Anyone can enjoy urban farming, even from an HDB flat or condominium, Chee said. All you need are a few pots in your balcony, on racks along HDB corridors, or beside a well-lit window, she said.
Don’t worry if a plant you care for dies, she added. “Every good gardener has killed multiple plants.
“When I first started, I kept killing plants too. A friend who works in NParks told me every green thumb is stained with the blood of a thousand dead plants,” she laughed. “It’s through the killing of the plant that you learn the most.”
Oftentimes, plants die because our home conditions do not match their needs; you just need to find the right plant for your space, Chee explained. For instance, if you have less sunlight, choose shade-tolerant crops like sweet potato leaves or kangkong, she said.
Sprouts and microgreens have a high success rate and are a simple way to begin growing your own food, Chee added. She also recommended sayur manis and Brazilian spinach because these plants thrive in Singapore.
“Brazilian spinach grows really fast, so within just one or two weeks, it can be harvested. And it will grow back after you cut it, so the same plant can sustain you for many years,” Chee said.
If pressed for time, herbs like basil, laksa leaves and pandan leaves are great options, she added. Because they are perennial plants, you can harvest a bit of the herb at a time to enhance your meal, and the plant continues to grow, she said.
Chee also conducts fermentation workshops, showing participants how to add sugar and water to herbs, allowing naturally occurring yeast on the herb surface to ferment the sugar. This produces carbon dioxide, which, when trapped in a sealed container, dissolves into the liquid and creates carbonated, probiotic herbal sodas.