Growing your own fruit and vegatables is really easy in Singapore. One of the reasons Singapore doesn’t have a lot of primary produce is because land is a premium; and having cheap produce growing on lucrative land doesn’t seem to make much sense. Especially when you can utilise that land for property and boost population which helps the city-state in many more ways.

Urban Farming in Singapore

This is where urban farming in Singapore, comes to the fore! Homeowners with balconies, rooftops, and outdoor areas, can utilise pots, ground soil or even their nature strips, to grow very simple produce quickly.

To that extent – we’ve got guides that cover off how to grow ginger, growing your own pineapples, and even the normally difficult to grow mango tree. Just as feasible is the aforementioned nature strip, as in my area alone there are probably 50 papaya trees growing … big ones… normally packed with fruit.

Growing Pineapple in an Urban Farm in Singapore

However there is also the opportunity to utilise offices as urban growing spaces these are indoor spaces that provide a chance to grow 100s of different of types of seedlings and herbs that struggle to survive in the outdoor Singapore weather. These vertical green walls also have another positive aspect, namely employee engagement. When companies deploy these living walls in there offices spaces, studies by Great Place to Work have shown that wellness in the workplace increases by up to 70%; a great alternative to that boring “pizza thursdays” or “casual wear fridays”.

You give your employees a sense of accomplishment, and also a space where they can take time out and engage with nature, to “touch grass” so to speak, and then return to their work more focused and diligent.

Stay tuned, because we are currently working on guides to build out growing turmeric, citrus limes and lemons including Calamansi, and even papaya (these are trickier but very satisfying when you get it right).

What is Urban Farming?

As opposed to traditional farming, urban farming in Singapore, is conducted on rooftops, and even balconies like my very own grow your own in Singapore lifestyle. Whilst traditional farming utilises horizontal acreage and large landplots, the opposite is true of urban farming. Because of the limited space, the urban farmer must be inventive – and this is where a trellis for passionfruit vine or a wall for it to climb ensures easy growing. For less creative plants, tiered planter boxes or steps can be introduced so that each pot can live on a different level. When it comes to offices, companies like Grobrix create installations that can be affixed to walls, where salad leaves and herbs can grow as edible green walls in offices. They also offer this as an indoor farming grow for home service.

Is Urban Farming Satisfying?

I’ve had the balcony condo for just on 8 years now – it was the reason I took the place in 2017, and it’s also the reason I’ve stayed this long. Whilst life can be challenging and difficult at times, there is a child-like wonder that you can experience when you grow your own plants, and they have a secondary aspect of fruit or food that comes with them. When you’re having a bad day, or even just in a bad mood, you can alter that with just 30 mins in the garden pottering away at your latest growing experiment.

I began with pineapples, inadvertently, at my previous rental. With the space here I accidentally grew citrus trees and ginger, the by-product of my lemon ginger detox water (I would toss the expended ingredients into a pot after I’d used the water, and perhaps after 5 or 6 times of doing so I noticed both ginger and citrus growing). I tried mango, but I didn’t even shuck the seed I literally just planted the endocarp – and it just happened to grow. Then galangal, which was also accidentally because I bought some to cook with, it was all rotten or beyond useable, I chucked it in a pot as mulch and it revived and grew massive plants. Harvesting that may have ben the most impressive of all!

Growing Mangoes in an Urban Farm in Singapore

Where Can You Begin with Urban Farming?

Of all the fruits and food I’ve grown in the past 8 years, growing ginger in pots has been the easiest and it’s also the quickest. If you have a leftover rhizome, or even if you want to start you can buy it very cheaply at the store. Then plant according to our guide and you’ll see shoots within weeks, and you could be harvesting within months. I’d suggest leaving it longer, perhaps a year, to really fill the pot out. How I harvest from there is to do the entire pot – then put a few rhizomes back in (the worst ones) to kickstart the process again and I use the rest in cooking, detox drinks, cocktails, you name it!

Growing Ginger in an Urban Farm in Singapore

What Is The Most Satisfying Crop In An Urban Farm?

