I Grew My Own Produce in Hong Kong. Here’s What I Learned From Urban Farming.
After spending a few weeks at the urban farm, I realised this was going to be my new addiction, even for a big-city person.
By Sally Ho
Green Queen
Nov 17, 2022
Excerpt:
I made endless excuses to not fulfil my farm-to-table dream. Despite writing about slow food pioneers like Alice Waters and the dedicated social entrepreneurs behind urban farming concept The Farmers in Singapore, I somehow convinced myself it was a task too difficult in Hong Kong. It would be far away from the city centre, I thought.
I was proven wrong. Hysan, a mall in the heart of Causeway Bay, runs a rooftop urban farming initiative. Yes, dozens of mini-farming plots right on top of a mall. The program is open to the public, and successful applicants will learn the basics of organic farming over the course of 13 weeks. By the end of it, you’ll be able to harvest your own seasonal produce.
At first, I thought the whole point of urban farming was getting the goods, so to speak. The day when I’d get to harvest my own beautiful kale or Swiss chard, especially after the grueling first week of weeding, hoeing and ploughing. That wasn’t easy, my back was a little achy and my muscles were definitely left tired. I wanted to be rewarded for my hard work.
But as the weeks went on after sowing our initial seeds, I became immersed in the process of tending to my seedlings. I not only looked forward to seeing how my plants would grow, but found the routine of watering, trimming, weeding, and loosening the soil enjoyable.
