City

5 November: Upcoming Soil Workshop at Hort Park

Soil Mixing Workshop (by the Tender Gardener and NÓNG by Edible Garden City)

It’s back!

Wish to learn the basics of soil and learn to make your own seed raising mix and potting mix? There are many recipes out there, but it also depends on what you’re growing. Hear about the variations of soil mixes and participate in this hands-on soil mixing workshop.

Date & Time: 5 November 2016, 10:30am – 12:30pm
Venue: NÓNG at HortPark, 33 Hyderabad Rd (Off Alexandra Road), #01-01 (Beside the Lawn), Singapore 119578
Cost: $55 per person, with limited spaces available, so booking is essential

What you will learn in this session:

– Nutrient requirements of plants
– Physical needs of plants
– Soil amendment basics
– How to grow and care for seedlings
– How to mix your own seed raising mix and potting mix

What you will take home:

– A list of seed raising and potting mix recipes
– Notes from our workshop
– Seed raising mix sample
– Potting mix sample
If you’d like to join us, book your seat here. See you there!

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October 27, 2016 by
City

Welcome to Kampung Kampus!

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It’s been at least two years since I last popped by Ground-Up Initiative‘s HQ – Kampung Kampus, situated at the location formally known as Bottle Tree Park, it was certainly a long overdue visit. It was so good to see Kampung Chief, Tay Lai Hock, again and I was so blown away by the changes from my last visit.

Ground-Up Initiative has come a long way since they started out in 2008. From having a small space beside a wheatgrass farming operation (I believe the owner generously let them use the space), they are now on 26,000 square metres, and in the midst of building a learning campus which teaches urban farming, craftsmanship and other skills, have a large volunteer base and many community-based programmes that encourage leadership development, experiential learning and community bonding.

They also have an incredible woodworking space, and a few productive vegetable gardens, one of them, a permaculture food garden. They supply supermarket chain, Yes Natural, and you can also buy their produce at a fruit and vegetable stand on the premises.

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When Kampung Kampus is completed, it will look like this. Intrigued? Read on…

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October 11, 2016 by
City, Garden Stories

Garden Stories: Ong Chun Yeow, the Community Rooftop Farmer

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In Yishun, you will find one of only a handful of rooftop community gardens in Singapore, built atop a HDB car park. Ong Chun Yeow is one of several estate residents with a garden allotment, growing lots of leafy greens like purslane, swiss chard, and amaranth, herbs, galangal, as well as fruiting vegetables like bitter gourd, okra and tomatoes.

Opened in 2014, this rooftop garden features 30 garden allotments, which residents ballot for. The diversity of plants in this garden is incredible, I saw corn, broccoli, kale, and strawberry plants, a papaya tree, different varieties of eggplants, gourds, beans, herbs and spices. Through clever space stacking and bio-intensive growing methods, one can maximise their yield, however limited the space, as can be seen in this garden. I also noticed many ladybirds, a beneficial insect and wonderful pest control agent, always good to have them around!

I got to know Chun Yeow through my circle of environmentalist friends and we have been Facebook friends for years, but I don’t recall actually meeting him in person till this year. He is keen on heritage and environmental issues, desires to have a low-impact existence, and practices intentional living. He recently received his Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) and is looking forward to more hands-on permaculture experiences locally and overseas. Whenever I ask him what he’s doing on the weekend, it seems like he’s usually involved in at least one urban farming-related event. As a lover of plants and nature, he’s also passionate about community building activities, such as those organised by Foodscape Collective.

Find out more about Chun Yeow’s journey in this interview, and check out the photos of this marvellous rooftop community garden!

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August 30, 2016 by
City

Soil Mixing Workshop at Hort Park

Old woman hands holding fresh soil. Symbol of spring and ecology concept

This basic soil workshop is back again this Sunday. Come by if you would like to find out how to grow more productive vegetables using organic fertiliser, and learn to make your own soil mix in the process!

Soil Mixing Workshop (by The Tender Gardener and NÓNG by Edible Garden City)

Wish to learn the basics of soil and learn to make your own seed raising mix and potting mix? There are many recipes out there, but it also depends on what you’re growing. Hear about the variations of soil mixes and participate in this hands-on soil mixing workshop.

Date/ Time: 28th August, 10.30am – 12.30pm
Venue: HortPark, 33 Hyderabad Rd (Off Alexandra Road), #01-01 (Beside the Lawn), Singapore 119578
Cost: $55 per person, with limited spaces available, so booking is essential.
 What you will learn in this session:
– Nutrient requirements of plants
– Physical needs of plants
– Soil amendment basics
– How to grow healthy seedlings
– Dealing with pests
– How to mix your own seed raising mix and potting mix

What you will take home:
– A list of seed raising mix and potting mix recipes
– Seed raising mix sample
– Potting mix sample

Join this session by reserving your seat here!

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August 22, 2016 by