Grow your own Chinese-style organic garden in Shanghai

Although wet markets abound, many Shanghai residents still wonder: Where do those veggies come from? You can take the guess work out of it by starting your own urban garden in Shanghai. No need for a sweeping swath of green, just a bit of creativity will do the trick.

To find out how to create a balcony-size garden in Shanghai, we checked in with Catharine Gong, from environmentally-based, non-profit group Roots & Shoots. She teaches organic gardening in dozens of local schools.

CNNGo: How do you turn your balcony or windowsill into a garden?

Start by making or buying some small containers. The best are square containers to maximize your small space. Depending on your budget, you may want to buy some beautiful wood planters -- or repurpose what you already have. Leftover restaurant boxes or old plastic or glass bottles are big enough for simple green leaf vegetables or flowers.

CNNGo: What grows best in Shanghai?

Leafy greens and herbs such as basil tend to flourish here. Tomatoes are also a good bet, especially cherry tomatoes because they’re smaller. It’s also worth experimenting with some local vegetables such as jimaocai (鸡毛菜), a long, narrow leafy green vegetable, and mixian (米苋), which is similar to spinach with smaller leaves and will do well in a garden in Shanghai.

CNNGo: Where can you get seeds? Dirt?

It depends if you want to grow organic or conventional produce. If you’re looking for organic, check with a local organic farm. You can also do it yourself by planting seeds from an organic vegetable. For conventional growers, you can buy packets of seeds at most local flower and plant markets. These markets also sell bags of fertilized soil.

CNNGo: What about pests?

Depending upon the size of your garden in Shanghai, a simple yet time-consuming method is to remove bugs by hand. Other creative, non-pesticide approaches include using a water/pepper spray on the plant. Cut up a spicy pepper and soak it in a water bottle for several weeks. Once the water is nice and spicy, spray it on your plants. For snail woes, you can also lay out small containers of beer that will attract the snails, and drown them.

CNNGo: Any last words of advice?

Try a little bit at first. At the beginning, it’s not easy to grow plants at home since there’s lots of work and attention required. Start with a small space, gain some experience then expand your selection. Also, be sure to water every day if they’re outside. The best time for watering is in the cooler evenings and mornings -- not at midday. Most of all, have fun with your garden in Shanghai!

finding supplies

Flower markets
406 Shaanxi Nan Lu, near Fuxing Lu 陕西南路406号, 近复兴路
1148 Changshou Lu, near Yuyao Lu 长寿路1148号, 近余姚路

Organic farm
Biofarm, 8019 Chuansha Lu, Liou Tuan, Pudong
tel +86 21 6469 1721, info@biofarm.cn, www.biofarm.cn