Urban gardener: Chan Li Jin

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I first met Chan Li Jin at the January 2014 Permaculture Design Certification course at Bamboo Village, Hulu Langat. At the start of the course, I wondered why she was hunting for seeds all the time, but by the end of the course, so was I. She is a passionate urban gardener who embodies the spirit of generosity. Thanks to her, my garden is now home a beautiful jungle rose, a baby mango tree, an aloe vera plant, and many more! Her own garden is akin to a lush, tropical getaway where you can relax and take a break from the city. Here is an interview with Urban Gardener : Chan Li Jin.

First off, please tell me a bit about yourself!

In a nutshell, I’m an avid gardener, writer by profession and a mother of four. I watched my mother garden as a child and have always loved gardening, starting with potted plants and moving on to larger spaces. I started taking my hobby more seriously in the recent years when I moved to my current home where I could plant more intensively. We wake up to birdsong and luscious greenery every morning, and I started spending more and more time outdoors, tending to my plants and increasing the biodiversity. It struck me that I’m incredibly blessed to experience so much wonder and beauty…and I started wishing more people would be able to experience the same. That was when I decided to create SUBUR Community Gardens in Dec 2012.

Where is your urban garden and can you describe it?

I started with my own home at Kota Emerald, planting anything and everything I could lay my hands on. Initially it was costly, as all my starter plants had to be purchased after all my existing ones died when we moved house. Over time, I started exchanging plants and seeds with other gardening enthusiasts that I got to know online. I started inviting friends to my garden for plant exchanges, discussions and sharing. My garden is best described as a bit of a jungle. Basically, I divide the space into two, with ornamentals in front and the edibles at the back closest to the kitchen based on convenience. Only after taking my Permaculture Design Course this year did I realise that what I had done was actually zoning, with Zone 1 closest to the home/kitchen. I was gratified to discover that a lot of what I learnt from my parents and grandmother with regards to planting were really permaculture practices, age-old common sense that are passed down from one generation to another. The only difference is that now it has been given a new lease of life – a rebranding of sorts which I suppose is timely in this 21st century.

Why start a food garden at home?

My opinion is that everyone – whether they live in a high-rise or landed property – should have some basic plants at home which they use regularly in their cooking. For instance, someone who cooks curry a lot should have a curry plant, while someone who is into desserts must own a pandan plant, whether in a pot or on the ground. On a micro level, having a food garden provides convenience and ease…just step outside or reach for the pot to pick a few leaves, instead of driving or riding out to the nearest shop. In the larger picture, planting our own food gives us full control of what goes into the plant, such as the use of fertilisers and pesticides. Yes, we can buy fruits and vegetables that are certified organic, but you can never tell the authenticity of it and it also costs so much more than inorganic produce. Lastly, once we have eaten something that comes from our own garden, nothing store-bought will ever taste the same again! Freshly plucked or picked produce has a certain crunch, energy and taste that are unbeatable by those that were picked maybe a day or two days ago and had spent the last 24 hours being moved from the farm to the market or store

Who do you share your food garden with?

My guava have all been ‘shared’ (albeit reluctantly) with the neighbouring monkeys, while a few neighbours are now regulars at my garden whenever they need flowers, such as my friend Sylvia and her mother who comes by every two days to pick fresh hibiscus for Ophelia, their pet tortoise. I have shared beans and such with neighbours whenever there is a bumper harvest. I also enjoy being able to share all kinds of herbs and flowering plants with friends and neighbours.

We are all strapped for time, how do you manage your garden?

Yes, time is indeed a challenge. What I do is spend between 1 to 2 hours every morning gardening before starting the day. It sets me in the right mood and gives me my daily dose of physical activity and Vitamin D…which is probably equivalent to what someone else would be spending on vitamin supplements and gym membership? Non-working weekends are spent gardening almost the entire day sometimes. We all have 24 hours…but gardening is a priority for me. If it matters to you, make time to garden.

How do you keep a sustainable garden?

A garden has life and energy. Caring for a garden is akin to caring for a child. In the beginning years, the ‘child’ or garden requires intensive care and a lot of time – such as digging, planting, watering, fertilising, just like feeding, changing nappies, teaching the baby how to walk and talk. Once the garden has matured, less intensive work will be needed, although regular care is still essential to keep the garden flourishing. In the same way, a growing child needs our guidance and supervision to grow up into a fine adult we can be proud of. To save time and money, my trick is to pick perennials and hardy plants that are longer-lasting to fill up the bigger spaces. The smaller spots are then used for planting edibles that require more care, because I learnt from experience that there is a big difference in planting ornamentals and edibles – the latter require heavier fertilising and pest control (either via hand-picking or use of natural pesticides). Hence, I keep a smaller edible garden for now to better manage my time and resources.

What would your advice be to urban food garden novices?

DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON FACEBOOK OR MEDIA. In the same way we smile when posing for the camera, most people snap or manipulate pictures of their garden or plants to perfection. So when your first (or first dozen) attempt to plant something fails, don’t give up, thinking that you can’t plant because you haven’t got a green thumb. Join online gardening groups (there are lots on FB now) and get tips from those who have successfully planted whatever you wanted to plant but didn’t succeed. Plant whatever you can, wherever you can, based on the space you have. Even if you don’t have any ground to plant on, use pots or containers. Just get started, perhaps with easier plants first. If it doesn’t work, just try again.

What has your food garden taught you?

Everything I need to know about life and more! This will take an entire book so I won’t list them here but basically, gardening, particularly planting our own food, teaches one to better appreciate the wonders of Nature. It helps me see everything in a different perspective, knowing that we will one day also be ‘plant food’ or compost. I love composting almost to a fault simply because we send so much of our valuable resources such as grass clippings and leaf fall to the landfills, instead of turning them into precious ‘garden gold’ that will enrich our soils and reduce the need for fertilising. Composting to me is the pinnacle of the 3Rs – reducing the need for artificial fertilisers, reusing organic matter, recycling them as plant nutrients to grow food that will provide sustenance for the family.

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