“Grow plenty so you can also share with the birds and bees, it’s good to have them around.”
- Kana Li and Kallen Yan are our featured urban farmers of August and they certainly grow plenty!
"Birds and bees are part of the eco-system on our rooftop. When my plants are strong, bees are attracted for pollination and birds come to eat insects. We really welcome them to come around."
They started with herbs and lemons on their 500 sq ft (lucky them!) rooftop of their Sheung Wan apartment, and they are growing tomatoes, sweet potatoes, ginger, okra and passionfruit at the moment. Eggplants, cucumber plants and other leafy veggies are joining as new members of their garden. They have been growing their own veggies for 1.5 years, and they like making salads and popular Chinese dishes such as tomato basil salad and tomato with egg dish.
Tips for budding growers: Good quality of fertilised soil is very important for farming. You can also collect egg shells and fruit peels as fertilisers.
How did you get started on farming? “We both grew up in the city and knew nothing about farming. We have some amazing friends who are also neighbours in the area that are landscape architects and garden experts. They gave us some pruning tips and taught us ways to prepare soil, and we were given a lot of horse manure compost and various seedlings to try out. We eat what we grow, and enjoy sharing the harvest with our friends and neighbours – it’s a lot of fun!”
Thank you Kana and Kallen for sharing your experience!
If you have any questions about growing your own veggies at home, feel free to leave us a comment below or send us a private message!