Food Forest Baarle-Nassau
Food Forest Baarle-Nassau
Baarle-Nassau, Northern Brabant
6,5 hectare
Groen Ontwikkelfonds Brabant, Trees for All
First planting: Autumn 2021
A food forest in the wetlands, where forest edges merge with water ponds
Food forest Baarle-Nassau is an initiative of young physicist Nicolaas J. Geijer. After Nicolaas submitted a business plan to Groen Ontwikkelfonds Brabant, he was given the opportunity to develop a food forest at a 6.3 hectare plot of land in July 2020. This land was previously in use as a field and as a pasture for cattle. With a rich production food forest, Nicholas aims to enrich nature in nearby “Het Merkske”. The design is tailored to the characteristic wetlands in this area, where forest edges merge with water ponds. Nicolaas aims to process harvests of fruit and nuts, among other things, into products, such as jams, juices, chestnut flour and nut blends.
With a rational food forest Nicolaas aims to strengthen nature in nearby “Het Merkske”
The designers, Jan Hein Ruijgrok and Peter van Oort, completed the final design in close consultation with Nicolaas. By making use of the height differences in the area, a beautiful layering has been created in this design. The high groundwater levels have been taken into consideration as well, which might pose some challenges.
Food forest pioneer Nicolaas Geijer
The existing windbreaks are already old and large, and as a result, the planting of edible species could start immediately in February 2022. In order to protect the young plantlets from chewing and sweeping damage by wildlife (deer and hares), tree protection was applied. Nearly 5,000 trees, plants and shrubs have been planted until date. Some of these serve as windbreaks to protect the food forest. The trees also contribute to healthy soil for other plants and shrubs that will soon start to grow in the food forest. The first food-producing plants and trees, such as rhubarb, berry bushes, fruit trees and nut trees, have also been planted. Meanwhile, the landscape is developing into a rough patch of all kinds of herbs, and the first fruits are growing.
The planting material for this food forest is co-funded by Trees for All
In the video Pioneering with Food Forests, Nicholas talks about his motivations for planting a food forest.
"Touring the fields": Voedselbos Baarle-Nassau
Download the brochure over Voedselbos Baarle-Nassau.here
We are working on this project...
Nicolaas Geijer & Marcia Arredondo
Jan Hein Ruijgrok
Peter van Oort