I’ve tried my hand at growing some fruits, but my efforts have always been fruitless — literally. Every plant I’ve had just never seems to grow.

Yet, some people seem to have the greenest of thumbs, like urban gardener Pang Kok Meng, who has managed to grow grapes right outside his doorstep.

A passionate hobbyist, the MacPherson resident is no stranger to cultivating his own produce.

Before embarking on his grape-growing journey, he had already harvested tomatoes, honeydew and pumpkins in his garden, Pang told Mothership. The seeds for the former were extracted from tomatoes bought from NTUC FairPrice.

When it came to growing grapes, Pang shared that he had initially tried to grow them from seeds but its growth was "very slow". Moreover, most of the grapes these days are seedless as well, he added.

Thus, he decided to purchase a small grape plant in August 2021 and cultivated his mini vineyard from thereon. The plant first started flowering in June 2022, and had its very first harvest two months later, in August.

Three years on, the plant is still bearing fruit, with at least five grape clusters still growing.

Built his own garden set-up

Pang’s garden setup is in itself impressive. He designed and built the entire structure himself, utilising nylon string and recycled poles.

His simple yet dynamic set-up along the corridors adapts to the nature of the grapevines, requiring him to frequently "restring and re-route depending on [the] grapes, [for they are] climbers".

He also emphasised that ensuring no obstruction to residents along the corridor as well as performing regular maintenance are crucial to the success of a garden set-up.

For example, he advises removing dried or rotted leaves to keep the plants healthy, he shared.

Taste test

The big question remains: how do the grapes taste?

According to Pang, the unripe grapes were "sour", but turned "slightly sweet" upon ripening.

Here's Pang's mother enjoying the fruits of his labour.

With grapes ticked on the checklist, Pang shared that his next challenge will be growing passionfruit.

Tips for aspiring gardeners

For those who are now inspired by Pang’s success, here are his top gardening tips for you to get growing:

1. Be patient. When in doubt, google to find out what went wrong.
2. Be prepared to "sacrifice" grape plants. If the "due diligence process is not done", plants may be exposed to diseases.
3. Use a sunshade to reduce the amount of sunlight exposure to the plant.
4. Add ice cubes to the plants in the evening.
5. Do not spray water directly onto leaves for it may cause fungus growth.
6. Touch the soil to see if it is dry or damp before watering.
7. Plants need potassium. Add blended egg shells (powder form) and vegetable peels (i.e carrots, bananas) to the soil.
8. Touch the leaves to assess the plants' condition. Overwatered leaves will feel soft and droop, while under-watered leaves will feel dry or crispy to touch.

Related stories

Top photo courtesy of Pang Kok Meng.