Friends from the garden

A few weeks ago i got the idea of making a new video about the people working in the gardens. I even talked about it with Ronald, who works in the garden irregulalrly. Last week i changed this plan. Making photographs is a bit less invasive. Last weekend i made a few, first with the idea of publishing it straightaway, but after a few minutes i decided that would be too quick.

Right now i’m sitting at the edge of the platform of old train station Hofplein. It is busy here. I hadn’t realised there were more things going on here. People are having a picknick in the general area and walking through the garden and making photographs. The weather is good. Not too warm, a bit of sunshine, a bit of wind.

I made a draft for this post earlier this week. And i selected the category Friends for it. I simply clicked it on. Within a second i knew what i was doing. So yes, that is how i feel. Now, after working for more than a year in the garden. Friends. Not that i know everybody intimately. But still, working together, talking about all different things generates this feeling of friendship. I don’t know how long this will last, but for now it feels good.

So i took the photos. Close up. I did ask everybody if they wanted this. Some said no. Which is fine. Everybody has his or her own reasons. I decided late last night i will write the texts underneath the photos myself. I will let everyone read it and change it if they want that.

The first three photographs are from Daniël, Rutger and Jorinde. They are the driving force behind the gardens. Rutger has the all the seeds, the plan for the gardens ingrained in his mind. Daniël is the building man. The greenhouse, the chicken coop. And the coffee! Jorinde works with them since the start of this year.

Daniël is the coffeeman! He builds the structures needed around the garden. He has studied medicine for four years, but decided not to become a doctor and focusses his energies on gardening in stead.

Rutger has studied International Development Studies at Wageningen University. He also decided to work in urban gardens, around eight years ago. He knows a lot about seeds, agriculture and gardening. He writes articles for Het Potentieel and Stadslandbouwtijdschrift.

Jorinde has traveled a lot. In the autumn she goes to France to help pick the grapes. I love to work with her.

Julien is a musician. He works a lot in the garden and knows a lot about seeding and herbal teas and everything to do with gardening.

Ronald is our anarchist garden worker and tax consultant. He loves stroopwafels and Permablitzing.

Wijnand is a musician. He is a busker and plays music in the street as Wah Ananda. He also sings in the Maja Fietsclub and in Buzz King. He works hard in the garden and gets the water from the Rotte when it is a dry period and we really need it.