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SINGAPORE: For 50-year-old Jon Tay, the people who gather at a community garden in Bukit Batok matter just as much as the plants they grow.<\/p>\n
Mr Tay is the lead gardener at Bukit Batok Central Educational Garden, a 300 sq m green space between Blocks 621 and 622 Bukit Batok Central.<\/p>\n
Once an empty grass patch with three trees, the site is now tended by up to 20 regular volunteers, mostly residents of the area.<\/p>\n
Mr Tay, an aromatherapist who is also trained in psychology, helped start the ground-up initiative with a small group of residents.<\/p>\n
The garden was submitted to the National Parks Board\u2019s Community in Bloom programme in 2022, with planting beginning in 2023. The initiative supports community gardening across Singapore.<\/p>\n
A Bukit Batok resident himself, Mr Tay wanted to turn the space into somewhere his neighbours could enjoy greenery, learn about plants and connect with one another.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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