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.

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!

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!

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.

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DanDan

The Aussie Bogan at The Fake Peranakans

DanDan grew up with Asian dishes as a staple. Primarily the likes of Char Kway Teow, Prawn Laksa and Gula Melaka. With this in mind, his journey from Australia to Singapore seems like destiny!

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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.

 

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.

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

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.

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?

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

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DanDan

The Aussie Bogan at The Fake Peranakans

DanDan grew up with Asian dishes as a staple. Primarily the likes of Char Kway Teow, Prawn Laksa and Gula Melaka. With this in mind, his journey from Australia to Singapore seems like destiny!

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Growing Mango Plant from Seed in Singapore

From Tragedy to Triumph: The Great Mango Transplant of July 2025

The mango seed that was planted in the original article, unfortunately suffered a tragedy as it progressed from sprout to seedling. At the seedling level, perhaps after 3-4 weeks it has been destroyed by birds in what can only be perceived as a co-ordinated terrorist attack against my little Singapore Urban Farm. It was dismembered from its roots, and left to die a humiliating death on the balcony floor.

I returned the seedling to the top of the pot once I discovered its whereabouts, hoping to restore some small dignity, but my friends I could not revive him, he was done… cue sad music ♩ ♪ ♩… alas, I returned some time later to find my little green friend on the ground again. Once could be an accident, Twice is intentional … Oh it’s gonna be ON like Donkey Kong if I found out which of those crows did it!

Thankfully there’s a back-up plan my fellow garden peeps; whilst the seedling was a little bit more special because it was shucked and grown from seed, and it’s replacement is one I literally grew by chucking the endocarp in a pot, there’s a lesson we get to learn now about transplanting a mango plant from a smaller pot to a larger one, as I never expected this mango plant to grow. Also, it should be noted, that this is a much older and more established plant — so this is gonna be a tricky one folks hold on for the ride!

Step 1: Dig a Hole!

“Gonna dig me a hole, gonna put a plant in it, gonna take a watering can…”

At least we get to have some fun – and don’t we all know that the best solutions always start with digging a hole! (except if you’re plotting revenge, in that case do as Confucious says and “dig two”). There is some methodology we need to apply here:

1. (In the Destination Pot) Dig Slightly Bigger than the Existing Rootball – I guessed and just totally fluked the rootball width and depth, and manage to get it into the pot. I recommend using a trowel, to dig around the existing plant being generous to ensure you won’t disturb any of the roots; eyeball the rootball, then dig, dig, dig my lovelies!
2. (Optional) – Add used coffee grounds to the hole – I do this because it gives a bit of a nitrogen boost and creates slight acidity in the soil which Mangoes love. I just rinse out my Cafetière à piston aka French Press coffee maker by filling with water and pouring the used ground coffee and water into the soil.

Step 2: Put the Plant in it

Well… aren’t we special? We’ve dug ourselves a hole! Ok now we need to extract the plant from the source pot, being careful to retain the root structure, before transplanting the mango plant in its new home. 

1. (In the Source Pot) Dig Around The Mango Plant to Extract Rootball – This is a critical step because if you damage the roots, this thing is NOT going to survive. I’ve tried transplanting mangoes multiple times now and have failed each time, they never survive. Why?  Because I didn’t preserve the rootball – I’ve failed so you don’t have to; give it a good chunky two hands worth of soil around the base and keep that puppy happy!
2. Transplant the Mango Plant – This is it! Put on your big boy pants, and let’s drop that plant in that beautiful hole you’ve dug. The fit should be easy but snug. If you’ve over dug make sure to fill in soil around the gaps, and be sure not to have dug too deep – we want the plant to be on the same level as the rest of the soil so that it’s almost seamless when complete.

