de Stadsgroenteboer

De Stadsgroenteboer is a market garden of less than one hectare on the western edge of Amsterdam, where a core team of five farmers grows vegetables and herbs for the members of its community-supported agriculture scheme (CSA).

They grow more than 50 kinds of vegetables and over 15 herbs with bio-intensive methods, planting densely and fitting several crops into each bed over the season. Most beds are loosened with a broadfork, which leaves the soil layers and soil life undisturbed, and the soil is fed with compost, green manures and mulch; no synthetic fertiliser, herbicides or insecticides are used.

Joining means paying for a whole season's share in advance, which gives the growers the money for seed and materials at the start of the year. In return members receive a box of seasonal vegetables every week or every other week through a 34-week season from May to December. The price is on a sliding scale, so each member chooses what to pay according to their income. Boxes are collected on a fixed day, either on Wednesdays at Buurtboerderij Centraal, MidWest, Vleck Wijnen or Stadskas Tuin van Toorop, or on Saturdays at the garden itself, Lupe or Fromagerie Kef in Noord.

Part of the compost is made on the farm, and the growers experiment with green manures with the aim of closing nutrient loops and bringing in less from outside.