August 31, 2009 at 8:02 am
· Filed under General
The Goldhill Community Garden went on show at this year’s ‘GardenTech’, an annual one-stop Garden Fair organised by NParks to allow sharing of best gardening practices, ideas and experiences. Held at HortPark, the event attracted more than 130 exhibits showcasing the latest gardening and environmentally-friendly products and services. Our participation was part of NParks’ initiative to showcase successful Community Garden projects organised by Grassroot Organisations.
Our exhibit included a display of photographs and computer graphics outlining the origin and various stages of development of the Goldhill Community Garden. Members of the Gardening Club were on hand to answer enquiries from the many visitors to our stand at the fair.
Goldhill NC Gardening Club
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August 20, 2009 at 8:54 am
· Filed under General
Do you know that you can get free fertilizer from the sky? We know that the air consists of 80% inert nitrogen (N2). During rainy days with thunder and lightning, the nitrogen is fixed by the thunder and lightning, causing it to dissolve in the rainwater and come down as ‘FREE’ fertilizer. This high-nitrogen (NO3) rainwater is good for plants such as vegetables and foliage. Making use of this naturally occurring fertilizer will help to reduce the costs of man-made fertilizers. J
Do you know that bees have a relationship with Frangipani? The frangipani or Plumeria sp. is well known for its fragrant and vibrant flower colour. However, this plant is prone to fungi invasion known as rust, or Coleosporium domingense. With a little help from bees, which feed on this fungus, the rate of infection can be reduced. Maybe having a few bees in the garden is not too bad after all.
Do you know that coca-cola is used as pesticide in India? The Indians use the World’s all-time favorite drink as a cheaper alternative to pesticide. Apparently, coca-cola helps to control the pest issues on the cash crops. Knowing this, will you give it a try on your plant or will you stop drinking coca-cola? Let me know!
Matthew Tan
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August 13, 2009 at 8:46 am
· Filed under General
Orchids are wonderfully unique and beautiful flowering plants that have captivated the hearts and minds of horticulturalists and home gardeners all over the world. Most Singaporeans share an affinity with orchids, especially since our national flower IS an orchid, and it is no wonder that many turned up at the National Library last Saturday to listen to Green Culture’s Mr. Tan Boon Kiat talk on how to grow orchids. His talk was delivered in Mandarin as part of the efforts to reach out to a wider audience.
The attentive audience had many questions for Mr Tan
Far from being an overly technical treatise on orchid growing, Mr. Tan imparted his knowledge garnered from his orchid growing experience in a simple and concise manner. His succinct and genuine delivery was warmly received by the audience, which consisted mainly of home gardeners and plant enthusiasts who diligently took notes and eagerly participated in the mini quizzes he gave. Apart from growing tips, Mr. Tan highlighted orchid species that are easier to grow, such as miniature Dendrobium hybrids and Oncidium hybrids. He also explained how to choose good specimens when buying orchids from nurseries.
“This is what a pseudo-bulb of an orchid is…”
The next talk in the Community in Bloom Library Talk series is “Dendobriums – Get the Basics Right!” by Mr. Lim Xuan Hong from Green Culture Singapore. The talk will be held on 29 August 2009 from 3pm to 4pm at Bukit Merah Public Library, Radin Mas Hall (Level 3)
By the Community in Bloom Programme
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August 6, 2009 at 8:30 am
· Filed under General
We have been growing different varieties of Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato) in our garden and had our first harvest of the japanese variety after exactly 3 months. We harvested about 3 kg. I made some into kueh keria and it was yummy. I will try making ondeh-ondeh for the next harvest.
Bountiful harvest of sweet potatoes from our community garden!
Now you see it (i.e. sweet potatoes), now you don’t (but you see Kueh Keria!)
Kueh Keria Recipe:
300g sweet potato
1 oz tapioca flour
1 oz flour
oil for deep frying
2 ozs sugar
2 tablespoon water
Cooking Instructions:
1. Scrub and boil or steam sweet potatoes in their jackets
2. Peel and mash the sweet potatoes and mix in the sieved flour to get a firm dough
3. Turn the dough out to a floured board and divide into 6 or 8 equal pieces
4. Shape each piece into ring
5. Heat up oil and fry the cakes till they are golden brown
6. Drain the cakes well and put aside
7. Heat a wok and place water and sugar into it stir well till the syrup is thick
8. Pour in the cakes and toss them in the syrup till they are well coated and the sugar crystalizes.
9. Cool before serving
The final product - Kueh Keria! Yummy.
Mdm Kamisah (Gardening Leader)
Jurong Zone G RC Community Garden
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