Step 3: Water the Plant in

This seems pretty straightforward – we do want to water the plant in, but we need to avoid over-watering because mangoes hate wet feet. Thankfully that bigger pot we’ve moved it all to should take care of this with it’s fantastic draining…

1. Water the Plant – Surely this instruction needs no explanation – So take up that old trusty watering can and water the plants leaves, water the soil beneath the plant, and water the surrounding soil. This will provide all the moisture it needs to survive the shock of being transplanted. 

Now we wait! I only completed this transplant 10 hours ago, in full sun during the hot and humid Singapore daytime. If you need any further tips on completing this successfully ask away in the comments. I may update again in a few weeks to see if our patient has survived!

Hopefully we’ll all be crowing Long Live the Katong Mango King!

Introduction: Growing Mangoes

I’ve been living in Singapore for just on 10 years now and growing my own pineapples for 8 of those years; taking too many to count all the way through to harvest (using tops, slips, pups, suckers and ratoons – the best fruit comes from the top when growing your own, they’ll be as big or bigger than store bought). Just this week, I’ve harvested the latest 2 from my balcony, and there is still one more that needs another 2-3 weeks to finalise fruiting.

But today, we are here to talk about growing your own mangoes from the seed of a mango fruit.

There is one clear method to use in order to obtain the plantable seed, essentially the soft inner seed that is housed inside the hard outer seed that we are all familiar with when enjoying a mango. This inner seed is then planted and within 5-8 years you could be enjoying your own home-grown mango fruit!

Method: Growing the Mango Tree from the Seed

Below I will walk you through the methodology I’ve used to successfully grow 3 mango plants from seed. These were grown in pots and they can have a limited lifespan and be quite temperamental, so the most recent planting has been done in a very deep pot, to allow more of a tree-type growth as opposed to a pot plant, and I recommend that you grow in the ground if you ever want to see fruit.

Step 1: Finish the Mango Fruit

The first step is arguably the most enjoyable. Finishing the mango fruit! I was always taught growing up to slice down the side of the mango and carve off two cheeks; each cheek you would then criss-cross with vertical and horizontal slices, and then invert using the skin (exocarp) to create the classic hedgehog pattern – those edible bite-sized squares of fruit that make it easy to eat; with no mess as your hands are protected by the mango skin. The remaining fruit around the seed you would then try to remove as much as you could, which often meant toothpicks and teeth brushing post eating of the fruit.

Once you’ve finished a mango fruit, you are left with quite a large and hard seed, which many don’t know is actually a seed pod (or if we want to be technical nerds it’s the endocarp), that contains a soft inner seed that can be used to grow a mango tree.

It’s best to try and remove as much of the pulp (mesocarp) from this seed pod before attempting the next step.

Step 2: Extracting the Seed from the Seed Pod

This is a tricky, but necessary step, to extract the soft inner seed from the seed pod.

1. Firstly Dry The Seed Pod – I recommend drying the seed pod if you can because it definitely makes it easier to work with. If you have a very ripe mango then this seed pod may already be quite manageable. However, a freshly finished pod is more difficult to crack.
2. Select Your Digging Tool – For safety’s sake, I recommend using a spoon as your prying tool here. You’re going to need to leverage open the seed pod, and even dried the seed pod can be challenging to work with, and you are likely to slip once or twice, so this prevents injury. The spoon is also an expert-level digging tool with it’s wide surface area and concave bowl it’s uniquely shaped to shuck that seed out! That’s not a knife, that’s a spoon! Alright, alright, you win. I see you’ve played knifey-spoony before DanDan — I have and it wasn’t pleasant, lost a fight with a bread knife and a stale baguette. Don’t do it!
3. Shuck The Seed Pod – There’s a natural seam line on the side of the seed pod, once you’ve found it, you need to pry that open to get to the seed inside. Run the spoon along that seam and gently leverage it open like a crowbar. At some point you’ll actually be able to put the spoon inside and then twist the spoon to effectively shuck the seed pod like you would an oyster. I work over a sink, so if it slips, the seed pod just goes into the sink.
4. Retrieve The Seed – With the seed pod shucked and pried open you now have access to the seed inside, it can look a little weird, I remember the first time I did it I thought it looked like a listening device (I won’t say where that Mango’s origin was from!). Wash any old or dried skin from the seed, it should be white-ish and has a flat edge and a concave edge.

