Growing A Green Thumb At Home
By Tan Wei Mou
TAN WEI MOU explores the steps to growing your own edibles at home.
“I was always interested in growing avocados because it’s really expensive at NTUC, it ranges from $3 to $4,” said Mr Hernandez Ethan Rafael Livelo, 19, a student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Not only will growing your own edibles help you save costs the next time you visit the market, but it will also help you be more sustainable in the long run.
Basil (left) and tomato seedlings (right) growing in a small pot in Ms Irma Marlinawati’s room.
(Photo courtesy of Irma Marlinawati)
Due to Covid-19, all of us are spending more time at home. Many of us have found new hobbies like sewing, gaming, or reading. One hobby that everyone can pick up now is growing edibles in the comfort of his or her own home.
“Vegetables are easier to grow and you can see the produce quite quickly,” said Mrs Irma Marlinawati, who has been growing edibles for 15 years. Leafy green vegetables can also be harvested all year long, making them perfect to start with.
Step One: Soil
The first step to getting delicious edibles is to plant a seed in a growing medium, like soil and peat. According to the National Parks Board, leafy vegetables have shallow roots, so make sure the soil is about 10-15cm deep. A Purdue University gardening guide advises getting loose, rich and well-drained soil, with a pH level of between 5.8m and 6.8m. Mrs Marlinawati says that finding good soil is important in growing a healthy plant, and if you are lost you can go to plant stores to check with the florist.
A wide assortment of organic and non-organic fertilisers are sold at a local florist.
(Photo by Tan Wei Mou)
To help your edible grow faster and stronger, Mrs Margaret Tan suggests mixing one teaspoon of fertiliser into the soil once every two weeks. According to Gardening Noob, leafy green vegetables benefit from more nitrogen in the fertiliser. Make sure to add water after mixing the fertiliser with the soil.
Step Two: Watering
The next step is watering the plant. It is very important to never overwater or underwater. “If a plant’s soil has too much water, the roots can rot, and the plant can’t get enough oxygen from the soil,” says Shari Armstrong at Gardeningknowhow. “If there is not enough water for a plant, the nutrients it needs cannot travel through the plant.” According to Bonnie Plants, you should water your plants with at least an inch of water a week. However, if it is hot, you should double it by “about [1.5 inches] per week extra for every [12 degrees celsius] that the average temperature is above [15 degrees celsius].”
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Step Three: Location
Make sure to place your leafy greens where there are at least four hours of sunlight per day. “With all leafy greens, the more sun they have, the faster and larger they'll grow,” Lindy Ly explains in her article, “Lacking Sun? Grow Leafy Greens in Your Shady Garden”. As long as your window has sunlight shining through for more than a day, you can just leave your pot there and let it flourish.
Step Four: Harvest and Enjoy
Finally, as your plant matures, you can harvest the larger outer leaves to consume, still leaving the main plant to continue growing. According to the National Parks Board, you can harvest your vegetables after a month or so, feel free to “use clean secateurs to harvest young leaves or whole plants".
​While you’re growing your plant, you have to remember that it takes practice to get it right, don't be afraid to go through some trial and error to learn about gardening better. You can also take it as an opportunity to connect with the people around you. Mrs Tan shares how she enjoys exchanging ideas about gardening with her neighbours and finds it very good for bonding.
Once you learn the basics of growing edibles, the process is repeatable, all you have to do is change some things like soil, water, fertiliser. This can allow you to start growing anything you enjoy!
Mrs Tan spends “days and nights taking care of her small garden”, and when the vegetables turn out well she is “extremely pleased and will share them with the family”. With this guide, you can start growing your own garden and share the results with your family as well.
