garden portraits

On a cold February afternoon Mr Dirk Tangeman agreed to an "Garden Portrait". The request was spontaneous and unexpected for him but he didn't hesitate for a moment to participate. We thank him for breaking the ice.

Mister Tangeman has had several different allotments on the complex during the past thirty years. Prior to that, he had no interest in gardening what-so-ever; in fact, he wanted to cover his garden at home completely with patio tiles. His brother-in-law managed to convince him to let him show how he could have a low-maintenance garden and preserve the greenness and the plants. His interest began to grow after the pleasure that he experienced with the finished work on his garden.

He had acquaintances with allotments on the Complex and he applied for a piece of ground to work.
"Berkhoud 3" was just ready for use on our Complex and he was the first member to work his plot that he was alloted. He told what a job he had had getting his ground under control and ready for planting. The paths down that way were still grassy in those days. He shook his head and laughed as told how he and his brother had to lug the materials to build his small garden house through the soppy quagmire to reach his land parcel.

He sat on the Maintenance Committee for twelve years and one of the things he worked hard to achieve was the paving of the paths. All that struggling with his building materials through the mud and wetness had made an impression, no doubt. He was so adamantly insistent that the paving must be realised that he became known in that time as "Dirkje Beton"�or "Dirky Concrete" (a literal translation). In the end, the paths were indeed laid with second-hand paving stones. They were an enormous improvement. It is worth noting that mister Tangeman also sat on the Administration Committee for four years.

His lottie is not large these days, but it looks immaculate - three vegetable sections and a flowering plant section. The cosy-looking little house was built by him, of course, as he is a retired carpenter.
Mister Tangeman uses no chemical agents on his plot. He tried the so-called "bio-dynamic" method of gardening; however, that proved very irritating for him to follow precisely, he said. He gives most of the harvest from his garden away because, as he puts it, "The pleasure is in doing of the work, not so much in the harvesting of the results".

Dolf's first allotment was in Lelystad where he was Secretary of his gardening association. After that he moved to Hoorn and had a Railroad Allotment for two years. He has gardened with us now for 23 years.

He was once an active sportsman but after an injury he had to stop. He did want to stay active though, because sitting in front of a telly is not for him, thus he took-up gardening. In addition to his job and gardening, he also collects stamps, likes to camp and has a permanet site caravan.

He has an "easy plot" because he has to divide his time among all these activities and finds that whatever he can harvest from his allotment a bonus. He always has enough for himself and to give away though. He says that folks who freeze veggies in mustn't forget to check-off the bags of veggies when they are removed to be cooked, otherwise the "bookkeeping "will be off. He grows some flowers such as chrysanthemums and asters in addition to potatoes, various other veggies, strawberries, pears and currents. He has had successes in the greenhouse as well with gherkins, melons, cucumbers, papricas and tomatoes. In the cold frame he grows lettuce, endive, and early cauliflower.

In the beginning, he was somewhat over-enthusiastic when he sowed his seeds, for example cabbage. He remarked that if he had let all those cabbages grow, he would STILL be eating them! "Oh well�that's how you learn," he says.

Dolf gardens in a sort of spontaneous manner, in his words; however, he observes the crop rotation schedule. Sometimes crops don't work out or his harvest must be shared with the birds�but come what may, his motto remains, "Just keep smiling".

These two friends and neighbours have been gardening together since last year on the plot where Cora began in 1991. Saskia grew/grows vegetables on her large balcony at home; this is where her interest began. She was also a "volunteer" on another person's allotment in order to try gardening out on a larger scale and found it really nice to do and practical. Cora's garden was actually to big for her to manage alone with all the ground elder, willows that had to be pruned and the canal banks that had to be kept clear�so it was perfect when saskia came to garden with her.

The moment one walks under the pergola he enters the last plot on the eastern side of the complex and immediately feels the relaxed ambience. "No bicycles or people come-by back here - it's like being at the end of the world", Saskia says. "It's an idyllic, fairy tale garden".
She says that all that is lacking is a kitchen garden, and she working on that now. There is no shortage of flowers, blooming bushes, and fruit trees. There are apples, pears, cherries, blackberries, currents, grapes and herbs, among other things growing there. In the middle of the garden there is a cosy little place to sit, surrounded by trees where philosophical subjects are discussed and they read peacefully�even the little animals feel the restfulness and amble calmly by a reading Cora.

The calm was roughly shattered a few years ago-- all of a sudden smoke was noticed coming out of a pile of garden cuttings under a poplar tree.
Cora was alone, and threw a bucket of water onto it but it immediately burst into flames! The police came, but arrived on the wrong side of the canal and then the Fire Brigade. In spite of the emergency, Cora tried to prevent the firemen with their great boots from trampling her precious flowers�meanwhile she had a vision of a disaster of catastrophic proportions happening: The big poplar catching fire and falling across the railroad track to Amsterdam preventing the trains from running�and she having to pay for it all!

