Arabian Park Hotel offers organic herbs and vegetables from its own garden

What began as a small experiment now boasts a wide range of fresh herbs and vegetables from crisp lettuce and plump tomatoes to tasty thyme and tangy mint - and it's the hotel's customers who taste the difference.

"The organic garden started out as a very small project, and has since grown into a very successful means of ensuring we have our own supply of the freshest and best quality organic vegetables and herbs. Commercially produced vegetables brought from the cold storage cannot even begin to compare to the taste and smell of the fresh vegetables," said General Manager, Mark Lee.

"Our repeat guests have also noticed a difference in the quality of our fresh salads and vegetables, and this has been a huge incentive for us to continue with the project," he added.

The idea to cultivate their own organic vegetables began in early 2008, with the planting of a trial batch of local Rocca leaf seeds to see how they would grow.

Girish Babu, Chef de Cuisine of Arabian Park Hotel, said:

"Before we planted any seeds, the sand over the area was removed and topped with red sand, which has less salt and lime, and is usually used for agricultural purposes."

"The soil was then nourished with natural fertilizer, and a seed sprouting bay was created for seeding. Once the seeds had sprouted the plants were then removed and arranged in designated areas," added Babu.

The garden area is watered manually, and a drip system also provides moisture to the soil and plants throughout the day.

"It is very important to keep the moisture level consistent for the plants to survive the heat," added Babu.

A wide variety of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, lemon basil, cinnamon basil, purple basil, Thai basil, Italian basil and mint leaves are grown in the garden, as well as flat parsley, English parsley, spring onions, coriander, Italian Rocca and local Rocca.

The garden also boasts a multitude of different vegetables such as iceberg and local lettuce, spinach, dill leaves, baby spinach, Pakchoy, oak leaves, red peppers, green peppers, green chili, cherry tomatoes, medium red tomatoes, baby eggplant, red radishes, hash melon, baby marrow and cucumber.

From October 2008 until May 2009, the vegetable garden produced the following fresh produce: 80 kg parsley, 100 kg tomatoes, 40 kg bell peppers, 100 kg Italian Rocca, 120 kg local Rocca, 50 kg lettuce oak leaves; 40 kg mixed basil; 20 kg eggplant, 15 kg Pakchoy and 15 kg dill leaves.

"This year we are planning to also grow our own Holland red chillies and yellow peppers," said Babu.

"This initiative is such a great opportunity for the young chefs to know the value of growing their own vegetables, and being more cost efficient. It takes a lot of effort and time to grow your own vegetable garden, and it definitely requires a team who are passionate about taking care of plants. All our chefs are given a designated area of the garden, and our gardener provides them with advice and support in terms of pest control and irrigation," he stated.

"The best part about the garden is the smell of the fresh herbs and vegetables during the cooler months. It definitely refreshes one's thoughts and mind!" he added.