Step 3: Planting the Mango Seed 

Screeeeeeech Wait, what? No germination step? No bathing in holy water blessed by the Greybeards in High Hrothgar for exactly 47.3 minutes while performing interpretive dance? No wrapping in The Shroud of Turin-grade paper towels and storing in a climate-controlled Vintec overnight?

No, No, and Double No!

We are gardener’s and greenthumb’s not pastry chefs! Much like the moth emerging from its cocoon, or the snake using it’s egg-tooth to sever it’s sac; We believe in letting plants do what they do naturally, so just chuck it in the soil, and let it go… right after we crowbar it open with a spoon and completely dismantle its natural protective casing. But other than that violent intervention, totally natural!

Actually, I don’t advise “just chucking it in”. The seed has two sides – a flat, broad side, and a concave side. We want to place the concave side down in around 1-inch of soil, so quite close to the surface, so it can sprout easily. Push it so that it is firmly held. The flat, broad side is where the sprout will come from, the concave side will develop the roots.

I generally like to water-in a seed to ensure it has some moisture for activation. For this particular seed I’ve chosen a deep, tall pot (this is where the 2025 pineapple was grown). The soil is already well fertilised and full of nutrients, and at the time of writing (2 weeks since I planted the mango seed) it has sprouted!

Greenthumb Tip: Used coffee grounds make an amazing natural fertiliser and pesticide. I’m make my own French Press coffee daily, because I’m disciplined enough to not use instant coffee but not a full-blown Java junkie that needs an 8-grand La Marzocco Barista-level espresso machine. So once I’ve had my brekky beverage I pour the used grounds over the topsoil of plants, and I’ve found they thrive as a result.

(Option): Water Germination currently experimental

Awwwwww hell nough! Didn’t we just say no goofy germination… Well think of this as the non-goofy method, plus it’s optional. I’m trying this as an experiment to see if, like avocados using the toothpick method, the mango seed will germinate if fully-submerged in tepid tap water.

To ensure this works for best effect I would remove the papery husk from the seed, and ensure it’s clean before putting in the water. I would change the water every 2 days as a minimum, to ensure that no bacteria grows to damage the seed.

Update 28th July: I can say for certain this experiment did NOT work. The soaked seed, did not ever germinate in the water; and after 4 weeks I planted, and it never sprouted – even though it’s still planted. Don’t try it this way just use my foolproof method outlined above!

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DanDan

The Aussie Bogan at The Fake Peranakans

DanDan grew up with Asian dishes as a staple. Primarily the likes of Char Kway Teow, Prawn Laksa and Gula Melaka. With this in mind, his journey from Australia to Singapore seems like destiny!

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2025 Update To Growing Pineapples in Singapore

I thought it was about time to update this article as we’ve seen a return to pineapple growth here in Katong, Singapore on my beloved balcony since the article was posted in 2020.

During 2021 – 2023 we had unseasonably wet seasons, which impacted the pineapple growth here with more overcast or rainy days than days where the sun was prevalent (A wet start to 2023 contributed to Singapore’s rainfall being the seventh highest since 1980 – according to Meteriological Service Singapore.) – hence there wasn’t much to show in terms of pineapple growth.

These long wet seasons also impacted both galangal and ginger growth during these years. It wasn’t until very recently that I’ve been able to harvest ginger again (both of these ginger variants do NOT like wet feet).

Currently we have 4 pineapples growing. 3 golden pineapples – two on plants that have been around for a few years in smaller pots, and one that is just on 2 years growing in a large deep basket. And my magnum opus of pineapple growing – The Malaysian Honey Pineapple, which is growing in the primary spot / basket that the monster golden pineapple in the original 2020 article grew in.

