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Me too. I know that 3 or 4 years ago I had a hard time finding teak to make my fence and rancho out of.
I wound up getting what I needed from a rather shady character but all of the other guys, with big farms, said it was all spoken for.For flooring.If I were going to get into something that big I’d probably research Jatropha, for biofuel.
You need to fully understand the labor laws here. It’s not as cheap as it seems.
Xmas cost me $9,000 in 2008.
Go try to get a cell phone and a p.o. box.
Then imagine trying to get permits for growing hardwood and starting a business.I started a little business but I wouldn’t do it again.
We have some, not a lot, of Jatropha curcas trees as well, that I started from seed, plus many other native wood trees added for reforestation.
But, dont expect to make money on this either, as at the moment it is costing much more to produce than to harvest. The ´nut´is covered with a toxic substance so you have to be very carefull when handling it. I have two different sets of friends who delved further into the plant, after we had talked about the possabilities of Jatropa and the biofuel it produces. One even went to India to learn more, and was told there, that even in India with wages being much lower than Costa Rica, it takes a lot of land, money & plants to make this worthwhile.
A couple of years ago, I spoke with a man located in Puriscal, about planting conditions and the harvesting, etc. and he said that a group were trying to build an extraction plant for the fuel. The plants do grow quickly and produce the ´seed pod/nut quite fast.
Now, this same friend runs his truck here on used oil from food outlets, he planted a few thousand seedlings and apart from finding it was really efficient for using as living fence posts and stopping cattle from eating the actual tree but not much else. This is what the other set of friends found out as well.
If you do start a native wood plantation with the intention of selling the wood later on, you must it legally registed, to be able to get permission to harvest the lumber. When we applied about 6 years ago to cut down some Laurel trees, we were only permitted to cut 7 trees per acre. It is not necessary to register the land for teak, since it isn´t native to Costa Rica.
The teak fad was used…and still is offered…to obtain invester status in Costa Rica, but there are many plantations that have just been walked away from….
Marvilla, we grow sweet corn at our place, so maybe try a different variety. Try just buying a local tomato and pop the seeds into your moist soil, and you should get good results. Again, these are short day tomatoes if grown locally. Works with the large variety and I do the same with sweet peppers. I have a seed fetish I think, and hate to throw any away….:lol:
I planted some cherry tomatoes seeds just last week into a hanging basket, and they are already 2 inches tall and ready to be thinned.you’re also where it’s hotter and i am sure that too is a factor. it just doesn’t get hot hot where i am and corn likes that, although for some crazy reason i have a corn plant sprouting out of my compost pile. we’ll see what i get!!! there are a lot of campesinos who grow corn but it’s not the Olathe corn i’m used to. lucky you. i will have someone bring down a packet of seeds in the next couple of weeks and see what happens. it must’ve been an unpopped kernel from some popcorn i made a while back. jejeje
[b]twin200[/b] I should have mentioned, [i]really [/i]check out this land you are presently considering to be sure that it is good for farming if that is what you really want to do. And if so, check out the water situation, and don’t believe what the seller is telling you. Our seller, an American, lied through his teeth.
