Wednesday, November 8, 2017

NParks' garden plots a big hit with Singaporeans

Source Website: http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/nparks-garden-plots-big-hit-singaporeans
By Raffaella Nathan Charles, The New Paper, 08 November 2017 at 06:00 am


All 330 allotment garden plots were snapped up at the second Community Garden Festival in HortPark at the weekend.
PHOTO: All 330 allotment garden plots were snapped up at the second Community Garden Festival in HortPark at the weekend.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Picture posted by Raffaella Nathan Charles, The New Paper, 08 November 2017 at 06:00 am
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http://www.tnp.sg/sites/default/files/styles/rl680/public/articles/2017/11/08/np_20171108_rnlot08_1656585.jpg?itok=6iXZHcrb
http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/nparks-garden-plots-big-hit-singaporeans


The plan to get Singaporeans gardening and harvesting is off to a flying start.

Two days after the National Parks Board (NParks) announced it was making available 330 allotment garden plots, all have been snapped up.

Gardening enthusiasts formed long snaking queues around the Allotment Garden Booth at the second Community Garden Festival in HortPark at the weekend.
Community farmers at their allotment garden plots at HortPark on Nov 3, 2017
PHOTO: Community farmers at their allotment garden plots at HortPark on Nov 3, 2017 [2]
ST PHOTO: Ng Sor Luan
Picture posted by Raffaella Nathan Charles, The Straits Times on 03 November 2017 at 4:51 pm SGT
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http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/keen-gardeners-can-now-rent-spaces-at-parks-to-grow-their-own-crops


By the end of Sunday, all 110 plots in Punggol Park, 60 in Clementi Woods Park, and 160 in HortPark were taken up.

The 2.5 sq m plots allow gardeners of any skill level to grow their own plants, with soil and water provided by NParks.

Individuals simply need their own seeds and tools.
Visitors at the first day of the Community Gardens Festival at HortPark on Nov 3, 2017
PHOTO: Visitors at the first day of the Community Gardens Festival at HortPark on Nov 3, 2017 [2]
ST PHOTO: Ng Sor Luan
Picture posted by Raffaella Nathan Charles, The Straits Times on 03 November 2017 at 4:51 pm SGT
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http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/keen-gardeners-can-now-rent-spaces-at-parks-to-grow-their-own-crops


One household is entitled to a plot each.

The plots cost $57 a year and leases are for three years.

Housewife Kelly Orozco is eagerly awaiting the upcoming opening of allotment garden plots in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

NParks plans to open 70 plots there by mid-December, which members of the public can sign up for on their website or at the park's site office.
Punggol Waterway Park
PHOTO: Punggol Waterway Park
Picture posted by Paul Poon 
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http://81817777.com/_Media/punggol-waterway-park6_med.jpeg
http://81817777.com/blog/about-punggol-waterway-park.html#.WgJDJ7iYQz8


The 53-year-old, who lives in Toa Payoh, has a garden at the back of her first-storey HDB flat.

But her plants, especially the edibles, sometimes get stolen or are eaten by pests.

"I want to have the freedom to plant what I want without it getting stolen," she said.

The allotment gardens are considered "a novelty" in land-scarce Singapore.

"Gardening helps me de-stress, so the individual lots will be useful to me. I really hope I manage to apply for one in Bishan," she said.
Community gardeners here have long been enjoying the fruits of their labour and the green pockets they created in their backyards.
PHOTO: Community gardeners here have long been enjoying the fruits of their labour and the green pockets they created in their backyards. Sustaining these gardens near their homes, offices and schools on their own time and expense, these amateur gardeners have impressed the professionals.
To recognise their efforts, the National Parks Board (NParks) has given 15 community gardens each a Diamond Award - a new prize at its biennial Community In Bloom Awards. [3]
Picture posted by Natasha Ann Zachariah, The Straits Times on 05 Jul 2014 at 1:05 pm SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OO7qCVNgrDBwM_xRzUCj1d77CbL5pYYhhBlbXjGE1meZ3Rtpqj6KPdd3bNyDSf3WFMc7JsnU2n3Bc4L52bj3gkhksSpbJ1hSd85_RZMI4a3vDYdWFr2F9cHjEEQGSfYa06Og3ZrFqwM/s1600/ST_20140705_NZCIB7WVT_461410e_2x.jpg
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http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/green-plots-for-young-and-old-among-community-in-bloom-award-winners


The allotment gardening scheme aims to increase spaces provided to garden and promote edible gardening, in line with NParks' Edible Horticulture Masterplan.

The plan banks on the hot trend of planting edibles: a whopping 80 per cent of over 1,300 NParks' public estate community gardens grow their own fruits and vegetables.

Members of the public can expect more than 1,000 allotment garden plots in 11 parks across the island by 2019.
By Raffaella Nathan Charles, The New Paper, 08 November 2017 at 06:00 am


Retiree Salbiah Osman (above) takes three buses from her Tampines home to reach the community garden in Woodlands Street 81, which has eight plots (above) growing plants such as pandan.
PHOTO: Retiree Salbiah Osman (above) takes three buses from her Tampines home to reach the community garden in Woodlands Street 81, which has eight plots (above) growing plants such as pandan. [3]
Picture posted by Natasha Ann Zachariah, The Straits Times on 05 Jul 2014 at 1:05 pm SGT 
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http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/green-plots-for-young-and-old-among-community-in-bloom-award-winners