Well, the firemen used their pump to pump the water from the canal that borders Cora's plot and the fire was soon under control. Cora's disaster scenario was fortunately averted and peace returned once more to the fairy tale garden.

They say that their allotment is a perfect place to spend a Sunday afternoon, even in the wintertime. The ladies come dressed warmly and break out a thermos of tea, cups and a small table cloth. Saskia would actually like a little house or shed, but Cora isn't hot on the idea, we shall wait and see whether one will come or not. Whatever happens, they steadfastly state that, "the tea isn't as tasty anywhere in the world as in the garden" (and they drink it out of Wedgewood cups).

Hetty's first allotment was in Hooftdorp, where she gardened with her daughter-in-law. They gave it up after the second year because with the rampant theft the pleasure was gone. The heavy clay ground was very difficult to till, and this also played a roll. They were trying to grow their own veggies, but if another steals it there is little use continuing.

She began again about eight years ago with a plot on Berkhout 1, but that was too small to put a house on. She got soaking-wet a few times because there wasn't any place to get out of the rain, so she decided to take a different lottie that already had a little house on it. This plot, with it's hedges and canal banks to maintain prooved to be a bit to much work for her, as she gardened alone, but now she has everything her heart desires on lottie number 310 - a lovely house and a greenhouse.

Hetty says that she actually doesn't have green fingers and that her garden consists out of chance plantings. When she looks around her and sees that someone is planting something that she wants to grow, she plants it too. She thinks that she harvests much less from her allotment than is possible because she has a busy life and sometimes the garden falls by the wayside.

An interesting aspect of her lottie is that she grows her veggies, fruit and flowers all mixed together, the result always looks so charming and cosy. She also has an "herb garden" and in her greenhouse she grows cucumbers, papricas, eggplants as well as tomatoes. Additionally she has such exotic things as a fig tree and an olive tree. Today (March 12, 2006) she already has cabbage and lettuce plants growing. The lettuce must certainly be the FIRST lettuce on the complex this year! She told us that taking a greenhouse was the best decision that she has made on her allotment; further, if she had to choose between a greenhouse and a little house - the greenhouse would win, hands-down.

The main reason for having an allotment for Hetty is relaxation and rest. She says that she enjoys her garden the most when she is sitting flat on her bum weeding at eight o'clock in the morning with the sound of birds chirping all around her.

When Willem says that he comes from a cauliflower he means that almost literally because he comes from an agricultural family for which cauliflowers played an important role. From an early age he learned a lot about agriculture from his father, for example when they would check the potato crops - he with a basket and his father with a spade to take out the bad plants. He also used to go along with a barge, loaded with crates of vegetables from the village of Broekerhaven to the auction house between the villages of Bovenkarspel and Grootebroek. Gardening is in Willem's genes.

About twenty years ago, Willem turned out to have a vitamin deficiency; which wasn't too surprising because in addition to his work, he was also very busy as a table tennis trainer for youths among other things, so he had very little time to eat properly. His doctor told him that he needed to take it a little easier and that the vitamins he needed were to be found in vegetables that grow "half out of the soil", like radishes, beetroot, onions, turnips, carrots and such. He decided to start growing those vegetables himself and took on an allotment. He is now retired and still very active; besides two allotments, he plays table tennis and the electric organ, is a member of a card club and works as a volunteer for an organization where he organizes activities for senior citizens.

The nice thing about having two allotments, according to Willem, is having more neighbors to chat with. Allotment 315 he calls 'green right' and number 312 'green left' (the name of a political party).
He still has contact with the previous renter of allotment 315, who had given up gardening when her husband died, he regularly brings her potatoes and vegetables and she treats him to coffee and cakes.

Besides all kinds of vegetables, potatoes and berries, there are always flowers to be found. Marigolds are often planted as a green manure after harvests - "they always look so nice, as if the sun is shining in your allotment until they are dug under".
Willem is always one of the first to have his potatoes planted because, as he says, "I am more scared of the committee members checking for signs of blight than for the late frosts". This way he harvests his potatoes before the blight hits, except for the few times the frost got them first.

For the annual exhibition, Willem always submits original creations that are real eye-catchers, like the time when the theme was "art". He submitted a beautiful construction with flowers and decorative squashes, a sign on it said "don't touch, artwork - insurance value 15.000 Euro.

One winter's day he decided to cut the greenery along the canal that borders his allotment. He thought an easy way to do this would be to stand on the ice. Yes, he went through the ice and got soaked. Gardening is clearly not a hobby without risks.

Of all the hobbies Willem has, two are definite favorites: Talk and talk some more.

