Exploring Lamma

As we stood on the Lamma ferry pier, a biting North-easterly wind tweaked our hair and nipped at our noses. Despite the heavy skies and light drizzle, our party of about 20 intrepid gardeners listened intently as Bing Law and David Sanders, our guides for the day, recounted how Lamma's vibrant agricultural community was decimated in the early 1990s by the Government's decision to allow fresh vegetables into Hong Kong from Shenzhen. Local farmers could not compete, and the old terraces were abandoned and lay neglected for some 17 years. We were to witness how the hard work and enthusiasm of newer Lamma residents have transformed those sad terraces back into productive herb and vegetable plots, farmed organically using sustainable methods.

Energetic garden-visitors made their way on foot to our first port of call, Pak Kok, while the rest of us took the lazy route and boarded the gaido. Having meandered up the path from the pier, we were welcomed by Eric Collins, who, with the help of Bing Law, has cleared bindweed, tall grasses and other tenacious weeds from four terraces. Those next to his house have been restored and planted with lawn seed after extensive digging. Shrubs were removed to create a wonderful feeling of open space, terrace walls have been rebuilt and fairy-tale brick steps allow you to tiptoe from one level to another. The vegetable and herb gardens are now in their second year and are a delight to behold. The lower area, where the vegetable garden is located, has been trenched and composted. Only organic fertilizers such as soybean meal are used, and leaf mould is collected from under trees. Vegetables seen here included carrots, beets, lettuces, capsicums and tomatoes. Some were netted for protection.

The herb garden is situated where formerly there were papaya trees, and the soil here was not as good as that of the vegetable patch. The artist in me rejoiced at the layout of this beautiful herb garden, whose cross design was inspired by a Tudor herb garden that Eric had seen in North Essex in England. Herbs grown included two varieties of basil - a great favourite of Eric's - and scarlet sage, while the massive grey-green leaves of broccoli, the yellow heads and feathery foliage of marigolds and tall garlic spikes provided visual contrast. The latter are companion plants, which Eric is growing in the hope of deterring voracious pests.

Close by, David and Bing Law have developed vegetable and herb plots in a former orchard, which again required vigorous clearing work. Existing fruit trees have been pruned and the sick old Persimmons are recovering. Other fruit trees include Lai Chee, Wong Pei, Longan, Banana and Pineapple trees. Ah Bat developed this area 50 years ago and Bing Law has honoured his wishes by nurturing certain medicinal herbs which are rare in Hong Kong. Examples include 'sum shu' - a bulbous root similar to a white sweet potato which is used for cleansing the body. It is harvested in the Spring and made into a detoxifying soup during the Spring and Summer. Its vines are carefully supported on canes. Still found here is 'leung meen tsum', which is excellent for healing snake bites, and 'gai see tung', a climbing plant whose leaves are juiced and then put into sweet black dumplings.

The vegetable patch on this level is one year old and is circular because Bing Law likes this layout. Veggies include huge tomato plants, beets, carrots, peas, spinach, broccoli, taro, choi sum and bak choi. My most compelling questions for these expert gardeners were 'how do you stop the bulbuls eating your tomatoes and red chilies?' and 'how do you stop caterpillars eating your beautiful leafy veggies?'. Eric's answer to the former question was to pick tomatoes before they turn red and let them ripen in a sunny kitchen, and the general consensus was that although netting may assist in the battle against voracious caterpillars, the only way to deter them is by dexterous manual removal - in my experience an extremely time consuming and thankless task!

David and Bing Law are also regenerating a lower terrace. The soil is a heavy sandy loam, which is deeper on lower levels of the island. The soil has been tested by the AFCD and it meets the standards required for organic gardening. The AFCD have also tested the nearby spring water, which is of good quality - an vital component for good quality produce. David and Bing Law are planning a novel means of conveying water up to the top terraces, using a water tank and pump in a bizarre reversal of normal irrigation practice. They are hoping to regenerate plant species, and to get more food going. Their aim is to encourage sustainable living. They are experimenting with different fertilizers and get organic compost from an organic dairy farm in China. They are negotiating with local authorities to have the use of a heavy duty machine to crush branches for surface mulch. These gardens are all being developed under less than favourable conditions as local land rights issues leave them vulnerable to the vagaries of local ownership regulations.

Much to the surprise of the super-fit Lamma denizens, the entire group opted to walk over the hills to our next destination, despite dire warnings about 'Heart Attack Hill'. There were cries of excitement at the sight of the spectacularly beautiful and abundant red clusters of the huge Clerodendron ???? and similar delight at the flowering Flame Tree. Several intrepid walkers negotiated the overgrown jungle in order to explore a spacious old derelict house, earmarked by some dreamers as a wonderful headquarters for HKGS.

