'The happiness and satisfaction motivates me': Man's passion for gardening bears fruit along HDB corridor

In land-starved Singapore, a home garden may be a pipe dream for many. But one man living in an HDB flat made it work, and he is enjoying the fruits of his labour. 

Since May, Maurice Chow has been sharing photos of the melons he's grown on Facebook group Home Gardening Singapore.

In a video posted on July 4, Chow showcased a rock melon which he had been tending to since over a month ago.

He was seen cutting into the melon, still attached to the plant, and showing its vibrant orange interior.

"Harvested my rock melon today," read the caption.

When asked by a netizen how the melon tasted and whether it was ripe, Chow responded: "Tastes okay. Yes, it's ripe."

The home gardener also posted a picture of his current home gardening project, a watermelon, to the Facebook group on July 18, garnering more than 4,600 likes and 300 comments.

Manually pollinates flowers

Speaking to AsiaOne on Tuesday (July 23), the 58-year-old interior designer said that he managed to grow, as well as harvest various fruits using seeds over the course of five years.

His interest in home gardening developed when he witnessed his first pomelo plant bearing fruit. 

Seeing his efforts pay off continuously gave him a sense of satisfaction, he told AsiaOne.

Chow then tried his hand at growing other fruits, namely watermelon and rock melon and while things were not always smooth sailing, he enjoyed the process.

"There were definitely times where I had hiccups... but I'm thankful that these few rounds my attempts to grow fruits were successful," he said.

The 58-year-old, who lives in an HDB flat located in the east, typically grows one type of fruit at a time in batches, and only starts a new batch after harvesting the previous one.

Explaining that the process takes about three months from seed to harvest, Chow said: "After I plant the seed, I have to wait for it to grow into a plant."

"When the flowers bloom, I will manually pollinate them and wait for them to bear fruit."

Chow added that he spends around 30 minutes a day watering and adding fertiliser to his plants. He also takes this time to check for and remove unwanted insects.

He expressed that watching his plants grow from seeds to being able to bear fruit brings him joy.

"The happiness and satisfaction [that] I get, I guess no words can describe. It really motivates me to keep [growing fruits]," Chow said.

He also shared pictures of the watermelon he is growing, nestled in its makeshift hammock, with AsiaOne.

This "hammock" protects the fruit from the elements and supports its weight as it grows, preventing it from snapping off the plant and falling, according to other posts on Home Gardening Singapore.

Ensuring safety for all

According to HDB guidelines, residents have a civic responsibility not to place or hang objects within or outside a flat in a way that poses a threat to public safety.

Additionally, the National Parks Board's good corridor gardening practices guide states that edible climbers such as watermelons should be supported by a trellis to withstand strong winds.

Chow said in a comment under his Facebook post that he uses a pole ranging from 150 to 160cm in height to support his plants and his neighbours often help him keep an eye on them while he is away.

Chow also shares the fruits of his labour with his neighbours in return, he told AsiaOne.

He added that he ensures his plants are placed to the side of the corridor, which is larger than usual, so as not to obstruct the path for others.

ALSO READ: He started with just seeds: Graphic designer unveils $2,000 'Gardens by the Way' along his HDB corridor

bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com