The amount of pups, suckers and slips growing is at least 5 and could be more as the wingspan of the sword leaves makes it difficult to access the soil area of the pot to check and see.

If you enjoy this post you might also like: Growing Mangoes in Singapore from the Seed

DanDan. Just gives us the good oil… How do we grow them BIG pineapples you are growing?

Short answer: fibrous roots

Confused? OK let me explain: What I’ve learned in the last 5 years is that sunshine is far more important than rain for pineapples, and that you can also trigger growth spurts with strategic fertilisation. As discussed in the previous article pineapples are bromeliads so they hold water like camels, but also with the deeper pots (or if you are growing them directly in the ground) they create a very large root structure and I believe this is why the bigger pots produce bigger fruits (even though the starting pineapple may have been small).

The deeper pots allow for far more nutrients to reach the plant, giving it more wingspan, more sun, more water, and also allowing the stem to feed more nutrients directly into the base of the fruit creating a much bigger fruit.

Check out this root system. It’s complex, tubular, and is nearly twice as deep as most pot-grown pineapples that I have; This is a huge indicator that much deeper soil will allow for greater sized plants, and ultimately larger fruit. The other point to note here is soil erosion in Singapore is prevalent. Even if you have preventative gauze in pots, over the course of the 2-year growth of the pineapple plant you are going to lose soil.

You might think… Can I just top it up? well no, the plant descends further into the pot as the soil erodes out the base, so adding more soil doesn’t help your root structure.

These two golden pineapples have taken an age to fruit – 4 years I think (which is twice as long as both of the pineapples in the deeper pots). These are in very shallow pots now as the soil has eroded significantly during this period, and these 2 are highly exposed to the weather. The fruit is still a decent size, what I would consider medium – smaller than most store-bought pineapples but larger than pineapples grown from slips, suckers and pups.

My Ultimate Pineapple Advice for 2025

Plant the pineapple in deep, well aerated soil. If it’s in the ground, fine. But if you are looking to achieve my elite results with a pot, you are going to have to replicate those conditions and get a tall, deep pot to house the plant. Pineapples like good soil, so don’t think that because they are hardy and you can grow them in dirt, that they’ll thank you for it. Finally, choose strategic fertilisation periods (right before rain is best), to ensure the roots will gain these nutrients which they can then feed into the plant to create greater wingspan, capture more sun, and to ultimately feed the fruit, through the stem once it flowers.

Introduction: Growing Pineapples

I’ve been living in Singapore for just over 5 years now and growing pineapples for 3 of those years; taking 3 all the way through to harvest (2 from tops one from a slip).

I currently have 7 Golden Pineapples and 2 Honey Pineapples growing with harvests all due later this year or early 2021.

There are two clear methods that are used to grow pineapples – Method 1 involves growing the pineapple plant from the top. Method 2 involves using the smaller slips and suckers that grow from a plant. Whilst the ratoon plants generally grow quicker, they produce much smaller fruit upon harvest.

Method 1: Growing the Pineapple from the Top

Once the top of the pineapple is cut from the fruit, set it to one side and allow it to dry. Remove excess leaves from the base to reveal the roots.

Choose a well-draining soil and fill either a medium-sized or large-sized planter pot and fill almost to the top with the soil. Ensure also that the pot is not enclosed so that water can escape.

Dig a suitably sized hole the matches the base of the pineapple root and plant the top firmly within. Ensure a solid watering through the very top of the pineapple, so that the leaves are holding the water – it will take care of itself at this point.

Place the plant in a sunny spot, where it will capture a good degree of direct sunlight as this helps with the plants growth

Revisit within a couple of days to see if the plant needs water and once again water down the centre as pineapples are bromyliads and will retain water in their central cup.

Method 2: Growing the Pineapple from Slips & Suckers

There’s two options here – you can let the sucker grow from the existing plant roots (if you’ve already harvested the pineapple) or you can harvest the slip or sucker and plant it by itself.

