Goin’ Green!

I’ve been busy getting into the hobby of gardening and fish keeping. There have been several pretty tough learning curves but I believe it is all worth it. As a rule, cooking and gardening have always been best friends. If you truly want to eat organic and healthy food, the costs are inevitably going to shoot sky high and swiftly burn a hole into your pockets. The simplest solution to this is to grow your own food. Plus, it is really fun!

In Singapore, gardening is a tough hobby to keep. The majority of us live in high-rise, shoebox apartments that barely has enough space to keep a family comfortable, much less leave room for fishes or pots and plants. But still, with some shifting, I managed to make some space!

My messy little garden

Not very visually appealing just yet, but I do intend to buy a nice plant stand from IKEA and shift them onto it. It will tidy the area up much better and make it look great.

As of now, I have successfully cultivated a few mint varieties. They include Apple Mint, Spearmint and Peppermint. Mint is ridiculously easy to grow as you can cultivate them from cuttings you get from the supermarket. I bought my Apple Mint strain from Cold Storage just 4 months back, plunked into water until the roots sprout out and it has been taking over my home ever since! I’ve been giving cuttings from my mints as gifts at every chance I get.

Mint is known as a runner. Its roots grow like weed and will gobble up any space you plant it in, so be careful to not mix it with other plants or they will strangle out the roots of your other plants. This mint plant was a mere cutting just 1 week ago, check out how fast they grew even without a rooting hormone!

Crazy runners of the mint

As destructive as this may be, it also makes it a great starter plant for beginners. You need never worry about killing off the mint with your rookie mistakes. They hardy plants that can withstand just about anything! Plus, they make a great addition to any baked goods! #yum

Since then, I have moved on to growing more vegetables. I have tried my hand at growing onion, garlic, long beans, chillis, egg plants, yellow bell peppers, chives and even sweet potatoes!

All of these are great for Singapore’s tropical weather. Where did I stash all these plants you may ask? Into small little pots. Yes, it is quite likely that this will cause my yields to be small, but hey, I’m just starting out. It is more important that I get the basics right first 🙂 Once I have successfully cultivated these strains, then I’ll make more space for the rest.