Stadskwekerij De Kas

City nursery De Kas is a residents' initiative of Eva Bes and Marja Versteeg, two gardeners from North Rotterdam with a heart for nature and for people. We want to commit ourselves to increasing biodiversity in the city and the connection between people and organizations.

We have lived in the city for decades, but originally we came 'from outside'. Working in green spaces makes us happy and we want to share that with others. We enjoy showing people the small wonders of nature and letting them experience how important greenery is for our well-being.

When we set our eyes on the greenhouse complex in the heart of Blijdorp in 2016, we immediately fell in love: what an oasis of peace and greenery! The owner gave us the opportunity to work with volunteers to grow plants in exchange for maintenance of the garden on the site. We grabbed that opportunity with both hands.

In 2017, another opportunity presented itself: the owner indicated that he wanted to stop the company and asked us if we had any ideas about taking over the greenhouses. Of course we had! We were suddenly allowed to dream out loud…

In 2018 we founded the Stadskwekerij De Kas foundation. There is now a vision document that we have created together with our stakeholders to realize a knowledge center on ecological green and small-scale water management in the greenhouses, surrounded by an educational garden and nursery.

We want to further develop our ideas with residents and all our other stakeholders, so that it becomes a broadly supported project. We hope that the greenhouses will come to life again in the coming years, for nature and for the neighborhood. This special location deserves that and the residents deserve that!