Option 1: Using the Existing Root Base

This is the simplest of the 2 methods as it allows you to basically just use a harvested pineapple plant to grow a sucker that is already attached to the plant roots.

There isn’t much to do here but cut back the leaves of the harvested plant, and give the sucker room to catch sunlight and spread it’s sword leaves to boost growth.

What you need to be careful of is the space in the pot. As sometimes you’ll have the sucker plant pushed out by its growth and it can end up dying if it gets too big and is fully pushed out of the pot.

Eventually the existing plant should die back and allow the new plant growth to envelop it, and continue the circle of life.

Post Harvest: Cut Back The Pineapple Plant

Once the pineapple has been harvested from the plant, it won’t produce another pineapple, so it is best to do a hard cut back all of the sword-like leaves – keeping the established root base intact.

If there is already a slip or sucker established this will grow using the existing root-base and will save much growth time as it will tap into the established nutrients and continue to grow.

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DanDan

The Aussie Bogan at The Fake Peranakans

DanDan grew up with Asian dishes as a staple. Primarily the likes of Char Kway Teow, Prawn Laksa and Gula Melaka. With this in mind, his journey from Australia to Singapore seems like destiny!

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I’m one of those people who is open to the spiritual or philosophical way of viewing the world we live in – I love meditation and the “squeezing the sponge” feeling you get post-meditation leaving you with clarity, focus and an almost endorphin-like happiness free from anxiety and stress. I’m someone that likes breathing and stretching, believing completely that it can assist in well-being, flexibility and faster recovery from exercise and sports. I also have used traditional chinese medicine, like cupping, acupuncture, and electro-lymphatic therapy to alleviate issues like serratus anterior myofascial pain syndrome (if you are doing Muay Thai boxing, or heavy weights on your chest, you’ll know this one for sure).

So, when I was served the ad on Instagram for the Shakti Mat Black I was intrigued to say the least, as during lockdowns it’s been almost impossible to get to a sports massage therapist to relieve muscle pain. The name of the most popular version of the Shakti Mat, namely The Shakti Mat Black is somewhat deceiving because you immediately believe that this is their top of the line model, as typically the black or premium version is often top tier. However, this colour is just their most popular version. Actually green, black and orange versions all offer the same basic Shakit Mat model.

Being the saddist that I am, I skipped basic and went straight to Shakti Mat Advanced, and that is represented by a single colour, the purple version, which is their definitive advanced model. This one boasts more pain, more spikes, more everything!

I can lie down on the Shakti Mat for about 1-2 hours, and will often fall asleep, though I think 20-30 minutes is the optimal time range to garner relief. Typically I will just lie on my back and have that take care of me, however, sometimes I also will utilise the mat on my feet. To be fair, I haven’t been game to stand on the spikes, I have a phobia about things breaking off and being stuck in my feet (after some nasty incidents in my childhood when I kicked a deck and a huge shard of wood went into my foot), and also recently in the last couple of days I stood on some broken glass in the kitchen (I thought I had gotten all the tiny shards up but not to be) and had to go to the clinic to get a local anaesthetic and a quick scalpel removal of said shard, after it had healed over… note to self — the injection of Local Anaesthetic needle into the foot pad near your toes is excruciating, as it is a highly sensitive area… them actually taking the glass out I couldnt even feel…

So what to expect from the Shakti Advanced:

• The first 2 minutes are the hardest to get through, especially if you are tense and stressed out. Your body is holding that pain in and you are going to feel it in full force for that first 2 minutes — stay focused and just get through it
• The next 15-20 minutes can range from relaxing to a kinda of euphoric bliss, akin to endorphins after exercise, deep tissue massage or intense stretching.
• If you can last for 1 or 2 hours you may find yourself falling asleep…
• Once you remove yourself from the mat, you can get an itching sensation (it can actually be kind of pleasant); I feel this way more on my feet, but I also heavily do reflexology. This is normal as it can be the blood rushing to the punctured areas.

