Herbies for hobbyist @ Hortpark

It was a meaningful date with Hortpark 0n 18th September 2011. A group of hobbyists gathered there learning how to grow culinary herbs without the use of SOIL!
Yes, I found my name.
As the clock ticked away, hobbyists started strolling in, some with family members while others came with friends.
The response to this workshop was so overwhelming that it had to be repeated after the first session.
The first session kicked off at 9.00 am with a short talk on the culinary and medicinal values of the herbs that they would be growing with the hydroponic kit. The 2nd session was conducted at 11.00 am with Tony as the instructor.Sweet basil, Italian parsley, Dill and Lemon Balm are the 4 types of herbs to be grown in the hydroponic kit.

Sweet basil is widely used in pasta, pizza and pesto sauce. It is also frequently used in salad and in food dressings as well. It is also added into meat dishes or omelet to give that extra flavour. The Lemon balm has a unique lemony smell, best use for infusing in tea. When taken, it helps to soothe tension. This is especially useful for stressful working people.
Dill provides a healthy alternative for relieving the body and the mind of insomnia. Certain flavonoids and vitamins that are abundant in this herb may help to speed up the production of hormones in our body and which in turn provide us a relaxing and calming feeling.
Italian parsley is used to prevent bad breath. The chlorophyll in parsleys is excellent for breath freshener, that is why it is used as a garnish for meals.
Once the hydroponic kit is set up, it must be left at a place where there is sunlight but without any rain drops -- this to ensure the rain water will not be collected in the kit as rain water may dilute the concentration of the nutrient which will affect the pH of the nutrient solution.

What is left is going home and get it started....

It is always good to add some herbs into our cooking as this will enhance the flavour of food. At the same time we should use less oil, less salt and seasonings for a healthy diet. Hopefully through these sessions of sharing, more will learn how to cultivate plants without using soil and more will come to know the wonders of culinary herbs!

Hydroponics @ Home

A session on how to grow vegetables at home was conducted on a fine Saturday 22nd January 2011 - a collaboration activity between Hortpark and Oh' Farms. The response was so overwhelming that Hortpark had to turn down some enthusiasts - what a pity !


The first group of eager learners arrived early and they could not wait to take a good look at the package.

An instructor from Oh' Farms, Ai Ling demonstrated step-by-step how to use the hydropic kit to grow butterhead lettuce. With good care, the butterhead lettuce will be ready for harvesting during the last day of Chinese New Year(元宵节).
Butterhead lettuce (奶油生菜/玫瑰生菜), is an auspicious vegetable to have during new year. Lettuce in chinese is 生菜which has the same pronunciation as 生财which means growing wealth.

"The shape of the butterhead lettuce is like a giant rose, so gentlemen, during Valentines' Day, if you have difficulty getting roses for your loved ones, you can replace roses by butterhead lettuce," teased the instructor.
The growing media used are leca and vermiculite. These two materials are inert which can also retain water and produce capillary action - water touches the base of the pot, it will travel up to the top.So easy, even juniors like me can handle this kit....

Hey, seniors also has no difficulty growing the vegetables. Its as easy as ABC....The last step of the set up is to add in the nutrient solution. Remember to place the setup at a sunlit spot but without exposing to rain. We don't need to water or fertilize the plants - just observe and wait for the plant to grow.

After the demonstration Ai Ling conducted an appreciation session on culinary herbs. All participants were able to smell, touch and even taste 5 types of the herbs that the instructor brought along with - these 5 herbs were Sweet basil, Lemon balm, Italian parsley, Dill and Arugula. Especially Arugula, commonly known as rocket, is very low in calories and a good natural source of Vitamins A and C, folate, calcium, and magnesium. Folate is the natural source of vitamin B9. When taken as a supplement, it is called folic acid - important for foetal development during pregnancy or for woman planning to get pregnant or during nursing. Research seemed to conclude that that adults who consumed the daily recommended amount of folates (Vitamin B compounds) had reduced 50% risk of getting the Alzheimer's disease.

The Q & A session offered quick answers to the enthusiasts' doubts.

The workshop was a huge success as participants had shown great satisfaction at the end of the workshop. It is our pleasure to be able to share and learn from one another in this workshop and hopefully more people especially retirees will pick up hydroponics or gardening as a hobby.