This comes down to perspective – It’s wonderful to snip a leave of a ginger plant or lime tree, rub it between your fingers to activate the oils and take a big whiff. You get the essence of what you are growing right there! Papayas are fickle, they require male and female plants in close proximity, and they die easily because their entire stem is prone to pests and also root rot – so taking one to fruit is satisfying. However, for mine, I think nothing beats the moment when a pineapple flowers, those brilliant blooms of deep purple and ruby red. Once the colours fade and the flowers begin to resemble the fruit, you get that second wave of satisfaction knowing that you’ll have your very own sweet treat soon. But pineapples also take the longest, so they are more of a set and forget, the other plants I’ve mentioned required more care.

Urban Farm in Singapore Balcony Perspective

Growing Ginger from Rhizome in Singapore

Introduction: Growing Ginger

This post has been a long-time coming; it’s been brewing for a while, like a good lemon ginger detox water, but I’ve found myself with the motivation to tackle it after having a burst of success this year with growing pineapples and growing mangoes on my balcony here in Katong, Singapore. Whilst I’ve had success with the pineapples and mangoes, I would say I am a virtuoso with the ginger.

Perhaps it’s the climate? That endless heat, and sun, coupled with a good downpour, and the hands-off approach I have to gardening – but ginger seems to grow here like a weed when the conditions are right. We did have unseasonable rain here for a time and that impacted the growth for some time. However, we’ve moved past that period and are now in a hot sunny stretch with the odd downpour.

Of these plants to grow, ginger is by far the easiest and needs the least amount of input from you, the gardener. You can literally take a piece of dried ginger that you were otherwise going to throw out, chuck it in a pot and you’ll get ginger shoots within days or weeks.

However, there can be some method to the madness and I have some tips and tricks to help ensure you get the best out of your ginger growing.

Large Yields of Ginger can be Produced from Growing in Pots

Method: Growing the Ginger from Discarded Rhizome

The only method I am going to cover off here is growing ginger from discarded pieces of rhizome. I actually stumbled upon this by accident when making my island-wide famous lemon ginger & mint detox water, once consumed you have used lemon and ginger to discard. The same could be said if you are cooking with ginger and need to discard offcut pieces that are somewhat old or have ears. If you’re one of those Shroud of Turin-grade muslin wrapping wally’s my brilliant basic ways are probably going to be lost on you!

Step 1: Identify the Eyes on the Rhizome

Much like with potatoes, Ginger has some stubby nodules on the surface. These are known as the ‘eyes’ of the rhizome, and this is where the sprouts will grow from. They are pretty easy to spot cos they are ugly and standout like elbows. Any gnarled, wrinkled section, elbow, or nubby nodule is probably an eye.

Once we’ve identified as many of these as we can it’s time to strategically plant them so as to maximise yield. We can see from this yielded ginger below a bunch of growth spots where shoots could grow.

Ginger with Growth Nodules and Eyes Marked in Red Circles

Step 2: Planting the Rhizome, Eyes up!

As the title says plant the rhizome with the eyes up – the sprouts will shoot from the eyes so these need to be face up.

Ginger Growing Close to the Top of the Soil

Plant in shallow soil – I’ve only discovered this recently but it makes a huge difference, it allows some of the rhizome to sit above the surface of the soil where the sprout will shoot; it also allows you to monitor the growth of the rhizome and its pink and green brilliance. Finally, it also allows you to ensure a less complex root system, which makes for easier trimming and cleaning of the rhizome when it comes time to consume.
Be Patient … All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. So do nothing. The ginger will do its own thing, make sure it has plenty of sun and water, but don’t soak it or it’ll rot; this is another benefit of half the rhizome being outside of the soil there is a less likely chance of it being exposed to rotting. I’ve lost a lot of ginger, I cannot fathom how much, to it being too deeply planted and being wet.
Let the Ginger Propagate – It’s tempting to remove the ginger as soon as you have half a dozen shoots that have fully grown leaves. I would suggest withholding that urge, you want to have the pot crowded with ginger before you harvest. That way you’ve maximised the yield and can extract the entire pot.
Reseed the Pot – You can usually tell which piece of ginger started the whole growth – it will be somewhat older than the fresh ginger. My recommendation here is to reseed the pot with this older piece; either snap it off or cut it to remove it from the rhizome and replant it. On my latest harvest there was a smaller shoot in the pot and I left that and extracted the rest – so you could do this also.