If you are open to relief via pain, and need something to destress yourself during these troubling times, I can highly recommend the Shakit Mat, and if you have a very high pain threshold (if you can handle myofascial ITB pressure release) then opt for the Shakti Mat Advanced Version

The product itself is a fairly simple piece of fabric with 4,140 tines (10 rows of 12 widgets with 18 spikes, alternated by 10 rows of 11 widgets with 18 spikes) whilst inside is some kind of foam block.

To wash: You can simply release the velcro straps and hand wash the fabric and spikes as needed. I personally wouldn’t tumble dry the product it is probably best to air dry.

As an application method, I put a towel down on my bed, put the Shakti Mat on my towel and then lie on the mat; I’ll line up a bunch of youtube videos or podcasts on my laptop, and then lie down on the mat and click go on the podcasts, and just lie there and listen whilst I am letting the mat do its work. You might want to put on some ocean/dolphin sounds, or burn some incense or a candle… do whatever suits you — probably the less digital the better, but i put on the podcasts that I have been putting off, because now I am a captive audience.

NB: All reviews on The Fake Peranakans are 100% DanDan or Dunkle’s own opinions and are not paid for in any way, shape or form. In order to be a good conduit for our audience we’ll only be publishing reviews of things that we recommend – Mum always said, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything”, so whilst there could be dozens of reviews of things we think you should avoid, we just won’t give them a voice on our website. Please don’t ask us to review your product or offer endorsements as we are not interested in being paid to provide positive reviews for products and services.

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DanDan

The Aussie Bogan at The Fake Peranakans

DanDan grew up with Asian dishes as a staple. Primarily the likes of Char Kway Teow, Prawn Laksa and Gula Melaka. With this in mind, his journey from Australia to Singapore seems like destiny!

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Some day the mountain might get ‘em but the law never will…

Whilst journeying for my second time through Cyberpunk as the ineffable V, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon this fantastic car the Jen Rowley. The electric orange colour didn’t get me first and it wasn’t until I saw the flag on the roof that the punny car name, Jen Rowley finally made sense.

The General Lee from the classic 80’s TV show The Dukes of Hazzard was Bo and Luke Duke’s 1969 Dodge Charger. The striking vehicle, much like KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) in Knight Rider, became the primary protagonist of the show. In comparing the Cyberpunk 2077 model to The Dukes of Hazzard model there are some clear similarities and differences.

Similarities: Both cars share the same electric orange paint job, the number 01 along the side of the doors, and a patriotic american flag (though in Cyberpunk 2077’s case it’s a New United States of America flag – or NUSA flag – whereas in The Dukes of Hazzard it is a dixie-inspired flag).

Differences: In the TV show, the iconic car had both doors fused shut, requiring the lead characters to slide in stylishly through the open windows, whenever they were “on the run”, which was basically the premise of every single episode. In the Cyberpunk 2077 game, the car has automated wing style doors. The other key difference in The Dukes of Hazzard TV show is the car’s instantly recognisable novelty dixie horn (in my youth many cars had this novelty horn because of the show; the other variant the infamous spanish la cucaracha horn was also popular). Cyberpunk 2077’s developers have missed an amazing opportunity to include the dixie horn in the game, and instead you are greeted with a standard beefy blast horn noise.

So what exactly is the car like? Is it worth it eddies-wise? How does it handle? All great questions! For mine, the car is simply iconic and brings me back to my youth. It looks fantastic and is a joy to drive, and it brings me real immersion especially when travelling through 6th street gang territory. Cost-wise it is relatively cheap and will only set you back 58,000 eddies which is a lot less than something like the Aerondight which is almost 4x more expensive at 225K. However, that’s just where the fun begins, as much like in the TV show, the developer’s have held true to the handling as this thing fish-tails all over the place. You’ll want to have your in-game or out-of-game phone ready for all the cool burnout shots you are gonna get! (I recommend the wide blue lanes out in Rancho Coronado for maximum blue-black-orange contrast effect).

