# data[].attributes.body
The most memorable memories is how accepting everyone is and how willing everyone is to share their knowledge, sweat and passion!
Grayson & Charmaine

# data[].attributes.body
We enjoyed working in the neighborhood garden as a family. My boy, Kaiser learned so much about plants and planting, and the weekly visit to the garden minimized his gadget usage, and encouraged a more healthy hobby.

# data[].attributes.body
I still remember the guys will use the changkol to dig out soil from the ground. It was a memorable time; everybody kept themselves busy in garden even without experience. Teamwork, everyone plays a part, we are good team players. Even if we do not know, there are some of them eg Charmaine, Josephine, who will just tell you what to do, give correct directions. Ekjot, Janet and Lisa will share and directly message me to give me some seeds, or share some advice on the plants I am growing.

# data[].attributes.body
What's exciting about Kampong Harvest to me, is the relationships and growth we are able to have. It has been slightly over 2 years since my first Saturday with garden and I love that regardless of our age, we all learn from each other. Pretty sure Grayson was sharing to Xiao En about his ant collection in this particular photo. I love that the relationships we have, can continue to grow, together with the garden.

# data[].attributes.body
I was with Kampong Harvest for while some times and I am always impressed by how the residents support each other and would share their knowledge in the group! Everyone is so welcoming to each other even when I have no gardening knowledge! I have so much fun previously when I went down to help out in the garden on Saturday.

# data[].attributes.body
It is my hope that post-pandemic, we will be able to have more gardening-related activities that will engage neighbours, foster friendships, and build the Kampong spirit strong.

# data[].attributes.body
Very first plants in the ground!

# data[].attributes.body
I'm looking forward to get together again soon. I also look forward to learn and experience from the neighborhood folks on gardening.

# data[].attributes.body
Hopefully this COVID-19 is over soon, our group can continue to work together at Kampong Harvest.

# data[].attributes.body
As I’m always interested in planting I’m very happy to see Kampong Harvest, a community garden in this neighborhood. Kampong Harvest allow me to focus on an activity that bring joy.

# data[].attributes.body
We bonded over regular meetings and sharing sessions, forged enduring friendships, guided and helped each other. For instance, in the various Whatsapp groups, our members offer their extra seeds or plants as well as advice freely, share seeds, or even gardening supplies. In the watering group, we share weather updates or help to take over the watering roster when any member is busy or goes on holiday. In the recipe group, we share recipes, photos and videos of the food we whipped up from our harvests.

# data[].attributes.body
Building a garden from scratch is a lot of hard work but when the load is shared by so many of us, the task becomes easier.

# data[].attributes.body
Looking to learn more from experienced team members, to have more bonding time over gardening activities and sharing of recipes

# data[].attributes.body
It has been a great learning journey for me. During our weekly Saturdays get-together, I have the opportunity to learn gardening tips from our more experienced team members - loosening soil, sowing seeds, rooting new plants from stem cutting, making organic compost from kitchen waste, and more. These hands-on sessions are not only educational but fun. We have a great time bonding over gardening activities and sharing recipes.

I am so proud and very happy to be part of this Kampung Harvest group, helping to keep our kampung spirit alive at Serangoon.

# data[].attributes.body
Favorite part would be the community. People coming together and working toward building and growing a garden and sharing knowledge and experiences.

# data[].attributes.body
We took this photo after the first session. It was very, very heartening for me to know that I had 2 ladies who were open and willing to share with me what's going on. I felt excited for what the garden could become after this session :D

# data[].attributes.body
I remember the seed of having a garden was planted when a few staff were just talking about it during lunch time.  We thought how interesting it will be to utilise what was then just a green patch of grass and grow it into a communal space for residents to meet and know one another.  It was not easy getting the necessary approval and there were people who doubted the usability of the land due to the soil quality and amount of sunlight the plants will get.  We didn’t give up and tried to experiment despite us not having much garden knowledge.  Along the way, many kind-hearted residents got their hands and feet dirty with us and generously shared their knowledge.  It is amazing to see fellow residents’ efforts and contributions to grow KH to where it is today.

# data[].attributes.body
Keeping the garden spirit alive through zoom sessions during the pandemic! :)

# data[].attributes.body
刚刚开始时，空空如也！

# data[].attributes.body
I remember this day so much! The uncles (F4 gang) and Sumi were busy lining up the new fences, ensuring they were all lined up in a straight line. It took them so much time and eye for detail. Strings were used, fences were hammered in. To be very honest, it was such a refreshing experience as I never knew there was so much science to ensuring fences were lined up straight. It was hard to be of help to them when the fences already looked straight to me hahah!

# data[].attributes.body
I would love for everyone to get to know each other a bit more, to love gardening and beyond that, love the Serangoon community that we are in as well. I hope that our gardening group can continue to grow and share expertise and knowledge with one another. :)

# data[].attributes.body
I learnt so much about gardening from everyone - the right ratio to compost, how to build secure structures, and how to harvest and prune. Thank you everybody for contributing to my knowledge about life and gardening in such meaningful ways!

# data[].attributes.body
Not sure if everyone remembers but we also weathered through many concerns about our garden - dengue mosquitoes, loud noise during our gatherings that were surfaced by 238 residents...many many more. But we have really came so far in that all these have been reduced and we have, as a body, tried our best to resolve these community concerns as well. Everyone was frequently checking for waterlogging and this brings so much warmth to my heart whenever I think of how we resolved problems together as one :)

# data[].attributes.body
This is the first photo I took in the garden when I joined the first time. I remember everyone being very welcoming towards me even though I was a new face. I remember being impressed by everyone's passion and energy even though it was an early Saturday morning (to me, it's too early on a Saturday haha).

