The best way to gain practical skills and knowledge is to do it yourself! Here’s a list of interesting farms, gardens and projects, mostly in the surroundings of Wageningen. Feel free to contact them and ask if you can help out a hand as volunteer. See also WWOOF Netherlands for more farms and gardens. Enjoy!

Farms in or in the neighbourhood of Wageningen

Tuinderij het Lichtveen

Tuinderij het Lichtveen is a small-scale market garden in Bennekom, the Netherlands. It is run following the principles of agroecology and regenerative agriculture. This means focusing on building the health of the soil and wider farm ecosystem and providing food through short supply-chains to our local community.

They grow on land rented from organic dairy farm Boerderij de Hooilanden. Here they are transforming a plot of former pasture into a productive and sustainable no-dig market garden, producing a wide range of healthy and nutritious vegetables, herbs and fruits.

 

CSA de Wilde Peen

Tuinderij de Wilde Peen is located on the van Peursumsweg in Ede. It’s a beautiful place in the outskirts to the north of the city, close to the city. 

De Wilde Peen is a Community Shared Agriculture initiative. Community Shared Agriculture is about solidarity. As a citizen, you take care of clean air, biodiversity, clean drinking water and healthy food together with the horticulturists by connecting with the agricultural initiative in your neighbourhood. You then share vegetables, the beauty, and the costs. This makes everything very transparent, tangible and real. As a harvest shareholder, you can come and harvest vegetables as often as you want, on all weekdays and on Saturdays. Maria and Klarien sow, plant and take care of the vegetables until the moment of harvest. 

Pluktuin de Bosrand

Pluktuin de Bosrand is a pick-our own fruit and flower garden plus a tea-garden situated on one of the most beautiful spots of Wageningen. It produces on 0,8 hectare

with respect for human and nature a wide variety of fruit and flowers throughout the growing season, which you can harvest yourself during opening hours. Payment is by weight or piece (fruit) or sice of the bouquet. You don’t need a subscription. You can also pick your own herbs (like over 15 types of mint, roses, lavendel) for your tea or have a coffee while you enjoy the great view on the Wageningse Eng. More info can be found on the website http://pluktuindebosrand.nl/

JOIN US. Would you like to help in the garden and learn more about gardening in practice? Become a more then welcome volunteer in Pluktuin de Bosrand. See https://www.pluktuindebosrand.nl/index.php/nl/vrijwilligers for more information. Feel free to pass by in the garden for more info or send us an email.

 

Creative Community Garden, Wageningen

Three minutes away from the campus by bike, you will find the Creative Community Garden, next to the Hoge Born farm. Here, students and Wageningen inhabitants come together to enjoy gardening, permaculture, yoga, meditation, building pizza ovens and greenhouses, have pizza evenings, workshops and many more! You are all very welcome to join! There is also the option to become a member and have your own little plot of land. On the website you can find the open working sessions in the garden as well as parties and workshops. See you soon at the Community Garden!

 

 Ommuurde Tuin

De Ommuurde tuin is the historical kitchen garden of King Willem III. Nowadays it is one of the most beautiful gardens of the Netherlands, owned by Esther Kuiler. She grows many different kinds of vegetables, herbs and fruits. On Wednesday and Saturday the garden shop is open where you can buy all the products or enjoy coffee or tea at the terras. The garden is also the home for bees, owned by a bio dynamic bee keeper. Would you like to join the team of volunteers? You are most welcome! Volunteers start in the garden at 9:00 and work until the afternoon. Esther provides coffee, tea and cake during the breaks (bring your own lunch). Contact ester via info(at)ommuurdetuin.nl

 

Veld en Beek

Veld and Beek is a biodynamic dairy farm with traditional Dutch breed of cows. Veld and Beek has a very special way of selling their products in a consumer cooperative. You can become a member and order delicious biodynamic locally produced milk, yoghurt, butter, cheese and much more. Moreover they have a very innovative way of farming since the stable of the cows is used as greenhouse in summer! Would you like to become a volunteer? Contact the farmers via their website veldenbeek.nl

 

De Nieuwe Ronde 

At two beautiful locations (3 ha in total) in Wageningen, “de Nieuwe Ronde” (The New Round) grows a wide range of vegetables for more than 200 households. Join us, and experience our CSA horticulture with self-harvesting membership system. The season begins in April and ends in October. As you weed, plant, and hoe you can learn a lot about our unique way of farming. You can do your internship with us, or just help out for fun. For more information please contact Klaas and/or Pieter at info@denieuweronde.nl.

 

Kwekerij Bloemrijk

Flower Picking Garden in Wageningen is looking for volunteers who are employable for at least a season. This way you can really learn how flowers grow. Help for a short period is also possible, and consists mainly of weeding due to the agenda of the owners.

 

 

Tuinderij De Stroom

De Stroom is an organic garden of 4 hectares, owned by young farmers Angelien, Welmoet and Linde. They grow more than 35 varieties of vegetables for the veggie bags and for organic shops like Lazuur. See also this nice video about the young farmers! Would you like to volunteer? Help is needed from April onwars for planting, weeding, harvesting and making the veggie bags. Contact Welmoet, Angelien and Linde via: info(at)tuinderijdestroom.nl

 

Further away

Eemlandhoeve

(Buinschoten, Amersfoort area)

Come and do an internship or volunteer work at the Eemlandhoeve, a multifunctional agricultural farm with livestock, vegetable gardens, nature conservation, restaurant, store and more. Gardener Joris is looking for (ex) students to help him in the vegetable garden, where a wide variety of crops are grown, in a sustainable, unorthodox and manual way. There is plenty of room for experimentation and working out your own ideas. Both long-term and project-based. Board and lodging is possible. Interested? Please contact us at: moestuin@eemlandhoeve.nl

 

Ecologische boomkwekerij

(near Den Bosch)
At this small-scale tree nursery, owned by former Wageningen UR students, you have many opportunities to learn things. During spring there is chainsaw work, tree removal and tree planting (demonstration material can be taken along). The nursery cooperates with Sterappel in the Betuwe. You can be picked up from the train station in Den Bosch.

 

Eemlook Knoflook

(Close to Amersfoort)
Did you know that garlic can grow very well in the Netherlands? Together with his wife, this farmer grows over 160 varieties of garlic! You are welcome to come and help on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from April to November. Activities include weeding (April and May), removing garlic flower stems (June), harvesting and drying (July), cleaning (August), sorting (September) and planting (October).

 

 

Hamster Mieden

(Friesland)
Fancy a sporty outdoor activity while enjoying nature? Visit educational farm Hamster Mieden in Drogeham North Frisian Woods. It is a green, wooded area. There is room to sleep (max. 40 people) and to use the kitchen. Please contact Thom Krol for the possibilities.

 

Fruittuin Très Jolie

(near Barneveld)
Be welcome to help out on multifunctional restful fruit garden.