As the name suggests, community gardens are a government-supported initiative that offers green-fingered HDB residents the opportunity to get together and garden. Located within the neighbourhood estates, and tended to by volunteer gardeners, community gardens are one of the easiest ways for eco-conscious Singaporeans to start urban farming.

Good news is that you well be able to do some some good too; part of the harvest from community gardens may be sold to raise funds for the needy during grassroots events. Other community gardens allow needy residents to take what they need. And the harvest isn’t anything to sneeze at either — Sembawang GRC once harvested over 700kg of vegetables for the needy.

Get started by enquiring at your local Residents’ Committee to see if there are any planting plots available at gardens near you. If there are, you may apply for membership and you’’ll be raking and hoeing with your new garden buddies in no time.

Another popular option involves planting an urban garden right at your doorstep. Examples abound of talented HDB dwellers who have been successfully growing and harvesting their own fruits and vegetables in their very own corridors.

Raising a garden in your corridor requires some luck. For starters, you need an appropriate amount of sunlight and rain in your corridor. Also, hopefully your neighbours aren’t the paranoid type who think hordes of mosquitoes are waiting behind every leaf to give their precious children dengue fever. You should also look out for stray cats, who might just decide to turn your fledgling nursery into an exciting new toilet.

Bear in mind that HDB corridors are designated common areas, so do ensure that you’re not obstructing the way with too many potted plants. Keep at least 1.2m width for the passage and avoid leaving your gardening tools haphazardly as both the elderly and young could easily trip on them. When it’s time to harvest your fresh vegetables or fruits, offer your neighbours the sweet fruits of your labour!

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If corridor-planting is not a viable option due to tight space constraints in narrow corridors, you can try to have your urban garden indoors. All you need is a fairly open space with good sunlight and a vertical garden system that allows you to stack rows of vegetable on top of each other.

With the advent of aeroponics, a system of using nutrient-rich water to cultivate healthy plants, these systems only require 10 per cent of the water and space compared to conventional soil farming methods. This makes it an ideal (and clean) choice for urban farming.

Check out Aerospring, which sells full-sized aeroponic garden kits capable of growing 27 or 36 edible plants at a go with minimum fuss. Prices start from $580 per set. Aerospring is also raising a Kickstarter for their Indoor Kit. Complete with lights, this versatile kit is capable of growing you a full salad right next to your dinner table.

If you’ll rather save the precious balcony space for something else or if you aren’t ready to commit to a large indoor plant system, well the Click and Grow kit may be more to your liking. Touted as a counter-top, indoor mini garden growing system, you can grow up to 45 different crops, including leafy greens, herbs and flowering plants. Here’s to being spoilt for choice!

Text: Chip Chen Additional Reporting: Seah Pei Jun

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