220 plots under NParks community gardening scheme snapped up in 3 hours

Raffaella Nathan Charles Straits Times 10 Feb 18;

SINGAPORE - Some 470 hobbyist gardeners woke up early on Saturday (Feb 10) in the hope of securing a plot at five parks around Singapore.

Before registration for a popular community gardening programme opened at 9am, queues had already formed at Bedok Town Park, Choa Chu Kang Park, Pasir Ris Park, Sengkang Riverside Park and Yishun Park, said the National Parks Board (NParks).

By noon, all 220 plots up for grabs were taken up.

Said NParks group director for parks Chuah Hock Seong: "All these allotment gardening plots have been fully subscribed."

These plots were part of plans to encourage community gardening.

Under the Edible Horticulture Masterplan announced in November 2017, more than 1,000 allotment gardening plots will be introduced in 11 parks islandwide by 2019.

Last November and December, 400 allotment gardening plots were rolled out in HortPark, Clementi Woods Park, Punggol Park and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. These were fully subscribed as well, said Mr Chuah.

Registration for new allotment gardening plots in Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West and Jurong Lake Gardens West is slated to open by the end of this year.

There will be 300 plots in Jurong Lake Gardens West and 40 in Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West.

The plots are available for individuals to grow edible and ornamental plants, each comprising a raised planter bed measuring 2.5m by 1m.

They can be leased for three years for $57 a year.

Only one person per household is allowed to lease a plot for each lease period.

NParks provides the basics: a raised garden plot at waist level, soil and water. Gardeners simply have to bring their own seeds and tools.

In a pilot allotment scheme in July 2016, 80 allotment plots that were made available in HortPark were quickly snapped up.

The public can find out more at www.nparks.gov.sg/gardening/allotment-gardens