As a young family with two children, Kees and Atie lived near the harbour where they didn't have a real garden. The father of Kees had an allotment where they used to go on Sundays and where the children could play to their hearts content. The only place to play outside at home was in the street which wasn't always a safe place with the traffic. They took the logical step to rent an allotment for themselves. The problem was that there was a waiting list of 3 years! Allotment 250 had a beautiful shed, like a little summerhouse, the price was quite high and no one wanted it. This was their chance and they grabbed it.
In the past 30 years, the van Meel family had many happy times on their allotment. Theirs was the first combination allotment on the complex and many people commented that the play lawn on it was a waste of good potato soil.
Atie often went to the allotment in the afternoons with the kids on the bicycle and Kees would join them later, straight from work. They would garden, play, eat and relax. The children, now adults, still sometimes refer to the happy youth they experienced there.

During their first annual members meeting, the chairman announced that he resigned; he pointed to Kees and said that he had just resigned from the committee of the First Aid Organisation so he could start here. Kees was elected immediately as the new chairman.
At some point, about 25 years ago, there was a waiting list of 125 people so the committee sent a request to the city council to allot more space for allotments. More space was allotted at the Kromme elleboog but the rent was much higher than that of the complex at the Berkhouterweg. Kees went to the mayor to talk about this but the mayor threatened to up the rent of the Berkhouterweg so that it would be the same. Of course that was not what they wanted. Kees said that in that case the allotment organisation would buy the whole shebang themselves but the mayor did not take him seriously and said that they should do just that.
They did and now we are one of the very few allotment organizations that own their own land.

After about 10 years as chairman, Kees took up a study in the evening hours and resigned from the committee. After finishing his studies, he took place in the committee and in 2001 he was elected again in his present function as chairman. Most of the activities that take place on the complex are brainchildren of Kees, such as the annual New Years reception, balloon party, pea soup party etc.

When it comes to gardening, in the beginning it was a school of hard knocks. There where Atie had sown something, Kees would be hoeing a bit later on or, if they were lucky and something did come up, at times the seedlings would be removed and the weeds were allowed to grow on. After Kees had built a nice cold frame, he couldn't understand why nothing grew in it. Only later did he discover that creosote and plants are not a good combination.
They don't grow potatoes for two reasons. It is difficult to have proper crop rotation with the flower garden in place and they prefer to give bouquets of flowers as presents than bags of potatoes.
The veggie garden is the department of Kees and the flower garden is Atie's, however, they work both departments together. They grow vegetables such as beans, lettuce, carrots, leeks, onions, beetroots etc.
The flower garden is a joy for the eye with lovely sitting areas. The gigantic rhododendron next to the shed is a real eye catcher.
The success of their beautiful allotment is, according to Kees, a case of keeping it plenty wet (see picture showing a reclined figure with a drink in his hand and the words: "The best way to garden is to keep it wet").

About ten years ago some friends asked Netty to look-after their lottie for them while they were on vacation. She found it a fun thing to do and went to a gardener with her questions concerning plants. He had already noticed that she was taking really good care of the lottie and asked her why she didn't take a lottie for herself. This was the beginning for Nettie.

She rented a small plot of 100m² to begin with and after a half year she was able to rent the plot next to hers�giving her a 200m² lottie in total. She won the first prize for having the best vegetable allotment!

Nettie was accustomed to fresh veggies, having grown up on a farm. There was always a veggie plot; however she had never gardened herself.

She has always had animals as well, and the last one that she had was her horse that died last year, sadly. She was one of the admistrators in the riding club for 21 years where from eighteen years she was also involved in the competition organization. If this wasn't enough, she was also editor of the club newsletter. Since her horse died she hasn't been an active member. Nettie has been a volunteer for Jumping Amsterdam for years now too.

Vegetables are the most important thing for Nettie but flowers are a definite second. This means that the flower section sometimes gets a bit out of hand, according to her; however, I find that that everything always looks "Ship shape and Bristol fashion".

In addition to potatoes and veggies, she had diverse berry bushes such as: red and black currents, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. She makes the most delicious berry sauce (I know this from experience) as well as jams from the fruit. A great deal of the veggies is given away to her children who freeze them. Nettie composts the vegetal waste from her garden and doesn't use any chemicals or synthetic fertilizers on her plot.

A couple of years ago she wasn't able to work on her lottie often and it began to get away from her�and if there's one thing she cant stand, it's a messy garden. She was contemplating giving it up, but help was close at hand. Three brothers came with their shirtsleeves rolled up. A huge hole was dug in the centre of the plot and in one morning the whole garden was clean, the hole filled with weeds and closed up again!

This year things went a little wrong with the French Beans. They were neatly sowed by each climbing cane and they came up just fine�only problem was - they were broadbeans! Oops.

This year the strawberry bed looks good - and EARLY. There are already six or seven monsters lie there shining red and juicy, while no one else has any just yet. She quietly explained: The neighbour allotmenteer, Willem is always so early with his potatoes and he comes showing-off with them to her. This year she can show-off with her "super early" ripe strawbs. When will she tell him that they are plastic?