Tuinen van Hartstocht is a self-picking garden located on Boerderij Hartstocht, an organic city farm in Abcoude, near Amsterdam. It operates on a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) principle, where members pay an annual contribution to harvest their own produce throughout the season.
The garden offers two main self-picking areas:
The Vegetable Garden: Members can harvest fresh, naturally grown vegetables weekly for approximately 30 weeks, from late April to mid-November. The farm cultivates without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Available vegetables for self-picking include various types of lettuce, bok choy, beets, chard, kale, Tuscan kale, beans, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, fennel, red cabbage, peppers, and various herbs. They also grow less common varieties like blue kohlrabi, spicy Asian salad, and edible flowers.
The Flower Garden: This smaller self-picking area allows members to create their own bouquets weekly for about 18 weeks, from mid-June to mid-October. The flowers are grown sustainably and without harmful chemicals. Members can pick flowers such as sweet peas, delphiniums, asters, sunflowers, cosmos, and many other seasonal blooms.
Boerderij Hartstocht, the host farm, is a biological dairy farm known for its Old Dutch Groninger Blaarkop cattle, which are raised for both milk and meat. Beyond the self-picking gardens, the farm engages in composting and nature management. It also features a farm shop, open on Saturdays, where visitors can purchase raw milk, meat from the Blaarkop cows (and sometimes Mangalitza pigs), and ice cream made from their organic milk.
The Tuinen van Hartstocht aims to provide fresh, healthy, and locally grown food and flowers, while allowing members to connect with where their food comes from. The garden is managed by Floor, Godelieve, and Noortje, and encourages community engagement.