De Weidetuin is an organic self-picking farm and food park located in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel, operating on a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. It emphasizes fresh, sustainable, and local produce, fostering biodiversity, community engagement, and food education.
As a member, individuals pay an annual fee to self-harvest a wide variety of fresh, ecologically grown produce for their own use throughout the harvest season, which typically runs from March/April to the end of November, with an extended period for winter vegetables. The farm aims to cultivate around 50 different vegetables, herbs, and eventually flowers, utilizing natural fertilization and crop rotation without artificial fertilizers or chemical pesticides.
Produce available for self-picking includes common vegetables such as pointed cabbage, peas, green beans, red beets, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, radishes, parsnips, onions, leeks, endive, kohlrabi, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, celery, celeriac, broccoli, red cabbage, sprouts, arugula, and fennel. Warm-loving vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and sometimes artichokes are grown in greenhouses. Herbs and garlic are also part of the offering. Future plans include cultivating small fruits like raspberries, redcurrants, and blackberries in a dedicated fruit orchard, as well as a food forest and eventually providing fresh free-range eggs from chickens.
Beyond cultivation, the Weidetuin serves as a place for green recreation and offers food education programs for primary schools and other interested parties. It actively promotes biodiversity through the development of a food forest, a pond, beehives, and insect hotels, contributing to a vital natural environment.
The farm is open during the harvest season on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10:00 to 14:00. From May to September, it also opens on Wednesdays from 17:00 to 20:00. It is situated at Hoofdweg-Zuid 64F, Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel, behind the ALDI supermarket.
What visitors say
Visitors consistently praise this self-picking farm or garden for its exceptional quality and wide variety of organic vegetables, fruits, and flowers available for harvest. The experience of personally picking produce is a major draw, described as enjoyable and engaging for all ages, including young children, and fostering a strong connection to one’s food.
The atmosphere is consistently noted as beautiful, pleasant, and welcoming, further enhanced by the friendly and dedicated volunteers. Beyond providing delicious produce, the farm is also recognized as a valuable initiative for nature education, offering teenagers practical learning about organic cultivation methods and demonstrating a remarkable commitment to sustainable practices.