How to Grow Vegetables in Singapore

According to Index Mundi, only about 2 percent of Singapore's land area is used for growing. This makes urban gardening an attractive option for growing vegetables. Choose vegetable types that can grow in containers or small areas. Cherry tomatoes, a wide range of spinach and lettuces, bush beans, cucumbers, bok choy and peppers are all adaptable and will grow in Singapore's tropical climate. With the year-round growing season, you can grow vegetables continuously.

Seeds

Peat

Sand

Garden soil

Water

Fertilizer

Egg cartons

Sharp knife

Containers (optional)

Plant stakes

Plant ties

Shovel

Spade

Poke holes in the bottom of each cell of an egg carton. Fill the cells with a mix of equal parts peat, sand and garden soil. Moisten thoroughly. Plant vegetable seeds in the cells and water. Place the egg carton in a sunny spot.

Prepare containers for tomatoes, beans and peppers. Fill containers with a mix of equal parts peat, sand and garden soil. Transplant seedlings from the egg cartons to containers when they are 2 inches tall, planting 2 to 3 seedlings per pot.

Water to keep soil uniformly moist. Because Singapore has frequent rains, you may not need to water often. Just be sure to add a pinch of fertilizer to a gallon of water every two weeks because container soil quickly loses its nutrients.

Keep containers in full sun. Stake beans and tomatoes with plant stakes and ties when they get to be 12 inches high to avoid stems breaking or flopping over.

Choose a location for your vegetable patch that gets full sun for most of the day. If you can't get full sun, morning sun is more important than partial afternoon and evening sun. Cultivate soil to a depth of 8 inches, turning and breaking it up with a shovel. Amend clay soil with equal parts peat and sand to improve drainage, which is very important in Singapore's wet, humid climate. Rake the surface smooth.

Plant leafy vegetables like lettuce, spinach and bok choy in rows 12 inches apart, sowing the seed by hand directly on top of the soil. Cover with 1/4 inch of soil, and water. Thin rows when sprouts are 2 inches tall so they are 6 inches apart. Plant cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, beans and peas 12 to 15 inches apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Stake them up as they grow so that developing vegetables do not sit on moist ground, inviting insects and rot.

Water only when the the ground is dry. In Singapore, that will be seldom. Fertilize once a month with an all-purpose plant fertilizer. Apply according to the package instructions to get the right proportion for the size of your planting area. Pull weeds whenever you see them and cultivate frequently with a spade to keep soil loose and well-drained.

Plant successive crops of leafy vegetables every eight weeks to give yourself a constant supply of vegetables while maximizing the planting space.

Avoid planting melons or corn in an urban "pocket garden." Melons take too much space and can't be staked up. Corn requires at least four rows of plants to ensure pollination. Smaller stands must be hand-pollinated, which is tricky and doesn't always take.