Cultivate Central

21/03/2025

🌿 Giggling Greens: A Workshop & Exhibition to Delight Your Senses

This is a special collaboration between artist-scientist  and our very own  :

Giggling Greens is an interactive public art installation that brings together technology, plants, and people in the quirkiest way possible. Think: edible and fragrant plants that giggle when you water or touch them. 

🎨 Workshop: Happening this weekend - Saturday, March 22nd! 

Join us to:
🔍 Meet the creative team
🎤 Create voices for plants
🎧 Explore the sounds of Singapore’s edible herbs
🎨 Play, imagine, and get hands-on with this delightfully weird and wonderful experience

✨Open to all. Kids, adults, curious humans of all kinds.

👉Link to workshop sign up in our bio above. 👆

📍 Exhibition:
🗓 15–31 March 2025
📍 Green Pavilion, Singapore Botanic Gardens

 Ready to make your herbs giggle? Come and play! 🌿🎶

 

15/02/2025

We're kicking off our Permaculture in Practice sessioms for 2025!

Join us next Saturday, when Master Gardeners, Jumi and Jeannette, will lead the Volunteer and Learn session. Come and immerse yourselves in learning and practicing permaculture principles with us.👨‍🌾👩‍🌾

These sessions are deal for anyone who is new to the Goodman Community Farm or permaculture, and those with children.

We'll be doing a little bit of a Gotong Royong, followed by maintenance and a variety of garden tasks like pruning, fertilising, harvesting and planting seedlings.

Permaculture in Practice: Volunteer & Learn
📅 Saturday, 22nd Feb
🕒 3.30pm to 5.30pm
📍Goodman Community Farm at Goodman Arts Centre

👉Sign up through the link in our bio👆

20/11/2024

🤔Same plant, so why do the leaves differ so greatly?

🪴Healthy soil, of course! This here is a little proof that healthy soil makes for happy, healthy plants. The first image shows leaves from a pot with dry, low-nutrient soil, while the second image shows the same plant after being moved into a pot rich in compost and organic material. And, just look at the difference! Once the plant was moved the new leaves grew much bigger and have a healthier shade of green as opposed to the small crinkled yellowing leaves. 

🌍Healthy soil doesn’t just support growth - it brings out the plant’s full potential! When your soil is packed with organic goodness, your plants will reward you with lush leaves, vibrant color, and a natural resilience. Even small-space gardeners can see big changes with a little soil TLC!

🌱So if you feel your balcony plants are suffering from mediocre growth, focus on making your soil healthier. Check out some of our videos (link in bio) on how to compost in small spaces to improve your soil quality with your kitchen waste and other easily available materials. 

13/11/2024

What’s Linda up to?! 

She’s enthusiastically drying herbs at our last Permaculture in Practice: Grow, Cook & Make sessions where practical skills meet laughter, community, and connection. 

✨These sessions are all about bringing people together to share knowledge on permaculture living in urban spaces. A space for our community of permaculture designers, educators, master gardeners, artists, makers, chefs and more to share their expertise and experience with you.

Each session, we dive into a new topic, skill, or practice. Our aim is to empower each other with skills for everyday sustainable living, and to be producers not just consumers! 🌎

So, what would YOU like to explore next? Fermenting for health? Composting and growing your own herbs in small spaces? Making natural dyes? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll consider your ideas for our Permaculture in Practice: Grow, Cook & Make sessions in 2025! 🙌

📸 Master Gardener, Jeanette

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05/11/2024

Stuck with limited balcony or garden space? Not sure what to grow?

📑Here’s a quick guide to choosing plants that give you the most bang for your (space) buck:

🔍 Ask Yourself:

What’s used most often at home? 

What’s best fresh from your garden rather than store bought and refrigerated?

What packs value for your time? (Hint: Perennials! Yes, we have a guide to kick-start those in your balcony too. Link in our bio👆)

What’s expensive or hard to find?

What does double duty? (Think sweet potato: used as ground cover has edible leaves, and tubers! And yes, they can be grow on balconies in grow bags.)

What’s super tasty and easy to grow? 

🍃When space is tight, make every leaf and stem count! Choose plants that are productive, tasty, and easy to grow. 



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16/10/2024

Food is Community 🌿🍚

At Cultivate Central, we believe that food is more than just fuel - it’s about community, connection, and shared stories. And what better way to experience that than by cooking and eating together?

In our upcoming Permaculture in Practice with Linda Tom, participants will dive into the many ways to use sweet potato leaves - ahumble yet versatile ingredient packed with nutrients and flavour. 

After exploring its uses, together we’ll to create a regional favourite: Nasi Ulam.

👩‍🍳We’re excited to have leading the way, sharing her knowledge of this fragrant dish whicj she learned from her mum. 

🌱🍚Nasi Ulam is a fragrant rice dish mixed with finely chopped fresh herbs, vegetables, and spices. Each bite offers layers of flavours and textures, showcasing the importance of local, regional and seasonal produce. It’s a dish that varies across the region - every family has its own twist, making it the perfect embodiment of diversity and traditions. 

