Philosophy

We want to produce food for people, directly, honestly and with a positive impact on our surroundings. De Stadsgroenteboer is a place of exploration, experimentation and inclusion. Despite farming on less than a hectare, we produce a considerable amount of vegetables by applying bio-intensive techniques. This means we use dense planting systems and multiple plantings on the same bed over the season. We are very conscious about keeping our soil fertile and healthy. We use compost, green manures, mulch and other methods inspired by nature to not only maintain but actually improve the quality of our piece of land.

Shallow

this is a tractor free zone

We work as much as possible without the use of heavy machinery. We never deep-plough our fields, and as we gain experience we go from minimum shallow ploughing to not ploughing or digging at all. Most of the tasks we perform can be completed by hand and innovative hand tools. In this way, we reduce soil compaction and create space for microorganisms, fungi and arthropods. We also cover the soil whenever we can. Especially earthworms, the engineers of the soil, love it! Thanks to the abundant soil life, both our soil structure and its nutrient and water retention are improving dramatically.

Natural

compost & biodiversity, no chemicals

We don’t use any synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or insecticides. We prefer to create the right growing conditions for healthy plants, rather than fighting symptoms with short-term solutions. By using a great variety of crops and by planting flowers and shrubs we aim to create a diverse ecosystem on and around the farm. This provides habitats for natural predators, as well as food sources for pollinators, because where would we be without them?

We buy organic seeds whenever possible and are particularly fond of heirloom and disease-resistant varieties. We plan to establish our own composting system over the coming years to work towards a closed cycle. 

We are not organically certified as we believe that building a relationship with the people that produce your food and having access to them is far more important. We invite you to come by the farm to see for yourself, and consider your appreciation as our certification!