Urban Farming for Food

Special Pak Choy （艿白菜）makes a very tasty stir fried vegetable dish, famous among the chinese families in Asia. It is best stir fried with chopped garlic and olive oil. It is crunchy and sweet to the taste as well as rich in vitamin C.  It grows well in tropical weather with lots of sunshine. Materials you need · At least a space of approximately 1m by 1m for about 40 to 50 seedlings at a garden plot, balcony area or roof top garden. · This illustration is designed and documented using a green house garden lot. · I used seeds from farm 85 at Lim Chu Kang but you may want to experiment with other brands too. Fig. 1 The seeds Step 1: Use a small gardening pot to seed the vegetable (about 20cm diameter pot for up to 60 seeds). Leave the pot at a sunny spot ( ~ 28 to 32 degree). The seeds take about 3 to 5 days to germinate. Assuming a germination rate of 80%, you will have at least...

 Fresh herbs add aroma and character to your dishes. Nothing beats freshly crushed basil leaves toppings on a plate of pipping hot spaghetti. Basil however has very short shelf life and the aroma easily lost with refrigeration. A potted basil within easy reach either at your balcony or your garden can be really handy to add that finishing touch to your favourite dish. Let us start planting basil through stem cutting or through seeds. If you need help to prepare the soil, please refer to soil preparation here . Materials you need · At least a 15 cm diameter by 20 cm depth flower pot. I used a 20 cm diameter by 25 cm depth flower pot. · A well-grown basil plant that you can obtain the stems or a packet of sweet basil seeds. By Stem-cutting Step 1: water the soil until it is thoroughly soaked. For a well drained soil, the pot should be slightly flooded for a short while after which water will drain off very quickly (approximately to count of three). For my...