Andreas Buben

Visiting the Volkstuin of Almere

In Almere lives the largest Suriname community in the Netherlands. In this Volkstuin they bring their native crops and grow them under the glass, where the climate reaches the optimum conditions for the tropical fruits to flourish. 

We want to give special thanks to Ron van Zwet, the founder and manager of the volkstuin, who took the time to give us an ellaborate tour and discuss the possibility of using brackish water for irrigating grow beds.

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Prooftuin - plot design - Andreas Buben

As the Aquaponic team, we were very happy to get the possibility to visit the Volkstuin of Almere. The Ron has formerly cultivated roses on this location. After struggling with with market rivalry and high maintenance costs, he decided to give his greenhouse open access to the public. Participants need to pay a contribution to cultivate crops on their small patch. They get access to fresh soil and water. The garden enjoys great popularity and the queue to get a plot is very long. 

It would be great to revisit this garden, during the growing season and see its full potential.