Tucked away in a corner of the Sin Ming heartlands, a young community garden has taken root of late - not just literally, but also, in the hearts of the residents. Less than a year old, the Sin Ming RC Garden is already blooming with fruits, vegetables and beautiful flowers and plants. But not many people know the garden started out as a fenced area for the recreation of cats and dogs.

From dog run to community garden

If you head down to the garden in the mornings and evenings, you will find residents, young and old alike, tending to their plants with care. Some residents have even expressed their unease if they were to skip even one day of gardening.

From a grassy animal run, the garden now blooms with many varieties of flowers, vegetables and fruits.

This was not the case a year ago, when the place was more familiar to residents exercising their pets. Irene Liu, a pioneer of the garden, recalled the change started when members at a monthly RC meeting discussed how they felt the space was "very under-utilised". They preferred to have it used for a purpose all residents can enjoy. Thus acting on the members' feedback, the Sin Ming and Thomson RCs obtained the town council's approval and partial sponsorship to convert the space into a garden. As soon as plans for the garden were firm, recruitment posters were put up to seek out volunteers. Around 40 residents responded. They chipped in from their own pockets to buy equipment and materials such as bricks, soil and plants.

  

One of the pioneer gardeners toiling to loosen the soil before the seeds are sown.

These volunteers also helped divide the garden into six sections, one for each group of volunteers. These volunteers could choose what they wanted to grow in their individual section. Some of them created herb and spice gardens, while others planted climbing plants, paying for the trellises themselves.

The gardeners' pride and joy

Irene said the residents would get very happy and proud when they harvest the fruit of their labours, and share the produce, such as chye sim and lady's fingers, with their neighbours.

One of the proud gardeners harvesting lady's fingers for a delicious home-cooked meal.

So what is next for the budding gardeners? Irene's daughter, Ka Yan, and also one of the community gardeners, shared that they will be joining hands with six to eight other RCs to form a Gardeners' Club, to create a common space for "active and meaningful" interaction among the residents. With such a plan, Sin Ming Garden looks set to stay for a long while.

By Emmalyn Lai Photos provided by Sin Ming RC

Gardening as a Community If you and your neighbours are interested in gardening, how about setting up your own community garden too? Visit the Community in Bloom website at http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cib for information on how to get started.