How to Videos , containers gardening, DIY self watering, organic edibles
One of the French variety that we started in 2018 was the MIGNONETTE Alpine strawberries. This variety was easy to grow, entered the flowering stage at 3 months, and a vigorous grower with about 100 – 120 fruits in a 4 months window. This matched growing data from gardeners abroad, even though we […]
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It had been 4 years since we grew and documented journals on growing strawberries from seeds in Singapore. With the compilation of data and observations from our plants, we began to test what we hypothesized about strawberries in the tropical zone since 2016 and these were some of our findings. The parameter for our […]
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Not all shiso tastes the same. In our kitchen, we find there are culinary differences between the Japanese and Korean Shiso and thus we used them differently. In the former (Japanese,青しそ, ao-jiso ), the leaves are thinner and the taste is suitable even for young children’s salads. Eaten raw, the minty flavor […]
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These are food for the soul on cold rainy weather in Singapore! For meat burritos, we like earthy herbs like Sage and Oregano as they compliment tomatoes very well. These herbs are grown on our window gardens, ready to be harvested at our convenience. We can use any […]
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Growing Sage from cutting is easier than germinating the seeds. Steps to propagating sage from cutting Cut the stem’s end at 45 degree Remove bottom-most leaves as this part will be in the water Need only 2 or 3 leaves at the top Use net-cup to support roots tip in water […]
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The recipe was from CHEF ANNA Olsen’s “OH YUM” YouTube Channel, posted below. Nothing is changed from her recipe except the sequence of ingredients added in bread dough preparation. An all-time favorite at home with Summer and her cousins, as well as adults (although we really shouldn’t indulge! ). We are re-writing […]
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We rarely grow lettuce at home as we much preferred kale varieties but these colorful ones were hard to resist. The red or four seasoned lettuce will spruce up any salads presentation. Most of the seeds germinated within 3 days. Our favorite way is to sow on moist kitchen tissues and cling wrapped […]
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Algae is present whenever there are liquid and light. In hydroponics gardening, where light, water and nutrients are present, algae growth can be a weekly maintenance headache to clean. Algae can be present in the soil as well. Wherever light meets moisture. To prevent or at least reduce algae […]
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Byblis is a carnivorous “Godsend” plant for many gardeners faced with flying pests troubles. Their long sticky leaves trapped anything that flies by. Enquire for availability in SHOP And all they need to thrive are filtered water and as much sun as they could get. They can be placed outdoor without […]
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Before we get too excited about these apples seedlings and dreams of picking fresh apples from our own trees, some reading would suffice to put everything back on track, firmly in reality. Here are the “BAD NEWS” about apples from supermarkets’ fruits seeds – The seedling will become a tree, about 6 […]
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Swiss Chards are cold seasoned biennial ( 2 years to complete life cycle) vegetables and come in beautiful vibrant colors, livening up any salads. We don’t see them on our supermarkets’ shelves and thus decided to grow from seeds. As they belonged to the beets family, their seeds are similar-looking as well. […]
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Lest we get confused with Chinese Parsley, which tastes like celery, these so-called “Western” Parsley are Curly leaf (English) and Italian Flat Leaf Parsley. As this herb is a biennial, meaning it will bolt (flower) in the second year and then died, we much preferred growing them from seeds than buying from the […]
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Our chicken pies are an all time favorite with guests, parties, picnics or home meals. When the children were young and dislike eating vegetables, it was also my way to sneak in as much greens as possible into their favorite tea time pies and they could not picked it out! We love to use herbs, […]
Continue ReadingMy friends who knew me well probably guessed its the name, “Sugar Loaf” that attracted me to try these seeds! Little did I know that this vegetable is fame for their slightly bitter undertone. These vegetables are used commonly in the Italian or Spanish kitchens in soups, grilled or cooked with cheeses, garlic, lemon or […]
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Although Purslane is considered a weed in many countries, it nonetheless packed a powerhouse of nutrients for salads lovers. The health benefits include high omega 3 fatty acids (helps lower cholesterol), natural antioxidants, Vitamin A, B, C, iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Native to Asia, purslane is now enjoyed widely for its nutrition and […]
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We are grateful for moments of heightened curiosity when excitement and intrigue sparkle and we were drawn into the chase to look for answers. These recent years had been one roller coaster after another, finding answers to growing challenging (cold seasoned) edible plants in our tropical climate. After strawberries (still an ongoing search […]
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My daughter, Summer, loves potatoes in any form, whether grilled, roast with our fresh herbs, mashed for pot pies, or steamed. So I decided to try planting our own in the outdoor apartment’s gardens. We choose small to med sized potatoes rather than large Russet potatoes for our first trial. The […]
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Growing ginger is surprisingly easy, but in hindsight, I should have planted them individually or in a wider pot to allow the roots to grow more. Fellow gardener, Ms. Pek Nyuk recommended starting planting them in shallow soil depth in a wide pot and then top up with soil as they grow. This […]
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Original Recipe from Richard Goh (October 2010). For 9 inch square tin, paper lined. Preheat oven at 180C Part 1 – WET Ingredients In big mixing bowl, beat well – 175 ml Sunflower or Veg Oil 175g […]
Continue ReadingGrowing cool seasoned plants such as strawberries outside their ideal zones is not difficult as long as we understood the plants’ signals. From the experience of seeds grown plants, we first recognized what are the healthy signals. For strawberries, the most indicative of health is red or vivid stems/crown. Next are open faced leaves, upright […]
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We love growing and harvesting our own vegetables at home. Nothing quite beats the taste and texture of our own plants. It is also immensely gratifying to see the whole journey from seeds to cutting the leaves for a meal and to be able to harvest again each week from the same plant. […]
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Our indoor gardens are often challenged by limited space and sun but it is still pleasant to live surrounded by plants we love. Since 2015 to accommodate our expanding strawberry garden, we grew vertically on our windows as well as horizontally on tables by the windows. We made pots out of recycled PET ( polyethylene […]
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My friend of over 20 years, Ling, brought me some homegrown sugar cane in February 2018 and they were amazingly juicy and sweet. To enjoy these, we hacked the long hard stem of the fruits at the joint which will break after a few hits. From the top of each shortened stem, split […]
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The general rule of thumb for anyone who loves kale and wants fresh harvest regularly is to grow 3 to 4 plants per family member. Grow your own at home saves money, as this is a cut and grow plant. As a gauge, a 10 weeks old plant will yield 5 big leaves […]
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There are about 135 varieties and under them, 1900 species of ice plants. Originally discovered in the dry and barren South Africa’s mountains, they thrived better in sandy soil. In addition to leaves, their flowers are also edible. Beautiful plants grown by Dr. Wilson Wong, creator of Green Culture Facebook group. […]
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