We’ll chop, mix, and laugh together, making something greater than the sum of its parts because community is at the heart of good food and good community gardens.

🌿We’d love for you to join us. Let’s connect, cook, and grow - together. To purchase a ticket head to the Permaculture in Practice link in our bio. 

Simple & Versatile: Fuss-Free Nutritious Dishes for Busy Days with Linda Tom

📅 Date: Saturday, 19th October 2024

⏰ Time: 10am to 12pm 

📍 Location: Goodman Community Farm

See you there!

13/10/2024

You’ve got the drip systems, the wicking beds, and maybe even a fancy self-watering planter from online, but when was the last time you really watered your plants yourself? 🤔

It’s not just about quenching their thirst (though they appreciate it!). Hand-watering gives you a front-row seat to their lives. Slowly, you’ll notice their little quirks—yellowing leaves, new buds, or pests you might need to ‘take care’ of.

Why it matters: 

🌱 Observe and Interact: When you water by hand, you connect with your plants and catch issues before they become obvious.

🧘‍♂️ Time to Breathe: Hand-watering is meditative. It’s just you, your plants, and the sound of water. A simple way to slow down and be present.

🌎 Working with Nature: Nature doesn’t rush, and neither should you. These small moments help us understand our plants and ourselves. Maybe we all need a little watering sometimes, too? 💧

So, sure, let the systems and tech do their things on most days, but every now and then, grab that watering can or hose. Your plants will thrive, and you might just feel more grounded too. 🌿

📸Master Gardener Jeanette👒at Goodman Community Farm where we build up the soil with organic matter so it absorbs and retains as much water as possible and we hand water as often as we can to create a thriving urban farm. 

04/10/2024

What's Linda so happy about?

The fact that she's got her hands on some sweet potatoes leaves!

Sweet potatoes aren't just about the tubers, the leaves are essy to cook with too! These leafy greens are underappreciated but super versatile. 

🥗 Packed with nutrients: minerals like iron and magnesium are more bioavailable in these leaves than many other greens. 

💪 High in fibre: Keep that gut happy and moving along.

👛 Budget-friendly: Whether you grow sweet potatoes or buy the leaves, they’re a budget-friendly and easier-to-grow alternative to greens like spinach. 

Plus, they taste delicious! Stir-fry, soup, pesto, salads—you name it, they can do it. 🙌

So why stick only to the potato when the leaves are just as good!

Come join us for our upcoming 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 workshop centred around the humble sweet potato leaf. 

𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 & 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞: 𝐅𝐮𝐬𝐬-𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐍𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐦

📅 Date: Saturday, 19th October 2024

⏰ Time: 10am to 12pm 

📍 Location: Goodman Community Farm

👉More details and link to purchase tickets in our bio above.🔗

03/10/2024

🔧 In a world full of automation, some things still need a little old-school TLC. 

These trusty secateurs? Together, we took them back to basics - good ol’ sandpaper, WD40, and some serious teamwork and elbow grease. 💪

Because sometimes, the best tools are the ones you take care of, not replace. It’s a reminder that not everything needs to be fast, new, or automatic—some things need love, patience, and a bit of manual work to thrive. 🌻 Maintenance is key for anything to live a long and happy life😉

So here’s to slowing down, putting in the effort, and keeping the things we treasure in tip-top shape, the old-school way.

🌿Come join us this weekend at the Goodman Community Farm for some fun with these happy secateurs and other tools at our 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 sessions.

📅 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲,  𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

⏰ 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 𝟗𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟏𝐚𝐦

📍 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦

👉Link to sign up in our bio above🔗 See you there!

📸Master Gardener at GCF Jeanette👒

27/09/2024

18/09/2024

Goodman Community Farm is a community-driven demonstrative permaculture farm run by Cultivate Central and led by

Our vibrant and enthusiastic community includes permaculture designers, educators, master gardeners, artists, makers, chefs and more.

Inspired by the fresh, local and regional produce grown on the farm, community members are eager to share their cooking, crafting, and making skills with you through our collaborative 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 series. 

👨‍🍳𝐊𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐟 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝!

📅 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟐𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

⏰ 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 𝟐𝐩𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝟒.𝟑𝟎𝐩𝐦

📍 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦

This workshop will begin with a walkthrough and sharing of gardening methods from the Master Gardeners of the Goodman Community Farm, followed by a cooking demonstration by Chef Harry, who loves transforming easy-to-grow local and regional ingredients into healthy and mouth-watering dishes.

Learn to be a producer, not just a consumer. Pick up ideas on cultivating easy-to-grow herbs and vegetables and transforming them into simple yet flavour-packed healthy dishes, perfect for busy urbanites. 

Come join us to learn how to grow and cook! 

🌱𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐨 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞.

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐟 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲: a volunteer at Goodman Community Farm, he is always looking for new ways to turn our farm-grown ingredients into delicious bites. With over 15 years of experience as a culinary instructor, Chef Harry trained in French cuisine in France and mastered the art of making gelato in Italy. Holding a Diploma in Baking Technology, Chef Harry brings expertise in local, Western, and Peranakan cuisines, as well as baking, providing easy-to-follow recipes that anyone can master.