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?