How to Videos , containers gardening, DIY self watering, organic edibles
This plant deserved its own journal instead of writing it under our 2019 post, which was not successful in liquid-based. We sowed the seeds on April 26, 2020, at 2.31 pm. When it germinated on the 28th, we thought it was a blueberry because this errant seed has gotten into our blueberry […]
Continue Reading
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting them to grow after being left forgotten in my fridge for over three weeks. The leaves and stalks were brown and dry. To my surprise, new shoots grew from midsection like this after sitting in 3 cm water for two days. STEP 1 – Trim away […]
Continue Reading
What we love about this perennial herb is that the tart lemon tasting leaves retain this unique flavor even when the heat is applied and of course, its pretty colors. The name probably comes from these bloody veined appearance on the leaves. Dock Bloody Sorrel originated in the Mediterranean region and are used […]
Continue Reading
There is an astonishing array of basil that can easily be grown from seeds (or cutting if available) for our culinary exploration. Some examples are – Sweet Italian Basil, also known as GENOVESE basil Lemon Basil (excellent in cold teas or chilled beverages on a hot day) Mrs. Burns Lemon Basil (anti – […]
Continue Reading
We started watermelons from seeds indoor to study how they grow closer. This was our first vine plant and we had no idea how they would grow at all! Right from the start, there were some challenges growing this plant inside our apartment. A primary one is a lack of space for a […]
Continue Reading
Blauberren or Schwarzbeeren literally means “blackberries” in English but they are also known by other names. Edible Black Nightshade (English) Schwarzer Nachtschatten (German) Morelle noire (French) Hierba mora (Spanish) Paslen Cernyj (Russia) Scientific name – solanum Nigrum L They are not the same species as Garden Huckleberry, Wonderberry, or Sunberry although the […]
Continue Reading
Also known as German mountain spinach or Saltbush , it’s an annual cool season herb that tolerates warm weather well. Unlike spinach, these will not bolt easily in our climate. They came in variety of colors, red, magenta, yellow, copper or golden and can be eaten fresh in salads (goes well with sorrel) or cooked. […]
Continue Reading
The taste consensus is in. This variety is sweet and when very ripe, the taste profile is caramel + pineapple flavored strawberries. However similar to other white strawberry varieties, it is also slower to grow and very challenging in our environment. We grew in both Kratky (non circulating hydroponic) and soil to compare […]
Continue Reading
If only one word is allowed to describe this plant’s characteristic, it would be “pale”. Everything from leaves to stems is a lighter shade compared to the red Alpine strawberries varieties. It is known by other names, such as “Pineapple” Baron or ” Fraises des Bois” and highly sought by chefs […]
Continue Reading
Our orange’s journal began unexpectedly on January 31 2019 when this sprouted seed was found in our fruit. We will observe how it grows from this point more for curiosity’s sake than expecting any fruits. Moreover, it is unlikely our bedroom is able to support an orange tree. Its growth was […]
Continue Reading
Much to my surprise, sunflowers seeds were not easy to germinate. The following germination methods did not work for me – Pre-soaking in 40C water, overnight, then drained to sow on soil Sowed in moist soil after cracking its pointy tip Uncovered pot – seeds exposed to light Sow on moist tissues […]
Continue Reading
In appearance, and texture, these young seedlings are similar to ice plants, and they both taste slightly salty. This vegetable is also known by other names such as New Zealand Spinach, Cook’s Cabbage, Sea Spinach, Botany Bay Spinach, or Warrigal greens. In spite of its numerous common names, this plant is not spinach. […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
I was a noob myself in 2015 and still remembered how I start. What seems common sense to seasoned gardeners may not be so clear for new gardeners. I read a lot of posts in every group that I joined. Do some reading in gardening books and watched online videos and yet, with […]
Continue Reading
And … COWGIRLS ! 🙂 In every group of various communities, there are bound to be a small group of rebels who are not satisfied with the ordinary. They defied every established rule to do things their own way and explore new boundaries. These are the grapes growers who do so in Singapore high […]
Continue Reading
Our country, Singapore, measures 50 km (31 miles) from east to west and only 27 km (17 miles) north to south but supports over 5 million multinational people. Due to lack of landmass, most people lived in high rise apartments, and have no private outdoor gardens. But as I discovered after creating my […]
Continue Reading
Notice I did not add a “tree” behind the papaya in the title? There was some debate during the sharing of this post in our group (SG Farming in Apartments) whether a papaya plant is a tree, herb, or both! 🙂 What is interesting about the papaya plant is that it has three […]
Continue Reading
Gardening is no longer about just growing plants! Its a combination of great D.I.Y ideas like this and plant knowledge which will allow gardeners to grow plants that are typically out of the zone. And that’s why I love Wanqing Lee’s icebox idea for a tropical strawberry planter. For material cost of less than […]
Continue Reading
The idea is simple. Reared some marine life, be it fishes or shrimps, then channel the aquarium water to feed vegetables. It’s a self-sustaining system that auto-irrigates your edibles while you are on holiday! Sound great, right? But this post took me the longest time to write, even though I told Ethan Phang […]
Continue Reading
UPDATE 2018 – Successfully grown in non-circulating hydroponics (KRATKY) and began 3rd generation seedlings trials. This variety was acclimatized to SG natural environment by 2017. The parent plants of this variety began their journey on January 16 2016 in soil. This is Alpine heirloom Pineapple strawberries, a low growing variety with […]
Continue Reading
UPDATE 2019 – GROW LAVENDERS IN LIQUID WORKSHOP AVAILABLE! Our Unique curriculum includes how to acclimatize lavenders for our climate! These plants are able to renew growth from dry wooden barks on their own. Hardy acclimated lavenders are easier to maintain in our climate. This is how the […]
Continue Reading
You guess right, is Mr. Alan Tan! And who would ever guess this amazing garden of international sunflowers varieties and wild organic edibles garden existed at all if Alan had not shared pictures with the gardening communities of Singapore?! It existed not in some plush location, but a corner of a construction site […]
Continue Reading
Ever reminisced about what we were doing when we were 21 years old? Certainly, mine was not even close to what I love doing now – growing strawberries. My hobbies then were stars away from what this young man loved doing. I am still in awe by what this young man built in […]
Continue ReadingLiving in a small apartment and no space for homegrown vegetables? This was Lim San’s tomatoes harvest from a cup! Too busy! No time to tend to a garden? How about a Do-It-Yourself – Automatic watering garden out of free-of-charge recycled containers? Having no land […]
Continue Reading
I remembered when I wrote this post in 2015, it was during the worst haze experience in Singapore. Many people were stuck at home. There were no schools. But it became the best time to make gardening crafts from recyclables. The original post in 2015 – Going away for holidays? Worried […]
Continue Reading
2015 When we started on this journey in March 2015, it was just one nondescript table by a sunny window in a bedroom. Then two tables started filling up with plants as we gained confidence in gardening. Papaya, lychee, and any seed that stroke our curiosity were tried. We saw how […]
Continue Reading
In 2017, we began a new exploration of white wild Alpine strawberries varieties in KRATKY (passive hydroponic) method. These varieties are not common commercially and too fragile to ship, thus we had to grow them from seeds. We were keen to grow them out of curiosity because their taste profiles were described as intensely […]
Continue Reading