Old Ginger Rhizome is Best Replanted for New Growth

Step 3: Use the Ginger

I don’t normally have an opinion on what you do with the produce once you’ve harvested but fresh ginger is uniquely different and I must insist.

Fresh Ginger on Cutting Board - Ready to Use! — Fresh Ginger on Cutting Board – Ready to Use!

Make a refreshing Moscow Mule – you won’t realise how much the fresh ginger lifts this humble drink until you are already in the stratosphere. It has the effect of creating exceptional balance, you get zing and almost a mala-like buzz from the fresh ginger, but also a super refreshiing mouthfeel whose sweetness drops off a cliff, so you aren’t left with any lingering sugary aftertaste. It’s a bit sharper and cleaner than your normal mule. Give a rhizome to your favourite bartender and ask him to muddle some ginger, slice some up and create the cocktail – or if you’re an aficionado make your own at home!

Cook with fresh ginger – Check out a recipe from, oh I don’t know… Andy Cooks (Chicken & Cashew) or The Notorious Foodie (Hainanese Chicken Rice). Both of them have a tonne of fresh ginger recipes and if you use fresh ginger in asian cooking it elevates it to another level you just won’t dream of, from that tired, old, store bought ginger. There’s a reason why we put 5 cloves of garlic into recipes that ask for 1, the produce these days is junk – so when you grown your own you will see the difference.

Create your own version of a refreshing lemon and ginger detox water. I used lemon, cucumber, mint and ginger together because it’s classic. But I also grow calamansi limes and they also work amazingly well as a citrus substitute, as do normal limes … so you can experiment here a bit. Heck I’ve even tossed in turmeric from the garden before.. Oh no, do I need to do a growing turmeric article now?

Lemon Mint Ginger and Cucumber Ingredients Prepared for Detox Water

Final Thoughts: Galangal is Also Easy to Grow

I had a huge amount of Galangal growing at one point, and fresh Galangal is also an absolute monster… Here’s the main difference to fresh ginger, whilst galangal is a fantastic botanical it typically needs to be aged to use in cooking. It’s more fibrous and often requires a mortar and pestle to break it down into a more manageable product. the yields from galangal are big

Ginger Growing FAQs

Can You Grow Ginger in Singapore?

Yes. the hot and humid climate in Singapore peppered with downpours provides ideal conditions for growing fresh ginger. The plants thrive in the tropical conditions with strong periods of sunlight and short bursts of rainfall. Ginger is extremely hardy and will grow in full sun, and survive long periods without rain.

How much ginger can one rhizome produce?

If you're patient and give the rhizome time to produce new shoots, you can basically fill an entire pot. Harvests can be handfuls or bucketfuls; and if you grow it near the top of the soil, you'll have the most amazing pink, zesty ginger.

How long does it take for ginger to shoot?

It can happen in as little as 2 weeks. Basically once the rhizome is in the soil it is activated and then it just needs to develop roots and shoots!

How long does ginger take to grow?

It takes 4-6 months, but can continue for years. I try and harvest once a pot gets crowded as that is your best ginger but that would be around the year mark.

The ginger leaves smell amazing can you do anything with them?

When you harvest the ginger, you are left with the aromatic leaves. If you rub between your fingers you can activate the oils and you get a really pleasant sweet ginger smell. Drying them and brewing them into a tea is a nice usage of the laves.

How long does ginger last?

The smaller fresh ginger rhizomes are best utilised within weeks of harvesting because they will lose their sharpness, their crispness and their flavour. Old ginger

How do I keep my ginger stock rolling?

Always have a pot growing ginger. When harvesting a batch, always return a rhizome to the soil. That way your ginger gives back to you for as long as you want.

Archives for July 2025