Speaking with the founders of Eats, Shoots & Roots, we uncover the advantages and benefits of what it's like to grow your own produce, how you can start planting and more.
Shao-Lyn Low and Beatrice Yong make up Eats, Shoots & Roots, a team of urbanites with a strong interest and passion with reconnecting people through growing fruits and vegetables in various spaces.
“There are many benefits when it comes to growing your own fruits and vegetables; aside from the beautiful greenery growing at the front of your house, growing your own produce is also very rewarding and best of all, it’s free.”
As part of our December cover story focusing on ‘Welfare Warriors’ and their social enterprises, we spoke with Eats, Shoots & Roots and how easy it is to start planting your own produce in your garden.
The benefits of growing your own produce
Speaking with the strategy director Beatrice Yong, she spoke about the many benefits that came with growing your own fruits and vegetables along with its advantages.
“Not only is it very rewarding and safe to consume seeing as you planted them yourself, you also get to eat vegetables that are not necessarily found in supermarket these days anymore like traditional herbs and local vegetables that have gone out of trend.”
Beginner kits to start growing
Eats, Shoots & Roots also offer beginner kits for people who are interested in growing their own produce for a cleaner and overall safer consumption.
“Our beginner kits comes with a small growing medium and six different types of seeds which have been carefully selected as the easiest types of seeds to grow. Some of these easier seeds include basil, kangkong (water spinach), coriander, aubergine (eggplant/brinjal) and okra, just to name a few.”
Other types of kits
Aside from the beginner kits, Eats Shoots, & Roots also has various other boxes of seeds available which provides up to 18 different types of seeds ranging in three different culinary-themed boxes.
“We have three different boxes which are all culinary themed; the three boxes are the ulam, stir-fry and chilli boxes which contains various types of seeds based on its culinary theme.”
Tips on growing your own produce
Although some say you will need to have a green thumb in order for your garden to flourish, that isn’t always the case when it comes to planting Eats, Shoots & Roots beginner kits.
“For example, coriander requires more care and attention as compared to kangkong seeing as kangkong only needs to be planted to grow. Coriander on the other hand, is a bit more sensitive as it tends to germinate more slowly. To get the coriander to grow really well, you will first have to transplant it out instead of planting it straight into the soil; next, you will have to put it into a little pot first before into the soil so it can grow properly.”
More from December: Check out other social enterprises that all share the same common goal.