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Where to buy garden soil in Singapore?

If you are looking for places where you can buy garden soil in Singapore, the good news is that soil products are readily available islandwide. In this post I will share where you can buy different types of soil for your different gardening needs.

When buying soil, it’s important to know what kind of soil you are looking for in the first place. What plant is it meant for? For ornamental plants, there are potting mixes available for succulents, begonias, and aroids. For herbs and vegetables, you can buy soil for seed raising, green leafy vegetables or a general potting mix. If you are growing trees outdoors, there is garden soil for that purpose. For the more adventurous gardeners, you can mix your own soil too.

To find out where to buy garden soil in Singapore, read on to discover the various brands you can buy online and in-store.

where to buy garden soil in Singapore
Photo by Sasha Kim

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City

Where to buy raised garden beds and outdoor planters in Singapore

Looking for where you can buy raised garden beds and outdoor planters in Singapore? Here you will find a list of the best places to get them, so you can get started on your gardening project right away. I have also included a couple of contacts who can custom make garden beds of your preferred size.

Raised garden beds and outdoor planters are a neat, aesthetic and ergonomic way to grow foliage plants, flowers and vegetables. They are often easy to assemble and maintain, making them a popular choice for gardeners of all levels of experience. So, where should you go to buy raised garden beds in Singapore? Read on for my top recommendations!

Benefits of raised garden beds

There are many benefits to using raised garden beds, including:

1. . They can allow for better drainage than traditional in-ground gardens if there is a water logging issue in your garden, therefore your plants will be less susceptible to root rot and other moisture-related problems.

2. Raised beds can be used to create a more attractive garden space by adding some height and visual interest.

3. They can be placed on any level surface, including patios or decks, making them ideal for small spaces or areas with poor soil conditions.

4. Raised beds are more ergonomic and better for your back as you will not have to bend as low.

5. If you have heavy metals in your garden soil or have reason to believe that the soil in your garden is toxic, using a raised garden bed will help circumvent this issue.

grow vegetables in planters singapore
Image by cottonbro studio

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City, Garden Stories

Garden Stories: Ganesh Kumar of Woodlands Botanical Garden

Known as Woodlands Botanical Garden, this award-winning community garden is situated on a hillside in Marsiling spanning 2500m2 over 9 storeys. Furnished with more than 200 varieties of plants, this is a wonderland for birds, bees, butterflies and other garden inhabitants. The good news is it is open round the clock to the public for visits.

Officially launched in July 2020, this showstopping garden is tended to by Woodlands Botanical Garden Chairman Ganesh, his father and a team of around 20 residents. Together they plant, prune, build garden structures and undertake general garden tasks, including feeding the budgerigars who have their own enclosure on the premises.   

Even though this garden was established not long ago, it has already won three awards, including Garden of Year 2022. Flowers that can be found here include roses, Melastoma, Tecoma, Plumbago, Crossandra, Chalicevine, Musical Notes plant and a wide variety of Hibiscus.

Thanks to the diversity of plants and the community garden’s approach to stewarding the garden, visitors are treated to day-long sightings of bees, butterflies, birds, dragonflies and other pollinators. The pond has helped attract more wildlife to the garden, in addition, Ganesh believes in letting nature take its course, and does not intervene when caterpillars and snails make a meal of the plants.

Ganesh has built a few gardens throughout the years, beginning with his grandfather’s garden, a community garden in Hougang, followed by a garden in one of NTU’s halls, where he was the residential mentor. With this garden, he hopes that it can serve as a mental wellness garden for others to enjoy.

Read on to find out more about Ganesh and Woodlands Botanical Garden.

Woodlands town park east
Woodlands Botanical Garden
Woodlands Botanical Garden Singapore

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City, Country

Here’s What to Do If Your Chicken Is Attacked by a Cat

If you keep chickens as pets, it’s important to know what to do if your chicken is attacked by a cat. Cats are natural predators of chickens and can kill them very quickly. In this blog post, I will recommend what to do if one of your chickens is attacked by a cat and what to expect in the process of caring for your injured chicken.

Recently, a cat showed up and attacked the weakest of my flock of three bantam chickens. By the time I went outside to check on the commotion, it was too late. The cat was running away with my hen, Nugget, in its mouth. At the time I thought it was probably too late, I lost a young rooster to a feral cat years ago and it was a quick death as it got him by the neck. I gave chase and the cat dropped Nugget in the drain, before escaping. It was trying to get away fast and it wasn’t able to fit her through the hole.

Nugget was in shock and tilted her head up to breathe. I carried her to a quiet spot to catch her breath and saw that she had a couple of wounds on her back. After around 10 minutes, she stood up and wanted to join the rest of the flock but I put her in the coop for observation. I immediately left some food out for her and she still had a good appetite, which was a relief. However, she mainly stood around and was withdrawn, she also looked like she had some difficulty walking. The next day, my brother and I took her to the vet – AAVC in Yishun- (our regular vet, Gloria Lee of Mount Pleasant in Yishun, was on 3 weeks leave) and discovered that it was worse than we thought.

From my experience I recommend the following:

1. Get your chicken to a vet ASAP

chicken has injury from cat attack
Nugget after surgery, photo provided by AAVC

First of all, it’s important to act quickly if your chicken is attacked by a cat. Cats have toxic saliva and bites can result in infections and kill your chicken. A cat attack requires emergency care and will need to see a vet. It is a good idea to inspect your chicken to try to get an accurate assessment of how serious the injury is.

Before you get your chicken to the vet, clean the wounds to reduce any chance of an infection. If you do not have F10 disinfectant (requires dilution) or saline solution on hand, you can try posting an SOS to Facebook or Telegram on channels like Backyard Chickens Singapore (BYCS) or Save the Chickenese Singapore to find out if there is someone in your neighbourhood whom you can get it from immediately.

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