Theft at allotment garden plots leaves avid gardeners frustrated

Some seek more surveillance as signs and nets put up fail to prevent such incidents

- Sheo Chiong Teng

Ms Sharon Wong, who got her East Coast Park Area D allotment garden plot in January, has had her plants stolen at least four times.

These incidents include people digging up her roselle plant directly from the 2.5m by 1m plot, cutting the leaves of her coriander plant and taking a pot of lemongrass she had planted.

Ms Wong, a homemaker in her early 50s, is not the only gardener who has had to deal with theft.

Eight gardeners told The Straits Times that their plants have been stolen from their plots over the past several years.

Allotment gardens are gardening plots that people can lease at $62.13 a year for a period of up to three years from the National Parks Board (NParks).

Gardeners who maintain good gardening etiquette, such as keeping their plots tidy and clean, will be offered additional temporary occupation licences in three-year blocks.

Found across 28 parks, the 32 allotment gardens in Singapore contain more than 2,400 plots.

Mr Woo Wee Meng, coordinating director of community partnerships at NParks, told ST that everything grown in an allotment garden plot is the property of the gardener who has been issued a temporary occupation licence.

At the eight allotment gardens ST visited in March and April at Bedok Town Park, Bedok Reservoir Park, Choa Chu Kang Park, East Coast Park, Jurong Lake Gardens and Villa Verde Park, NParks signs telling people not to pick any of the plants were seen.

Mr Woo said these signs were installed around the allotment gardens to inform and remind the public not to remove or vandalise the plants and structures in the plots.