After reading my latest blog: " Reflections of an Aspiring Gardener", and knowing that gardening is our current fascination, my son said that he'll bring us to visit gardens in Singapore when we go there.
I got so excited that I began to google gardens in Singapore to check out which ones are interesting. I had the impression that Singapore; a very tourist-oriented country is more for ornamentals as manifested by the beautiful arrangements of flowers and rare plants I see at the airport, the gardens by the bay and all over the city.
My impression is partly right, in fact since the sixties, Singapore is known as the "garden city" but nowadays, Singaporeans are trying to bring it to another level by cultivating edible plants.
I learned that there is a growing concern for food security since only a small percentage of food are grown locally; fruits and vegetables are delivered everyday from Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines as well as Australia, New Zealand, and Chile. Singapore is financially rich but some Singaporeans want a good level of food security. They are concerned about disruption of food supply due to unpredictable calamities as well as contamination scares.
There is a "grow your own food" movement in the "land-scares and import-dependent Singapore". The Edible Garden City, managed by a group of farmers, some are volunteers, who aim to help develop edible gardens in under-utilized spaces: in restaurants, hotels, schools and even balconies and rooftops of condominiums.
"Nurturing food is an empowering process because you have control over your basic necessities in life, right now you are controlled by supermarkets", says Bjorn Low, Edible Garden City founder.
Hotel chefs also want to have access to the freshest herbs and leaves for their dishes and where else will they get that unless there's a garden within their easy reach.
Schools encourage the cultivation of edible gardens to teach the youth awareness of self-sufficiency; in so doing, the students also develop rapport and teamwork.
Bjorn Low, who after doing university and completing his MBA gave up his job in advertising and eventually founded the Edible Garden City.
"Taking the first step was difficult especially against the advise of my parents. I thought I'd just try this for six months but now I couldn't go back because I saw a different way to live, a much more sustainable and cheaper option than what I had before".
Along the way, he met some interesting people and gained a lot of friends. He mentioned one lady undergoing depression and found solace growing plants.
A "must see" garden for me is the Sky Greens project that is hailed as
"the world's low-carbon, water-driven, rotating vertical farm".
As published in Our World by the United Nations University, this project was nicknamed as "A Go Grow" by Jack Ng, the Sky Green Director and creator of this garden.
This vertical garden in simple terms is composed of long aluminum troughs planted with three kinds of vegetables, (staples of Singaporeans); that revolve vertically like a ferries wheel but much slower; one revolution takes 8 hours so that the plants get enough sunlight as they go up. The system claims no exhaust emitted since it is water-driven; the same water is utilize to water the plants as they go down. If you want to know more about this unique garden, check it at:
There are a lot of edible garden enthusiasts in Singapore, individuals and organized groups as well as business establishments who want to produce much more. Since attempts in hydroponics and aeroponics had limited success, the challenges of these methods have yet to be resolved. Meanwhile there are experiments going on to find out whether LED light can substitute for sunlight to grow vegetables and fruits in enclosed structures.
To sum it up, every Singaporean has his own reason or passion to grow edibles but the greatest motivation boils down to food sufficiency.
After reading all these and watching the video of a grade schooler who expressed his concern for his future , I felt guilty that some of my pots are just lying around empty.
I feel challenged after I learned how Singaporeans maximize every inch of space possible, using all kinds of containers, planting vertical if space is limited just to produce food.
So I got some pepper seedlings from my husband's plot and planted a few on my long trough.
Although my husband has a tomato plot that was newly planted, I also tried planting tomato seedlings in a big pot, thinking that it would also turn out decorative especially when it will bear fruits. Like my basil pots placed behind our dining room window to enliven the place
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