Marjolein Mens (37) was looking for a restful place where she could work with her hands in the earth. Together with her father, she rented a piece of land from allotment garden association De Groene Scheg in Rokkeveen. “What are we proud of? On our vine tomatoes!”
Ad loading…
Marjolein and her father Wil Mens live close to each other in the Rokkeveen district. Together, or separately, they visit their garden every other day. They removed their wooden garden bench from the bulky waste and picked old signs from a container. “We chat together about daily concerns, but we also enjoy the silence.”
Longer than a year
Marjolein had a municipal garden, but she had to tear it down every year. “You can rent a vegetable garden in one of the neighborhood gardens for a maximum of one year. In the event of a new year, you will be assigned a different piece of land. Because of this I had to remove all my plants again: a shame. De Groene Scheg is a cozy allotment garden association where you can rent an allotment garden for a longer period of time. As tenants, we regularly meet during the Garden Café and share tips.”
The vegetables from mama’s allotment garden are delicious
She prefers to keep Marjolein’s backyard free as a playground for her children. That is why choosing a vegetable garden in the nearby community garden was an easy choice. “I was looking for a quiet place where I could work outside in the silence. Sometimes my daughter and son come by and I tell them how, for example, carrots grow. This is how they learn where their food comes from. They were always poor eaters, but they love vegetables from mom’s allotment.”
Read more below the photo‘s >
Delicious pasta sauce
Ad loading…
The green beans are shining in the sun and the zucchini flowers shine at you with their bright yellow leaves. “We are most proud of the vine tomatoes in our greenhouse,” says Marjolein. “They taste great and I often make them into pasta sauce that I put in the freezer. Or I make an oven tray with tomatoes, basil and garlic. You don’t know what you’re tasting.”
Marjolein and Wil’s greenhouse blew away during a strong storm. “The thing was in the neighbour’s garden. He looks a bit battered now. It’s time for a new one,” says Wil.
Try recipes
Wil and Marjolein come to water the garden every other day. “We can take water from the tap. In addition, we do some hoeing and harvest vegetables for home. Sometimes we try out new recipes and eat together, such as artichokes or beets,” says Marjolein. Wil is most proud of the home-grown watermelon. “It is ripe, so we will soon be ritually slaughtering it.”
You can see more pictures of Marjolein and Wil’s vegetable garden below>
Your turn
Do you want to show what your garden, veranda, vegetable garden or home looks like? Send an e-mail to [email protected]. Maybe you live in a hip apartment in the center or you have a cozy garden house where you regularly hang out with friends: there is something to tell about every home, garden or balcony.
