Singapore is Asia's 4th Greenest City- Oh Really?

Not much to hang your hat on when you see the pollution in our region, but in many ways at least Singapore is making an effort. Now, about that trash on the street??? The survey was conducted by Solidiance.com but the link is currently offline. Here is an article in the Straits Times for reference.

Patio Garden-Planning stages

I want to have this. You know, the lovely patio garden. It is just a matter of getting one of those "round tuits". There are a number of veggies that I have tried in Singapore and I have failed each time. I figure it is one of the following things: either the soil in my planters stink...which it does... the veggies are not suitable for Singapore... probable... the dog digs it up...often...the seeds are old...maybe...I have a brown thumb..

image from BHG.com

So, the goal is to create a real container/patio garden this spring. I want to grow tomatoes, lettuce and herbs for sure. Maybe some eggplant and some peppers. I would love a zucchini plant, but I have no idea if it will grow in a tropical container garden. I am traveling this week and dreaming of the home projects I want to do over the next few weeks when I am back home.



<= My patio

First step I think is to give up on the DIY store seed packs. I have yet to have a single one turn out. The plants fail to thrive, if I can get them past a sprout stage at all.

Second, find a good nursery that sells real compost, not some crap (like we have purchased before that is nothing more than dirt from the side of the road). Third is probably to have someone from the nursery come and help me re-do the container on my patio. While the trees are nice and offers privacy, I would rather have the trees in a pot so I can use the full extent of the built in bed. Who knows though, I need to plan out the garden, look at the brightest spots from the sun perspective and get crackin. Fresh veggies in 2-3 months? Can't wait.

Local Produce- 100 Mile Diet in Singapore?

I have been reading This Organic Life, by Joan Dye Gussow. I have enjoyed reading about her committment to growing as much of her own food as possible and eating local. I am also aware of the 100 Mile Diet and the challenge posed to do a 100 mile Thanksgiving. Well, a carve out first, we would not be able to have turkey in Singapore if I followed the 100 mile diet challenge. But, it is an interesting thought.

Living on the island of Singapore, I would assume that upwards of 90% of the food is imported. Very little if any true agriculture exists in Singapore anymore. I wonder if I could do a 100 Mile diet. What is local? What is seasonal? What are seasonal veggies in the tropics? Would it be possible to supplement my own food by growing some on my new patio?

When we move in a month we will be blessed with a 15X15 foot patio. I spent the weekend dreaming of a container garden, small but still there. Perhaps some eggplant, peppers and some "greens". A papaya tree we have been told will fruit in 3 months if properly tended and it can be potted. Same with a bananna tree. So over the next few weeks I think I am going to do some research and find out more about eating local. I may need to expand my 100 miles a bit broader based on the simple fact that Singapore doesn't grow its own food, but I would assume I can get most of my "food" within a 200 miles. I need to find out local sources, I need to find out what can and is produced in the area... but it might be an interested idea.

Never as simple as it seems

A week ago or so, we were told by our landlord that they would need to repair a leak under our bathtub that was causing the downstairs neighbor some "issues". I can remember living downstairs from an overflowed (or is it overflown?) shitty toilet and I will tell you it was not a pleasant memory. So, I am not without understanding for the plight of the downstairs man as he will forever be known. But downstairs man is also a grump. He complains to us about the leak, he complains to the owners, he complains to the management committee. Now, our owners aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. Downstairs man has repeatedly said "it is the toilet", but owners have insisted it is the tub.

Cut to this week, we are now the proud renters of a partly remodeled bathroom still disassembled bathroom. The bathroom is stuck half finished as the tub has been pulled out, the floors ripped up and the waterproof seal placed on top of the brick, but concrete tub enclosure either 1) still leaks or 2) was never the problem in the first place.

Now we wait. They come back today to determine if the problem is actually the toilet, other pipes or what? Singapore is the land of all that is concrete. Said concrete is shipped here in raw sand and granite form at less than fair market rates from Indonesia, resulting in super cheap building materials being used to excess and then resold for ridiculously high costs, but I digress. Because everything here is made with concrete walls, floors, ceilings, windows... you get the point.... everything must be hacked out and rebuilt from scratch. I am no fan of deforestation, but there has got to be some middle ground between all concrete and all timber eh????

Needless to say it has been a loud and dusty week, our planned bathroom outage has just reached it's 4 day estimate. I can live without the second bathroom in our house, inconvenient sure, but we are now unsure how much longer it will take to repair. The workers are a bit creepy, my house is dusty, we have to lock up the cats so they don't run away. OK, not hell on earth, but it is not as simple as it seemed.