SILENTLY but surely, droplets descend from the cloudy sky one evening prompting a reassessment of my next move.
The light shower means two things. One, destiny is telling me not to attempt jogging outdoors around my condominium to burn those calorific Chinese New Year goodies (which disappoints me for a long two seconds as I console myself with a pineapple tart).
Secondly, the drizzles have zapped my motivation to drive down the road to get some much-needed groceries.
The idea of changing, taking the lift down, hopping into my car, driving in wet weather, finding parking and queuing up to pay for a few fresh items, has worn me out already.
In that half hour, I could have whipped up a meal if only I could have strolled to my balcony to pick some fresh produce from my miniature “farm”.
If it could speak, my balcony would mock me, having witnessed my horticultural struggles. It would remind me of the two victims still sitting pitifully in their pots on the balcony, shrivelled and shrunken from inadvertent neglect. And let’s not even mention the hardy succulents that I thought would be surefire successes.
But one must never lose hope and even for a guilt-ridden plant killer and city dweller like me, growing and harvesting my own herbs, fruits or vegetables at home is entirely possible. All one needs is professional help and expertise.
Edible, sustainable, inspirational
Sniffffff! The potted herbs at the Uniworco booth in Setia Alam, Selangor are just begging for passersby to appreciate their lushness and scent.
After leaning over three to four flourishing plants, pressing nose to leaves and almost sniffing the chlorophyll off them, I hear a woman’s voice say to me: “Just rub the leaf with a finger and smell your finger.”
With thumb and forefinger, I follow her demonstration and as if a blockage in my nose has suddenly been cleared, my olfactory senses are pleasantly jolted by the strong aroma of fresh lemon, then mint, basil, curry, one after the other.
Jesslyn Mun, an edible garden consultant with Uniworco, shows me how she harvests a peppermint plant, snipping the top leaves of a stem, leaves that can be used to make fresh herbal tea.
“As a social enterprise, it’s one of our social missions to encourage people to adopt a healthier lifestyle and eat healthier,” she remarks.
When I ask about the unusual name Uniworco, she chuckles and replies: “It’s so crazy! It comes from ‘Unite the world to go eco’… something like that.”
Together with her husband James Wong, who founded Uniworco in 2012, the couple first shared an interest in non-edible and decorative plants which later evolved into a passion for edible gardens and urban home farming, a concept that isn’t new in some countries but is taking root now in Malaysia.
In many cities across the world, there have been inspiring stories of rooftops, backyards, balconies and unused spaces being transformed into sustainable little farms that can feed not just one family, but can even cater to a community.
In the Klang Valley, urban community farms have mushroomed for at least a few years now, some initiated by residents’ associations and some by housing developers.
Just recently in January, Sime Darby Property Bhd launched a community edible garden at the township, City of Elmina, where over 100 plots of land are made available to residents to grow their own produce.
I’m reminded of Britain where such plots are called allotments, referring to small fruit and vegetable patches near homes.
A popular pastime and a common sight in their city suburbs, you can catch sight of these flourishing gardens in housing areas, particularly when looking out of a moving train window.
Setbacks and solutions
For urbanites who are interested to grow healthy, clean food, it’s not essential to have a patch of grass or earth at home; even a tiled space would suffice.
Mun and her family live in a terrace house with limited outdoor space yet maintain many thriving edible plants — even fruit trees such as mango, lemon, guava, pomegranate, all in pots.
They’re the “Hobbit” versions — much smaller but just as productive, beneficial and cute. This also means that living in an apartment or condominium is not a barrier; there are racks for balconies that can house up to a dozen small potted plants.
KL-natives Mun and Wong have heard all the reasons given or setbacks experienced by Malaysians who don’t grow their own fresh produce. No space, no time, no experience, no success, no green fingers.
But brimming with hope and confidence that Uniworco has the solutions, the mother of one is effusive about their closely guided service. Their complete packaged solution encompasses literally everything from learning workshop, garden setup, germination, to watering, monitoring and harvesting support.
Customers don’t have to go anywhere; they will go to customers.
Says Mun: “We’ll go to their place and do a site inspection. We will assess the sunlight conditions, which direction, and advise them on the best location to put the plants. We’re result-oriented — everything that’s planted, we make sure it’s successful.”
