Family farm
Zuid-Holland
We are a family of 6, living in the countryside since 16 years. We have remade our big backyard into a natural / organic vegetable garden, intending to grow most of our vegetables and fruits ourselves. Next to that, we are slowly realising a food forest (border) in the field next to our home. Also we have some animals, which we try to keep in as natural a way as possible for domesticated animals. We compost their manure in combination with clippings and kitchen-waste, to reuse for fertilizing the pastures (about 15000 m2 in total) in which we keep our 2 horses, 5 sheep and chickens. Furthermore we are a (small) local selling-point of organic feed and natural fertilizers (see website - in Dutch only).
A little more about us: Both of us love being outside and doing all kinds of jobs around the house and garden. And obviously we both love animals! Erik especially loves constructing and repairing things, Pauline is the one who mostly takes care of the vegetable garden. We both enjoy learning to exercise and ride our horses in a horse-friendly and healthy way. We are both amateur sculptors, although we haven’t had much time for that lately. Our youngest son is living with us (together with his girl friend and their 2 small children), our other three adult children are living on their own nearby. Since a few years we are more and more interested in permaculture, sustainability and self-sufficiency. We practice this by reading a lot and most of all: by doing. We joined WWOOF as a host because we love to meet like-minded people, and of course we like to give you a hands-on opportunity to learn about the various activities that belong to our daily routine around animals and garden.
Recent projects: turn the big pasture into a paddock paradise for the horses and sheep, including a pool for the horses to drink from and some swales to collect the abundant rainwater, so we won't have as much mud and "swimming-pools" in the fields as we had before. Still on our wish-list for the future: an earth cellar to store fruits and vegetables.
Type of jobs likely to be asked: Everything on our “farm” is small-scale, so most of the work is done by hand. Taking care of the animals is a daily job in every season, which includes feeding and collecting the horse dung out of the fields. There is always weeding & pruning to be done, be it in the (vegetable) garden or in the pastures. Spreading compost onto the vegetable beds, sowing & planting, mulching, setting up temporary structures to sustain beans and the like are more seasonal jobs, most of which need to be done in spring and summer. In summer and fall additional jobs are harvesting fruits, making elderberry, apple and grape juice, and preserving part of the vegetables we have plenty of, like beetroots, zucchini and pumpkins.
An important aspect of natural / organic gardening and keeping of animals is soil care. We make our own compost and use natural fertilizers like seashell grit and lava powder, which need to be spread every year. In the vegetable garden this is done by hand. Maintenance and construction jobs can occur (repairing broken fences and gates, or assisting in some project).
Hours of activity: The various activities will normally take 4 to 6 hours a day, depending on what needs to be done. Feeding the animals is done in the morning and afternoon, times for other jobs can vary depending on current projects, the season / weather and other plans.
The WWOOFer can stay at our place for several days up to a maximum of 1 week. What skills we are looking for: It would be nice if you have previously worked on other organic farms. You should not be scared of animals; if you are used to handling (big) horses - of course in a horse-friendly way - that would be wonderful. A reasonable understanding of the English, German, French or Dutch language is necessary. One or more of the mentioned skills would be ideal but are not compulsory. If you are willing to help us out and learn then you are welcome.
Facilities: The WWOOFer will be living in a spare room in our house, which also has bathing facilities. In summer it is also possible to bring your own small tent – but facilities are in the house. Normally, you will have your meals with us, as much as possible with vegetables and fruits from our garden. If you like cooking, you're very welcome to help out in the kitchen!
Surroundings: Our place is located in the middle of farming fields. Tinte is a tiny village without facilities, but nearby Brielle is a beautiful fortified town, with nice shops, bars and restaurants. At about 6 kms is Rockanje, a nice seaside resort. In the vicinity there are plenty of possibilities for hiking or cycling tours (we have a bicycle available).
Organic methods: Permaculture, Natural gardening. Which means to us: no digging / plowing, no chemical fertilizers, no pesticides, working with nature, collect rainwater for drier periods, reuse materials wherever we can...
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Flower farming
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Mechanics / tools / technology
Methods or systems
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Accommodation
Pauline Timmer & Erik
Member since 2019
Languages spoken:
Dutch, English, French, German
Response rate: 53%
Response time: typically within 4 days
November 2025
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Open
Planned visit
Closed
Zuid-Holland
If travelling by public tranport, we can arrange to pick you up from the bus.
Reviews
Alyssa
Netherlands
•
August 2023
Pauline and Erik were fantastic hosts! Thank you for everything!!
They were very kind and welcoming during my stay. Their garden and food forest is nothing short of incredible! During my time there I stayed in their comfortable guest bedroom and ate dinner with them every night. I mainly weeded, harvested, and helped with manure clean up. My afternoons were left for resting and relaxing. It was a very restorative experience
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Maria
Germany
•
July 2023
I had two wonderful weeks with Pauline and Erik. I felt very welcome though Erik was not fine and spent even some days in hospital. I hope you are complete healthy again?! The garden is wonderful, I was immediately in love with it: flowers, vegetables, fruits and the animals - like a piece of heaven. I was weeding, removing horse manure, seeding and harvesting. Surrounded by butterflies and croaking frogs, the sheep and the two giant horses Darwin and Mister. I had a nice room for my own and I had enough time for some trips with the bike in the surroundings like Brielle, Hellevoutsluis or the beach and many more. Thank you for everything, the yummy food and all the stuff I was collecting during my time there. I can only recommend this farm most warmly. Thank you so much!!!
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Mane
Belgium
•
March 2023
I had a very lovely stay with Pauline, Erik and the rest of their very lovely family. They were all super warm and open towards me. The place gave me peace, joy, enjoying all the little things. They teached me some stuff, since I am new to permaculture and trying to live more biological. Great teachers!
Good conversations!
Yummy food!
<3
Dankjewel
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Kiyomi
Japan
•
May 2022
I have experienced the first WOOFF here. The host family was very kind. I was able to spend a very fulfilling time planting vegetable seeds and seedlings and feeding animals.The host family gave me plenty of time to relax, such as giving me time to take a walk and let me have a cup of tea between tasks. I definitely want to visit them again in near future.
Thank you very much Pauline & Erik!!
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Senja
Netherlands
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August 2021
This was my first wwoofing experience and it was just as I hoped it would be: Pauline and Erik were very welcoming and easy-going, happy to explain to me whatever was needed, and I could do various tasks according to my interest. I had my own room with shower and lacked nothing. We ate all dinners together.
The property consists of a lovely colourful vegetable/fruit/flower garden, where every square meter something else is planted, as well as a second vegetable garden and a sheep and horse paddock, a happy goat that is excited to munch away all weed you took out, and a few chicken.
A day could look something like:
8:30-10:30 feeding animals and collecting manure of the horses,
10:30-11:00 coffee break
11:00- 14:00 weeding
14:00-14:30 lunch break
14:30-16:00 harvesting beans and berries
One evening I visited the next town Brielle and on the day of my departure I took a bike to the dunes.
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Simona
Netherlands
•
August 2021
I and my boyfriend had an amazing time at Atargatis farm. It's a beautiful place with lots of plants, greens, cute animals, and super nice hosts Pauline and Erik, which are really friendly and always ready to answer any question. We´ve learned lot of new interesting things. For example, we have experienced cutting sheep's wool, learned how to make paths with cardboard and wood chips, driving a tractor, feeding animals...We had an opportunity to stay in a yurt which was a nice surprise. It was our first wwoofing experience and we really enjoyed it! Thank you for everything Pauline and Erik and see you soon :)
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