If the property does not have adequate water to grow crops or raise cattle, many local companies will not allow to use their supply except for private home consumption. So a well may have to be drilled , and again, you cannot just ‘do this’ but must apply to the government for permission. Here in Guanacaste, we seldom get any rain for 4 months or more, and we used to run out of water, for even the basic necessities. It cost [i]over $20,000[/i] to put in a tank that AyA approved of, and this was only for household use.costaricafinca I appreciate the info.The best thing I have done so far was join this site so thanks to scott and all of you.The inside intel is invaluable.The notion of moving to cr started about a 2 years ago for me,but serious only recently.I was reading such good things about the ticos and expats.wonderful people.This site is a testiment to that.Then once I scratch though the surface I’m hearing the opposite souch as sqatters.Ireally thought this was bull butter.also breakins,robberies don’t go out at night,dressdown,drive a crappy car,keep your dog inside and the best one was always have some cash on you to possibly avoid a but whipping.See I thought I could visit a few times shopping around,find a property,make the deal and assuming this went without a hitch return home to resume working a small construction co.I thought this would be beneficial for the transition on both ends.But seems to be a bad idea to leave property unattended even its vacant.so I’ll just reconsider my approach to this endeaver.I still would like to do some farming as like you.Was planning on spending lots of days on the pacific(southern coast).Do you have pirates as well arrrrrrr
[quote=”twin200″]Then once I scratch though the surface I’m hearing the opposite souch as sqatters. I really thought this was bull butter also breakins, robberies, don’t go out at night, dressdown, drive a crappy car, keep your dog inside and the best one was always have some cash on you to possibly avoid a but whipping. See I thought I could visit a few times shopping around, find a property, make the deal and assuming this went without a hitch return home to resume working a small construction co. I thought this would be beneficial for the transition on both ends. But seems to be a bad idea to leave property unattended even its vacant.so I’ll just reconsider my approach to this endeaver. I still would like to do some farming as like you.Was planning on spending lots of days on the pacific(southern coast).Do you have pirates as well arrrrrrr[/quote]
I have never experienced “[b]breakins, robberies, don’t go out at night, dressdown, drive a crappy car, keep your dog inside and the best one was always have some cash on you to possibly avoid a but whipping.[/b]” This last does occur in the cities (San Jose and the like). The natives to this forum probably get tired of hearing this but…I live near Ciudad Colon on [b]an acre of property without fence, gates or bars.[/b] I experienced one incident of robbery when I first moved in. The value of the items taken was negligible.
[b]I believe that the stories are overblown by those who do not fit in and are disgruntled with their experience here.[/b] Many on this forum will tell you to take the same precautions you would in the US.I live among the Ticos and they are the same as friends (friendlier) and neighbors (more helpful) in the US. They know who the local ladrones are and work as a neighborhood watch does. The ease of getting to know the neighbors was enhanced by a Tico family that lives with us. We have 4 dogs which were salvaged from the streets that are our alert system.
I suggest: Take your time in planning your move. Make several trips to Costa Rica before you move. Get to know some of the Ticos in the area of your interest. Local contacts can provide you help in finding someone reliable to babysit your property once you buy.
In response to [i]”drive a crappy car,”[/i] most in the small town where we live, drive very new, expensive ones!
Squatters are [i]mostly found on land, on which has reverted to ‘public’ use,[/i] for many reasons. Then a group are there at 6am, on the day that they know in advance, they they run in, and mark their boundaries, like the ‘old timers’ in the USA…and start to put up a ‘dwelling…’
But, it is definitely unwise to leave a furnished house for an extended length of time. We leave ours, but we have a workers home nearby. And we do have an alarm systems in both homes and keep our dogs in at night, after two died when poisoned by a robber.
If, you only go as far as purchasing some land, depending on where it is of course, and leaving it ‘as is’ and arrange for a local to keep their cows on it, for instance, in lieu of payment, it may be worth considering.
But, do visit and make sure any land you are considering has water/access to power if you wish to add a house.
Check out farms for sale, that are already in operation and have houses on it for a caretaker as well, who often will come with farm, and has the required services. It may be cheaper in the long run.Well the last two post were reasurring,but to poison my animals would be regarded as a personal attack.I know there’s not a perfect anywhere with deer drinking from a babbling brook,birds singing all day and little bunnies hopping around.Having said that,I find the two peninsula’s interesting.Would anyone know if either is suitable for small farm.Are they accessable with water and power.I’m asumming the osa peninsula is less developed.Also wandering about the climate in these areas
On the coast, especially on the Osa peninsula, it is hot and very humid….
You would need to check out what is presently growing there to give you an idea.If you are looking into farming you might want to look into Paraguay. I have lived there for two years and the land is incredibly cheap. You would be very surprised on how advanced they are in the farming market.
Some friends who live in Naranjo went there over the Christmas vacation. Said there were “5 cows per person, and even more sheep…”. And ‘flat, flat , flat…’
They found very little in the way of fruit and veggies. Of course, as a tourist one may not be able to find the markets, etc.
While they liked some of the old towns, they didn’t find the scenery, picturesque…Teak Grows very quickly in the rainy regions of this country–and as such, the wood is not as dense as teak grown in dry areas such as guanacaste or nicaragua
However, Teak is a crop that tends to make the soil change–therefore it is tough to grow things in soil where lots of teak have been planted in the past
[quote=”johnr”]I’m mystified by the teak comments. Recently I was told that American Lumber teak mill near Jicaral is sending out five containers a week. Granted they are a large international company but someone is buying it.:lol:[/quote]
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