# data[].attributes.body
Core Team members

# data[].attributes.body
I like the experience of starting a garden from an empty grasspatch. We did fencing, layout planning, digging of the ground. I like that a lot of the gardeners such as Uncle Nai will go every day and night to check on the garden, and that the watering residents are very committed. Also really like the end result, where we reap so much harvest to share with everyone.

# data[].attributes.body
The word kampong is one of nostalgia for me and often brings me back to my early years as a young boy growing up in one of the last few kampongs in Singapore then. The images in my head, though few and far between, are rich, enduring, and somewhat romanceful of an era that that I am never going to enjoy again in modern Singapore. I didn’t have much of the comfort of the modern world but what I had was a nurturing environment of fresh air and bright sunlight which did not rush my childhood. That was my relationship with the word kampong - a communion between innocence of youth and an environment pure and devoid of contamination of what the modern world brings. So, when I was told that the agency was planning to bring the kampong spirit back in some form or other through Kampong Harvest, I do admit I was skeptical and somewhat apprehensive if we were taking the word kampong too lightly.

But on this second anniversary of Kampong Harvest, I now realize there is more to the word kampong. Maybe I was too fixated with the word kampong and ignored the culture rooted in the word kampong – the kampong spirit or the human connection. Seeing our residents come together to turn an empty plot of land into one brimming with plants and flowers was a humbling experience for me. It shows what is possible when like-minded individuals come together to create something that is more then what they could have ever achieved on their own. The wonderful camaraderie and spirit of friendship that has blossomed between the members is truly life giving and has given meaning to the role of the agency in the community.   So, on this second anniversary, I want to take the opportunity to thank all the members for their time and contributions into making the garden a reality. Without you, without your inspiration, this dream would not have been possible.

Anne Raver, one of the foremost authorities on making things grow, suggests that gardens are the first sign of a commitment to a community. When people plant, they are saying, let’s stay here. And by their connection to the land, they are connected to one another. I have no doubts that we will remain connected for many more years to come.

# data[].attributes.body
Our first gathering - Ekjot sharing her expertise on compost.

# data[].attributes.body
Sharing our harvest with our Serangoon residents

# data[].attributes.body
Our very own KH Logo! :)

# data[].attributes.body
F2F session during pandemic (with safety measures in place during phase 3).

# data[].attributes.body
Finding these compost bins were not easy, but it formed our usual gathering to-do list every time we meet!

# data[].attributes.body
My hope for the garden is to focus on education and increasing food access in that, over time, we will be able to provide a sustainable supply of produce to low-income and needy individuals or families.

# data[].attributes.body
We make mistakes during this journey, but we learn together from our mistakes in this journey. Some of our KH residents go to the market to help with the composting process by providing food waste and other ingredients.

# data[].attributes.body
A few of us brought up the topic of organizing gatherings for children when these two children came and took a look!

# data[].attributes.body
I came to know about KH from the notice which was put up by SMFSC "Watch this space for our new community gardens." when I walked pass this area one day. I stayed at Kampong when I was a kid until 10+ years old and I always like to be close to nature. This makes me very interested and excited to join the community garden.

- posted by Xiao En

# data[].attributes.body
My vision is to connect others to the garden and fun activities and gathering as wells (like cooking workshop.

# data[].attributes.body
It was challenging during the initial phase as not everyone was a seasoned gardener. Besides, each person entered  with different ideas & personalities . Despite these teething issues, everyone got to know each other better through working together. As they began to embrace the vision of like-minded individuals who could accomplish more as a community and for the community , than any single individual, the garden literally  began to take root and shape. Thank you fellow residents who poured in much time and effort like Uncle Nai, BK, SK , Sumi and Ekjot as well as countless others  including SMFSC staff for bringing to life , the idea of a community garden that everyone could enjoy. My heart brims with joy to see how far we have come and am thankful for the privilege of working with all of you.

# data[].attributes.body
Yet another F2F session during pandemic (with safety measures in place during phase 3).

# data[].attributes.body
Still remember how Allan drove some of us to collect vegetables from the nearby market as compost.

# data[].attributes.body
What I like most about Kampong Harvest is seeing the kampong spirit coming alive - where team members get together to contribute ideas, knowledge and skills and work together to build this garden from scratch and  reap the fruits of our labour.

# data[].attributes.body
I get to meet a lot of new friends that I have not met before in the neighborhood, and my closer friend in the garden is Sumi. For example when I changed phone number and did not know how to join the chat, I asked Sumi. Sumi also ask me occasionally to come down to do this and that, and since I am free I will just come down to help.

# data[].attributes.body
Janet: One of the most beautiful moments was  where Ben lifted a child, Grayson so that he could help erect a bamboo pole to support the plants . It was very memorable as it resembles someone passing on values to the next generation, I just love seeing children. I hope that the KH garden continues to serve  a space for intergenerational interaction and that subsequent generations will also come to love the garden and uphold the values of the community.

# data[].attributes.body
It was not an easy journey at the initial stages, I must say, plagued by the monsoon season, with terrible soil and terrain and then some.  Toiling in the garden under sunny and humid conditions is no mean feat for many of the volunteers. Some suffered cuts, bruises, aches, and pains that turned chronic. However, these did not deter many of us from continuing our work in the garden. We have come a long way since and an even longer journey ahead if we want to achieve more significant outcomes.