We then interrupted the lazy Sunday afternoon of another Lamma resident, Les McClure. Les obligingly recounted how he took 9 months to clear two overgrown terraces behind his house, and over a period of 6 years planted grass seed and transformed them into peaceful glades, using the old fields as the skeleton for the new garden. The terraces are skirted by magnificent shrubs and specimen plants, including a very tall Schefflera, which until recently sported its pink flowers for nearly 5 months.

Touches of whimsy were much evident in this garden, and Les had many tales to tell of the history of the property. Snakes enjoy visiting his house, and he is regularly disconcerted by the sight of a long reptilian body flopping down onto the floor from the internal rafters. Old folk take fruit from the mulberry tree in front of his house, boil it and drink the juice to help heal sore throats. En route to our next garden, we marveled at the variety of fruit trees. The sight of a heavily-laden jackfruit tree prompted us to marvel anew at the rich variety of fruit trees to be seen in private gardens. We spotted orange pomegranates, pale green starfruit - painstakingly wrapped to protect them from the cold - papayas, lemons, limes, custard apples...

Our next stop was the Tai Peng Community Garden, aka 'The Eclectic Garden of Tai Peng'. This fabulous project was the brainchild of Tavis du Preez, who first met like-minded gardeners at meetings in March 2007. Hard clearance work last summer meant that the first plots were ready for planting during the autumn. Nowadays each Sunday sees the gardeners meet at the site for a pot-luck lunch and to tend their plots. Children are encouraged to plant and tend and dogs are welcome to join in the fun. Our group, by now rather chilled, was enthusiastically welcomed by our hosts, who had prepared a roaring fire and delicious informal lunch for us.

Individuals prepare their own plots. Knowledge is shared and experiments made with different seeds, fertilizers and so on. Peanut cake meal - 'fa sun fu' - has been added to the soil in powder form, or mixed into water and allowed to decompose for use as a liquid fertilizer. Goat poo, bone meal, peat moss and ash from fires have all been tried. Thriving plots are producing beets, dill, lettuces, tomatoes, turmeric, peanuts, basil, coriander, carrots, spinach, rocket, horseradish and those fabulous additions to salads: nasturtiums, pansies and sunflowers. Sage, borage (the 'silver bullet' of complementary planting), marigolds, garlic and bell peppers are all being tried as companion plants to ward off those pesky pests.

Gardeners irrigate their plots by means of watering cans and water from the original water tank. Soon a large 'matchstick man' is going to be constructed on the upper tank. Water will be pumped up through the matchstick man's legs and it will then pour down through his arms in a whimsical 'take' on a waterfall. This matchstick man will be seen as a tribute to the farmers of Lamma.

Touches like this are evident through this vibrant community garden. An old tree now sports thriving orchids, and one of the gardeners has constructed a gnarly fence from old branches. This project is in its infancy but growing rapidly, due to the hard work, warmth and enthusiasm of its participants. We should like to say a big thank you to all Tavis and all those wonderful people who made us so welcome.

On we went to Herboland, a flourishing organic herb and vegetable farm. This was started in 2003 by Gary and Gavin, who were two young volunteers at an organic farm and who decided to start one of their own. Now they grow a multitude of herbs, from arid Mediterranean sun-loving specimens such as rosemary and oregano and savory, to Oriental types such as Thai basil and even curry leaves. They even have some coffee bushes. 20 - 30% of their produce is vegetables, and the rest is herbs. They sell potted plants and herbal teas and keep healthy rabbits. Two most beautiful and laid back marmalade cats lazily sucked up adoring attention from cat devotees. For more information on Herboland, please visit www.herboland.com.hk. Like with all the other gardeners we met today, their enthusiasm is infectious.

Our final treat was to visit the rooftop of David and Bing Law. There they showed us their thriving Microgardens, which they have developed with Hong Kong gardeners in mind. Suitable for even the tiniest balcony, Microgardens come with frame, planters, organic compost, seeds, instructions and even a little trowel and fork - everything needed to start a tiny but productive herb and vegetable garden.

We'd like to thank everyone involved for our wonderful day out, which was entertaining, fun and highly educational. Lamma Island was a personality in her own right, decked as she was in her Chinese New Year finery. Bougainvilleas and Firecracker Vines smothered the hillsides. Rooftops and private gardens were full of cheerful Lunar New Year flowers - Dahlias, Chrysanthemums and Peach Blossom.