend two weeks just cooking or growing organic vegetables, fine, we can do that too. Since you pay a small fee this is not a traditional volunteer activity. The students may request a written certificate about the contents of their education, signed by a PhD in biology.
Suggested curriculum for a two week’s stay aimed at a broad introduction:
1. Introduction to tropical plants, their names and origins. 2. Bamboo, care and propagation. 3. Orchid morphology, pollination and care. 4. Pests & Weeds: termites, moles, long horn beetles, Mikania, Mimosa, Dendrophthoe. Natural pesticides and predators. 5. Tropical vegetables, rice cultivation, composting. 6. Bananas, care and propagation. 7. Tree pruning (including topiary) & tree planting. 8. Principles of propagation. 9. Thai cooking: taro, cassava, vegetables, cooking pit. 10. How to integrate animals in a garden: silver pheasants, chicken, water buffalo, guinea fowl, wild boar, fish/fishing. 11. How to set up a butterfly garden, butterfly biology. 12. How to attract wild birds, including bird watching. 13. Tropical fruits, identification and care: cacao, jackfruit, mango, longan, rambutan.
One day open if you wish to make an excursion (extra costs for transportation and double teaching fee): A. Jungle expedition to learn more about the native ecosystems (full day). B. Visit to a mountain village to study Thai rural communities (full day). C. Visit to a selection of Chiang Mai gardens to study different landscape design (full day). D. Visit to a local vegetable market (half day). E. Visit to a local flower market (a gigantic aggregate of small independent vendors of gardening plants) (half day). F. Mushroom foray (June and September).
Read more about Dokmai Garden and its 977 plant species here!
Your Privacy Choices
Hi i am from singapore and a garden hobbyist. i wish gain knowledge and skills in horticulture and plant nursery management and operation. Do u conduct such courses, as I may setup a nursery and landscaping business..
Thom,
Please reply to the address in the post. We just put these things up here, we are not the organization offering the opportunity.
When the courses start and how long will it take with prices?
Abdulla, You need to contact the farm directly to ask this question.