Tuinpark Laakzijde is an ecological garden park located in Amersfoort, Vathorst, dedicated to promoting biodiversity and ecological gardening. It serves as a vibrant hub for community interaction and education for both local residents and visitors.
The park offers several opportunities for individuals to connect with nature and obtain fresh produce. Through a self-harvest garden, participants can subscribe to a “harvest share” that allows them to pick their own organic vegetables and herbs weekly, eating seasonally. Produce available for self-picking from this garden, depending on the time of year, includes spring items like turnip greens, spinach, and broad beans; summer crops such as tomatoes, beans, and courgettes; and autumn harvests like kale, celeriac, and pumpkins. Other common vegetables often found for self-harvest are lettuce, endive, carrots, potatoes, and cucumbers. Additionally, a flower picking garden operates from mid-June to mid-October, inviting visitors to pick dahlias, marigolds, zinnias, and various other summer flowers.
Tuinpark Laakzijde also features a 6000m² food forest, where a wide variety of edible plants grow across different layers, including large trees (like walnuts, linden, cherry, ginkgo), smaller trees and large shrubs (medlar, hazel, dogwood, decaisnea), smaller shrubs (goji berries, jostaberries, honeyberries, currants, chokeberries), herbaceous plants (comfrey, nettle, ferns), groundcovers (strawberries, purslane, blueberries, lingonberries, cranberries), climbing plants (kiwiberries, grapes, akebia), and root crops (Jerusalem artichokes). While visitors are welcome to enjoy fruits directly from the food forest on-site, harvesting for home consumption is not permitted there.
Beyond self-picking, the park is home to an allotment garden association where members cultivate their own vegetables and fruits, a Nature Barn that serves as a multifunctional space for workshops and meetings, and a Teahouse. The Teahouse, run by the social enterprise Land in Zicht, offers simple, delicious organic dishes prepared with ingredients from the garden and local producers, providing a cozy spot for relaxation and community gatherings. Seasonal festivals are organized throughout the year, offering nature-based activities and creative workshops for children and families. The park is committed to sustainable practices, focusing on healthy soil, supporting pollinators and wildlife, and offering a supportive environment for individuals in day care and work-learning programs.
What visitors say
Tuinpark Laakzijde is highly regarded as a beautiful and inviting natural retreat, particularly praised for its idyllic setting by the Laak river, which some compare to the tranquil French countryside. Visitors enjoy the opportunity to connect with nature through walks and bird spotting, and many commend the site as a promising and well-maintained developing area with a clear, loving mission.
A central feature is the self-picking garden concept, where members can subscribe to weekly harvests of fresh, unsprayed, and seasonal vegetables. This unique experience, which also includes flower picking, introduces people to unfamiliar produce and fosters a strong sense of community. The complex encompasses a food forest, allotment gardens, and extensive greenhouses filled with various plants, flowers, and herbs. It also hosts family-friendly events, like spring festivals with children’s activities, and offers volunteer opportunities. A cafe or teahouse is available, serving coffee, tea, and small menus, providing a pleasant stop for many, making a visit feel like a special outing.
While the overall sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, some areas for improvement have been noted. Parking space is described as limited. There are also recurrent concerns regarding dogs; some visitors find it problematic that dogs are allowed in vegetable growing areas due to hygiene concerns, and others report issues with too many off-leash dogs, leading to waste in restricted areas and owners disregarding rules, including instances of dogs harassing swans. One specific dog walking area was also mentioned as being muddy and could benefit from being larger. Despite these points, the enthusiasm for the park’s continued growth and its offerings remains high.