"It's an amazing thing to see how plants develop from the tiniest seed and growing to what they are. Be patient and you will see your reward one day!"
Growing your own food is rewarding but it requires patience and plenty of love! This is what Venise Chan, our featured urban gardener, would like to share with all of us to encourage us to get started.
Being aware of the benefits of eating freshly harvested vegetables without pesticides, Venise and her family jumped at the chance to start growing their own food at their unused rooftop space at their new home.
Starting under a year ago at the beginning of summer, Venise has been growing warmth-loving crops such as Amaranth, Sweet Potatoes, Cucumbers, Okra, Eggplants; staples of the kitchen like Spring Onion and Ginger; and plenty of aromatic herbs such as Basil and Mint.
Her greatest challenge is to be mindful of the weather conditions and the forecast, and planning ahead so that the plants do not get over-watered during the summer rains and getting sufficiently watered during the brutally hot sunny days.
Yet, she is full of wonder at the resilience of nature - "Plants are like animals, they seem to know how to respond to their surroundings and they have made themselves even stronger in adverse situations."
Venise is happy to be able to share the fruits of her harvest with her family, friends and neighbours, and is looking forward to the new varieties to be planted in the coming cool season.
Thank you Venise for sharing your growing journey, and we hope many more city dwellers will also follow your lead!