Seeding a nation of gardeners

NParks' Gardening with Edibles initiative resonates with enthusiasts who are turning their homes into mini farms

Community in Bloom ambassador Iris Ho (left) grows vegetables and fruit such as Chinese spinach and cucumber along the corridor of her Ang Mo Kio Housing Board flat, while Ms Loh Lay Kwan, vice-president for sustainable operations at DBS Bank, has a tomat
Community in Bloom ambassador Iris Ho (above) grows vegetables and fruit such as Chinese spinach and cucumber along the corridor of her Ang Mo Kio Housing Board flat, while Ms Loh Lay Kwan, vice-president for sustainable operations at DBS Bank, has a tomato plant and herbs on her balcony. PHOTO: IRIS HO
Community in Bloom ambassador Iris Ho grows vegetables and fruit such as Chinese spinach and cucumber along the corridor of her Ang Mo Kio Housing Board flat, while Ms Loh Lay Kwan (above), vice-president for sustainable operations at DBS Bank, has a toma
Community in Bloom ambassador Iris Ho grows vegetables and fruit such as Chinese spinach and cucumber along the corridor of her Ang Mo Kio Housing Board flat, while Ms Loh Lay Kwan (above), vice-president for sustainable operations at DBS Bank, has a tomato plant and herbs on her balcony. PHOTO: LOH LAY KWAN
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

If the National Parks Board (NParks) has its way, there will be tomatoes and cucumbers as well as spinach and kangkong garden plots sprouting in corridors of Housing Board flats, on condominium balconies and any available space in Singapore homes.

NParks launched the Gardening with Edibles initiative as part of its City in Nature vision on Thursday to encourage people to grow their own produce at home by distributing 400,000 free packets of seeds for leafy vegetables and fruit vegetables.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 20, 2020, with the headline Seeding a nation of gardeners. Subscribe