De Tuin naast de Branding is a pick-your-own garden on Schiermonnikoog where you can harvest vegetables, herbs, flowers and oyster mushrooms. The season runs from late May to mid-November, with the widest selection available between June and October. In mid-October, crops include lettuce, Swiss chard, garlic, pak choi, endive, beetroot, rocket, New Zealand spinach, kale, pointed cabbage, celeriac, fennel, herbs and flowers. Some vegetables, such as courgettes, pattypan squash and peppers, are limited to a small daily harvest. The farm also sells Schier soap and Wilder Land tea.
You pick what is ready and write down your harvest in the shed. Payment is on trust: you decide the price, with suggested amounts provided. Cash goes in a box, or you can pay by card. Scissors, knives and elastic bands for bouquets are available in the shed, along with baskets for your produce. Blue flags mark which crops you can pick, and you harvest only from the south side of the flag. The greenhouse plants are not for picking; any available produce from there is in the shed.
The garden is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09.00 to 18.00, and closed on Mondays. You can visit even when the owners are not present. Dogs are not allowed in the garden due to the free-roaming ducks, but there is a shaded spot by the entrance to tie them up. The farm asks visitors to stay on the paths to protect the soil and plants. Parking for cars is at the campsite entrance; bicycles can be left at the racks by the garden gate.
The farm grows without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers and uses organic seeds where possible. It also cultivates oyster mushrooms using coffee grounds collected from local restaurants. Volunteers are welcome to help in the garden.
What visitors say
Visitors pick their own vegetables, herbs, flowers and sometimes mushrooms or asparagus in a well-kept garden that smells of fresh produce. The rows are clearly marked, and most people find the system straightforward: you weigh what you pick and pay what you think is fair, with a scale and till available if you prefer to pay the suggested price. A few mention that the plants are low, so picking can mean bending down.
The produce is consistently praised as fresh, tasty and organic, with a few calling it the best they’ve ever had. The garden itself is a pleasant place to walk around, with some visitors bringing children or stopping by just to look. The staff are friendly and helpful, though one person noted they weren’t greeted on their visit.
Most say the experience is relaxed and enjoyable, though a couple of reviews from earlier years suggest it can get busy. The farm also supplies local restaurants, and some visitors buy extra produce from the market stall in town.