Chuckling, Mun shares that some customers had even asked her to brief their maids! “This isn’t actually ideal. We can help them but overall they have to be there because sometimes the maid does not do a good job or does it the wrong way!”
From years of experience, Mun has surmised that the majority of problems faced by those who have tried cultivating edibles on their own without much success stems from a lack of knowledge about the right soil and fertilisers to use. Improper and inconsistent fertilising also contributes to poor results.
Before the Uniworco venture, her husband Wong, who used to work in finance, began a business in non-edible plants and discovered that the foundation for growing any healthy plant is the right soil.
“If the soil is not good, nothing can grow well,” he explains softly. “So we did a lot of R&D to work out the good quality soil because soil is the base of organic gardening. We must have very good soil for this. And we succeeded.” In addition to their own special formulas for different types of plants, the couple also developed eco-friendly, chemical-free fertilisers and organic insect repellents that are non-toxic and safe for food.
Prevention not cure
Amid all the talk about quality of soil, different fertilisers, concentrated liquid fertiliser, consistency, nutrients, infection and maintenance, my mind turns a bit hazy from the various factors and I blurt out that growing an edible garden sounds daunting.
Mun laughs and quickly retorts: “That’s why people like us are here to give a total solution!”
I press her to recommend the edible plants which are the easiest to grow for a newbie like myself or require the least maintenance. The tougher or hardier ones, she shares, are pandan leaves, lemongrass, ginger or herbs like Thai basil or mints.
“These plants will still survive with minimum care but frankly speaking, it will not grow well or healthily without proper care or maintenance.”
For vegetables, she says that growing okra (ladies fingers) is relatively easier compared to leafy veggies which are very delicate, and she cautions that plants like chilli, tomatoes, eggplant and curry leaves can be easily infected by insects.
Beginners can still try but should remember to use a good organic insect repellent to help prevent infection, rather than wait for infection to happen by which time it could be too late.
That philosophy of “prevention is better than cure” is something that she and Wong ardently subscribe to when it comes to personal human health. What we feed our body today can determine its health tomorrow. News reports and personal stories of increasing illnesses and declining health in our society motivated the couple to seek simple, doable solutions.
Growing fresh produce at home means relying less on external food sources, reducing grocery costs, enjoying a greener environment, and of course, there’s the sheer convenience of having a personal mini farm.
With fresh herbs, people can also brew their own organic herbal tea. Uniworco’s own tea range, called GreenCass, can serve as preventative health remedies. The dried mulberry tea I sampled delivered a robust smooth flavour, even by the third repeated use of the sachet.
Through workshops, these two edible garden consultants also teach children, communities or corporations how to create a sustainable supply of safe, clean, nutritious and better-tasting fresh produce, even with limited space.
Passionately, Mun confides: “Both James and I hope that we can do something good that benefits the environment and the society. We hope to do it on a larger scale so that in future we can have our own organic urban farms in the cities.”
Encouraging people to grow edible gardens isn’t just about food issues. Urban farming offers a way to de-stress and reconnect with nature.
If the whole family gets involved, relationships can be strengthened, plus imagine the sense of achievement upon seeing the fruitful results. One day I’ll have a balcony lush with thriving potted lemon trees, ladies fingers and spinach leaves. Even if it means starting patiently with a pandan plant.
For details, check out www.facebook.com/uniworco
HOME FARMING BASICS
THE basic requirements or conditions for your plants to grow:
1.Sufficient sunlight
2.Daily watering (especially during the dry season)
3.Good air ventilation
Other important requirements for sustainable growth:
1.Quality soil that acts as a good base for organic gardening, for example, the right PH, not too alkaline or acidic
2.The right selection of fertilisers, the right dosage and consistent fertilising
3.Good eco-friendly plant care for plant/soil treatment
4.Enough room for plants to grow healthily therefore repotting can be necessary
5.The right technique for the initial stage (so you can avoid unnecessary cost or time to regrow, and potential feelings of disappointment)
6.If engaging Uniworco’s help, they stress the importance of following their methods and instructions closely to get the desired results