Conversion of Waste Space into an Edible Garden
22 พ.ค. 2019
เคล็ดลับการอยู่อาศัย
Amidst the rush of modern life where morning, midday and evening are governed by urgency, most of our meals are left to the care of convenient stores and eateries. Help from the likes of Line Man, Grab food and Food Panda is enlisted on those days without evening social outings; the days that we arrive back at the house or apartment on an empty stomach. Some of us look forward to cooking on our days off or when we are able to free up time. For those who like to cook, the joy of making their own food is something to be treasured and cooking time is happy time for the family. Years ago when everybody lived in houses, there was ready access to herb gardens that were utilised when cooking ingredients were missing. A corner store could be found nearby and mum would make us walk to the store to fetch chillies, lime or basil when she needed them.
The size of a family has been getting smaller in the recent times leading up to present, and a person’s way of life has shifted from being centred around a house to now revolving around an urban condominium. This meant it is now practically impossible to fetch herbs from the backyard garden. One may require just 5-6 leaves of holy basil and 2-3 chillies for his/her favourite bowl of Tom Yam Kung that is big enough for just one or two persons. Acquiring these ingredients from the supermarket means buying them in packs that had excessive quantities of the ingredients, and the cook will be forced to stuff these remaining ingredients into the refrigerator.
This common scenario has inspired a campaign to turn empty space inside condominium projects managed by Plus Property into vegetable and herb plots that can be utilised by the residents at each condominium project.
When waste space is no longer wasted
Before and after photos of conversion of waste space into vegetable plots, at THE BASE Downtown - Phuket
Lost space, waste space and dead space (Mumford, 1961; Transik, 1986; Lynch and Southworth, 1990; Perera, 1994*) are terms used to define neglected spaces that have no function. Oftentimes, such spaces can be found at the condominium projects and gated communities that are under the management of Plus Property. Some of these spaces were previously decorative plots of plants and flowers that have deteriorated after many cycles of planting. Sometimes space can be found on the roof of a condominium that already hosts enough decorative plants; properly allocating space in such instances means greater functions can be achieved while beauty is preserved.
Preparing the vegetable plots at Setthasiri Pattanakarn
The management of each residential project, therefore, employed its team of gardeners and technicians to convert said spaces into vegetable plots. Any preexisting wooden laths were repurposed into small shelters for plant pots, and bricks that were formerly used for decoration were turned into containers for the vegetables. For spots with too little space for vegetable plots, gift baskets left from the New Year’s period were converted into growing pots for the vegetables. These efforts make use of recycling, and at the same time beautify existing areas and turn empty spaces with no function into spaces that yield tremendous benefits.
Caring for vegetables after finishing the jobs at the common area
Images from Haven Phaholyothin
Much of the vegetable- and herb-growing at the empty spaces within condominium projects were undertaken by PLUS’s personnel who already work at each of the residential projects. These personnel comprise the condo manager, building technicians, administrative staff, cleaners and security guards. Some of the personnel grew up in the countryside and were experienced in agriculture, and they brought their knowledge to be shared with coworkers. Seeds needed to primed, the soil surface had to be treated and the seedlings had to be put into a nursery before being introduced to the vegetable plot. PLUS personnel also handled soil tilling and watering, the application of fertilisers, fermentation of bio-extract liquid for use in nourishing plants, as well as the rehabilitation of soil and the preparation of the growing site for a new type of plant after harvest. The personnel would also study up on how much light each plant needed. These efforts were made in order for the vegetables growing process to be efficient and in order for enough produce to be yielded for distribution to the residents at each community.
Among the edibles grown at each project were herbs such as lemongrass, chili pepper, climbing wattle, kaffir lime, holy basil and sweet basil. Also grown were fruiting plants such as yardlong bean, cucumber, eggplant, hairy-fruited eggplant, pumpkin and snake gourd. Fruits such as papaya, watermelon, passionfruit and banana were also cultivated.
Images from Onyx Phahonyothin
Promoting relations and relaying happiness via the vegetable plot
PLUS initiated the campaign to grow vegetables with an aim to provide residents with a “backyard herb garden” so they would have access to self-grown, toxic-free vegetables. Once the produce has been harvested, PLUS personnel pitches in their labor to trim, wash and package the produce so the finished product can be collected by the residents and used in cooking. When handing in the produce, the personnel at each project would converse with the recipients and share ideas about vegetable cultivation or suggest a menu that makes use of the produce. Some residents also contribute to the sustainability of the herb gardens by donating seeds or other relevant items.
PLUS initiated the campaign to grow vegetables with an aim to provide residents with a “backyard herb garden” so they would have access to self-grown, toxic-free vegetables. Once the produce has been harvested, PLUS personnel pitches in their labor to trim, wash and package the produce so the finished product can be collected by the residents and used in cooking. When handing in the produce, the personnel at each project would converse with the recipients and share ideas about vegetable cultivation or suggest a menu that makes use of the produce. Some residents also contribute to the sustainability of the herb gardens by donating seeds or other relevant items.
Images from Edge Sukhumvit 23
The initiative has generated a warm response from the residents who have received the produce; the recipients indicated that the vegetable plots are very useful. At projects where the vegetables are grown close to the swimming pool, children who pass the plots on their way to the pool would observe the growth of the edibles. At some projects, miniature events are held for handing out vegetables to the residents – such activity promotes exchanges between the residents as well as between the management and residents. If there is leftover produce after distribution within the residential project, the remainder is shared with nearby communities or taken home by the staff of the juristic person. All of this sharing generates a sense of a large family that resides within the same area.Although the context of modern living has changed, it did not mean we have changed in complete synchrony with our environment. Lost space can be converted into a space that generates happiness. Pus Property views the residential properties management business as involving more than the functions of the juristic person. Rather, the job involves overseeing the well-being of every family that resides within a project. This “Living Management” job involves managing all aspects related to living. This is PLUS’s commitment to providing a management service that caters to the diverse and varying needs among residents.
02T (Zero to Tree) is the campaign to turn empty space inside condominium projects managed by Plus Property into vegetable and herb plots that can be utilised by the residents at each condominium project. We are going to expand this campaign to 20 projects of condominium and single house to create Green community and to share the good environment to each other.
PLUS+ Caring from the Heart. Attention to Every Requirement.
#PlusProperty #LivingManagement
*Partially referenced from the article Lost Space and Urban Regeneration: The Case of Space Underneath Bangkok's Elevated Expressways by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University
Photo Credits:
The management of Baan Bannavan
The management of Onyx Phahonyothin
The management of Haven Phaholyothin
The management of Condo One Thonglor Station
The management of Edge Sukhumvit 23
The management of Setthasiri Pattanakarn
The management of dcondo Kanchanavanich
The management of THE BASE Downtown - Phuket
The management of THE BASE Height - Phuket
Plus Property is a full-service professional property and facility management agency. With more than 20 years of experience, PLUS manages residential and commercial properties through its team of quality professionals, heeding to all types of demand.
Give us a call at 02 688 7555 to get more details about property management or click here to learn more about our services.
02.688.7555