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DanDan

The Aussie Bogan at The Fake Peranakans

DanDan grew up with Asian dishes as a staple. Primarily the likes of Char Kway Teow, Prawn Laksa and Gula Melaka. With this in mind, his journey from Australia to Singapore seems like destiny!

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I. still. hate. twisties!

And now we can add skipping to that list!

I’ve been coming to Inspire Fitness now since September 2019, multiple days per week, to get my Muay Thai fix (and ensure I maintain my rage). Check out my introductory Inspire Fitness review on Yelp.

The classes have undergone a subtle change in the wake of Covid-19 with the Inspire team offering online classes (via Zoom) which can be done at home and are actually quite challenging and fun.

The in-gym classes have also evolved into shorter bursts of activity with more classes available, and different challenges and skills required – the first morning session being a body sculpt type which is cardio and strength, whilst the second session is more like traditional muay thai focusing on technique, footwork and sparring.

Class sizes range from 5-10 pax (5 during this Covid-19 period; 10-ish during normal times) and the circuits provide the opportunity to experience a range of different physical activities:

• Strength and co-ordination via weight and resistance training (including ab exercises, controlled weight lifting, movement like exercises such as the infamous burpee).
• Bag work with a new punch/kick/fake/switch combo on each bag every lesson which allows improvement via repetition of technique.
• Pad work with a 1-on-1 session with the trainer calling out combinations (see image above). These are both challenging and fun, and help improve co-ordination, technique, reflexes and dexterity.

Below the gym floor is a breakout area to prepare, grab a refreshment or use the amenities, or just simply talk cok!

Located on Joo Chiat Road between East Coast Road and Fowlie Road this hidden gym can be tricky to find. When walking down Joo Chiat Road from East Coast Road if you reach Club 36 you’ve gone too far.

So, to make sure you don’t miss the gym, when you reach Hock Sin Hin Bicycle Shop you should see a black vending machine to your right, just past the shop. This belongs to Inspire. To your left is a staircase. Take that to the top and you’ve reached your destination and remember when you feel like giving up, remember why you started!

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DanDan

The Aussie Bogan at The Fake Peranakans

DanDan grew up with Asian dishes as a staple. Primarily the likes of Char Kway Teow, Prawn Laksa and Gula Melaka. With this in mind, his journey from Australia to Singapore seems like destiny!

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Located on the corner of Mountbatten Road and Tanjong Katong Road this large nursery is an absolute gem, hiding in plain sight!

I love coming to this nursery to check out their huge selection of plants. I recently visited during Chinese New Year (農曆新年) and the nursery was blooming, literally, with all manner of greenery – Pussy Willows and Money Trees were abounding as were the lucky Calamondin Orange Trees adorned with Red Ang Bao Envelopes (紅包) – signifying a fruitful and abundant year ahead. (apparently the word “orange” sounds like the word for “luck” in mandarin… who knew?). The orange hue of the fruit is also said to symbolise “gold”, which makes it a very auspicious fruit.

I have also visited the nursery to get some advice on a white bug that had appeared on my Papaya trees (I grew them from the seeds of the fruit myself, and now have only 1 of the initial 6 left – and it is heavily infested with white bug). My application of white oil was incorrect, and the nursery staff corrected me by explaining the best time of day to do it, which parts of the tree/soil need it, and also how my watering may be affecting the performance of the pesticide. Hopefully I can save my final Papaya plant – and a new one that seems to have grown all by itself.

My most recent visit to the nursery was to purchase inter-connectable plastic flooring squares, to provide a foundation for my artificial grass, as well as allowing drainage for the consistent Singapore downpours – as my balcony is large and I do not want to propagate the dreaded Dengue!

The nursery itself is a large space occupying the corner block, surrounded by a sandstone wall. They use shading on plants that can’t handle direct sunlight, and leave the rest out in the elements to soak up the Singapore sun in all its glory.