Retiree Salbiah Osman (above) takes three buses from her Tampines home to reach the community garden in Woodlands Street 81, which has eight plots (above) growing plants such as pandan.
PHOTO: Retiree Salbiah Osman (above) takes three buses from her Tampines home to reach the community garden in Woodlands Street 81, which has eight plots (above) growing plants such as pandan. [3]
Picture posted by Natasha Ann Zachariah, The Straits Times on 05 Jul 2014 at 1:05 pm SGT 
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-wm-TdkvfzByhlOVNgIZ_RUlJtt5atJK7eqdeHfdTrQRYm1cGvRKDkwBPYMQL68drYMwKVkbsP25mt_CQK2Rx4_AnFBBj3R5boW1OjatauE5ir1vaDwWLYivSibfK3VOkvkKdSQ30hA/s1600/ST_20140705_NZCIBNYNW_461408e_2x.jpg
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http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/green-plots-for-young-and-old-among-community-in-bloom-award-winners


Yu Neng Primary 3 pupils Yeo Xiu Ping (above left) and Maybelle Myint (above right) tend their school's garden (left), which uses coffee compost as fertiliser and has small plots for different plant experiments.
PHOTO: Yu Neng Primary 3 pupils Yeo Xiu Ping (above left) and Maybelle Myint (above right) tend their school's garden (left), which uses coffee compost as fertiliser and has small plots for different plant experiments. [3]
Picture posted by Natasha Ann Zachariah, The Straits Times on 05 Jul 2014 at 1:05 pm SGT
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http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/green-plots-for-young-and-old-among-community-in-bloom-award-winners


Big on recycling: The community garden in Jurong's Chinese Garden uses plastic bottles (above) and old shoes (above left, with volunteer Madam Ang Hor Cheoh) as containers for plants.
PHOTO: Big on recycling: The community garden in Jurong's Chinese Garden uses plastic bottles (above) and old shoes (above left, with volunteer Madam Ang Hor Cheoh) as containers for plants. [3]
PHOTOS: Lim Yao Hui, The Straits Times
Picture posted by Natasha Ann Zachariah, The Straits Times on 05 Jul 2014 at 1:05 pm SGT
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http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/green-plots-for-young-and-old-among-community-in-bloom-award-winners


Big on recycling: The community garden in Jurong's Chinese Garden uses plastic bottles (above) and old shoes (above left, with volunteer Madam Ang Hor Cheoh) as containers for plants.
PHOTO: Big on recycling: The community garden in Jurong's Chinese Garden uses plastic bottles (above) and old shoes (above left, with volunteer Madam Ang Hor Cheoh) as containers for plants. [3]
PHOTOS: Lim Yao Hui, The Straits Times
Picture posted by Natasha Ann Zachariah, The Straits Times on 05 Jul 2014 at 1:05 pm SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtgtQ_eItKFwjw1fO-j2hzAKWEhab1gA9xq072M9sH9H963C7hou2752wbywej64IshEfsxsxQc0G42zBF_ZgoWEeUAw0A8ojcrx_Ftv3NWhWJTD3kGO4Ztu6z9Ee4FpuE5ebvnLZPMM/s1600/ST_20140705_NZCIBS47K_461399e_2x.jpg
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http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/green-plots-for-young-and-old-among-community-in-bloom-award-winners


Big on recycling: The community garden in Jurong's Chinese Garden uses plastic bottles (above) and old shoes (above left, with volunteer Madam Ang Hor Cheoh) as containers for plants.
PHOTO: Big on recycling: The community garden in Jurong's Chinese Garden uses plastic bottles (above) and old shoes (above left, with volunteer Madam Ang Hor Cheoh) as containers for plants. [3]
PHOTOS: Lim Yao Hui, The Straits Times
Picture posted by Natasha Ann Zachariah, The Straits Times on 05 Jul 2014 at 1:05 pm SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASc9JRSXv-3Ef3qatWyQ9w2K9BOJdwYk2xu_r_OAG2HZ3y7YUlmKx2pWP64B2rPM78WoVKr3PydS2LumJmeAMoucqlAqYvdStoZEnz2qVhK-UFoTAvSCituNf5vS-7mRco7Y84GmENt8/s1600/ST_20140705_NZCIB6ADA_461370e_2x.jpg
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http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/green-plots-for-young-and-old-among-community-in-bloom-award-winners


Teacher Wu Liying and her young charges from Ang Mo Kio My First Skool tend the award-winning garden (left) outside their school. Besides ornamental dishes filled with fish, flowering plants (above) also dot the plot.
PHOTO: Teacher Wu Liying and her young charges from Ang Mo Kio My First Skool tend the award-winning garden (left) outside their school. Besides ornamental dishes filled with fish, flowering plants (above) also dot the plot. [3]
Picture posted by Natasha Ann Zachariah, The Straits Times on 05 Jul 2014 at 1:05 pm SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-DDEQ5ZlfPvsxxOH2pCJi0l_WGitUxMw6t2EPydQ8rtZHbRuDg2rqEkltK6fEQKRGY36fvgQoN4PT3I3GsJhSGFFGYT277NWKlOeErIWCfqCiIfR5vutVlf39HJMuainQa7uIQxQ02o/s1600/ST_20140705_NZCIB1LCY_461417e_2x.jpg
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http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/green-plots-for-young-and-old-among-community-in-bloom-award-winners



Reference
[1] Raffaella Nathan Charles, The New Paper, NParks' garden plots a big hit with Singaporeans, posted on 08 November 2017 at 06:00 am, http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/nparks-garden-plots-big-hit-singaporeans

[2] Raffaella Nathan Charles, The Straits Times, Keen gardeners can now rent spaces at parks to grow their own crops, posted on 03 November 2017 at 4:51 pm SGT, http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/keen-gardeners-can-now-rent-spaces-at-parks-to-grow-their-own-crops

[3] Natasha Ann Zachariah, The Straits Times, Green plots for young and old among Community In Bloom award winners, posted on 05 Jul 2014 at 1:05 pm SGT, http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/green-plots-for-young-and-old-among-community-in-bloom-award-winners
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