The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowVoedseltuin Gelukkige Groentes Malden
- Organic methods: no synthetic pesticides or fertiliser, not certified
- No ploughing
- Zero waste
Voedseltuin Gelukkige Groentes Malden is a self-harvest food garden of one hectare on the Hatertseweg in Malden, started in 2020, where two gardeners grow vegetables for 250 to 300 member households who pick their own from May to December.
More than 60 kinds of vegetable are grown over the eight-month season, from leek and carrot to hakurei turnips, tromboncino and palm kale, plus herbs, cut flowers and some soft fruit. According to their website nothing is sprayed, no synthetic fertiliser is used, the soil is left unploughed, and the seed and young plants are bought organic. The garden holds no SKAL certificate and we found none in the register; their FAQ says they therefore don't call the produce organic, and what qualifies it here is the practice itself.
Joining works per household and per season: each adult takes a full harvest subscription, children of 10 to 17 a half, and younger children go free. Members may harvest seven days a week from sunrise to sunset, taking what the household needs rather than fixed portions, and nobody has to work in the garden. There is a waiting list at present; new sign-ups are told when a place comes free. Members can add a monthly bag of mushrooms from De Versfabriek in Nijmegen, collected at the garden.
The beds are never ploughed, and any surplus the members don't pick goes to the Nijmegen food bank.