I haven’t bought a poor plant from here yet, every one has been fine – the Crotons are spectacular. I generally come here for fertilisers as I am growing my own plants & fruit trees (Ginger, Galangal, Papaya, Pineapple). However, I’ve also purchased soils, pesticides, pots and interlocking plastic flooring.

The staff are always friendly and helpful with advice, and will package items for transport. If you have heavier items they’ll load the car/grab/taxi for you, and consult with the driver to ensure it’s all good.

Overall – I just love coming here. I find it uplifting and serene. Haven’t had a reason to try another nursery yet. This one is for me

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DanDan

The Aussie Bogan at The Fake Peranakans

DanDan grew up with Asian dishes as a staple. Primarily the likes of Char Kway Teow, Prawn Laksa and Gula Melaka. With this in mind, his journey from Australia to Singapore seems like destiny!

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Sin Hoi Sai Eating House on East Coast Road (not to be confused with it’s cousin Sin Hoi Sai Seafood Restaurant which is located in Tiong Bahru), is a typical Tze Char 煮炒 style restaurant and is not exactly a “hidden gem”.

However, one of their secret menu items absolutely is a hidden gem. The red wine pork ribs! These are so delectably tender you can cut them with a spoon! They also do not appear on the standard menu’s at Sin Hoi Sai – though they do appear on their banner hanging on the back wall.

These mouth-watering fall-off-the-bone ribs are easily the tastiest and most luxurious thing on the menu (and probably the most expensive) – and they come in 3 sizes – small, medium & large (the video and image both show the large portion of the ribs).

Being a Katong local, living in close proximity to Joo Chiat Road I tend to visit Sin Hoi Sai several times a year – usually when visitors are in town or as a treat because it can be spendy-per-pax when compared to other local fare in the area – especially if you choose the better dishes and larger portion sizes.

Aside from the above stunning ribs dish I’d recommend sticking to what Sin Hoi Sai is known for if you want some additional food to try. The Grilled Baby Kailan, Sambal Stingray & Marmite Chicken are all must tries – and are better washed down with an ice cold long neck of Heineken or Tiger.

You may be tempted to smash up the Guinness Pork Ribs but once you’ve had the red wine variety, these aren’t nearly as spectacular so I’d suggested skipping these.

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DanDan

The Aussie Bogan at The Fake Peranakans

DanDan grew up with Asian dishes as a staple. Primarily the likes of Char Kway Teow, Prawn Laksa and Gula Melaka. With this in mind, his journey from Australia to Singapore seems like destiny!

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WLE! Is damn good laksa lah!

Multiple local people have recommended this Nyonya Peranakan laksa to me, as the best in the East, and after visiting here I can see why. They’ve also told me that the other chain-variety in this area is “over-rated”, “not as good as it was” and the never good to have “oily” – despite the one-and-only Gordon Ramsay spruiking it!

This soup-spoon laksa is souper satisfying all the way to the final slurp! They kindly add the chili down the side, so you can control the spice to your hearts content (I pushed the whole lot in and mixed it up). The 2 times I’ve had this lately were both post training, so I was already dripping before I started eating, so you can imagine what I looked like with the sambal sweats!

There isn’t much else to say except it’s absolutely delicious with thick juicy prawns, slurpy noodles & that amazing creamy coconut broth that defeats chopsticks!

This is an easy 5-out-of-5 stars – 100% recommended, I now do training just so I can come here to eat guilt-free.

P.S. You can get cockles, but I believe you have to ask for them – I usually include them as they add a sweet burst of flavour to your broth, and cut through the richness.

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DanDan

The Aussie Bogan at The Fake Peranakans

DanDan grew up with Asian dishes as a staple. Primarily the likes of Char Kway Teow, Prawn Laksa and Gula Melaka. With this in mind, his journey from Australia to Singapore seems like destiny!

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