How an old horse pasture is slowly turning into a piece of living nature. In 2018, Pieter and his family had the opportunity to buy a piece of farmland behind their house. An ordinary, barren horse pasture. But after watching the documentary The Biggest Little Farm, it started itching: what if they could give nature back a chance here themselves? Not big or earth-shattering, but step by step – in their own way.
And so began their mini-experiment. Every weekend they set aside a few hours for it. No tight plan, no big goals. Just curiosity and patience. Because if you let nature take its course, in time you will see wonderful things happen.
They wanted to make this piece of land a place where you can really unwind. Away from screens, expectations and to-do lists. A place where they could ground themselves – literally and figuratively. And above all: a place where agriculture and nature don’t get in each other’s way, but just reinforce each other.
Nothing disappears, everything lives on
One of their basic rules: what grows on the meadow stays on the meadow. Branches, clippings, prunings, even weeds – everything comes in handy again to feed the soil life. Meanwhile, neighbours know that their garden waste is always welcome at Pieter’s place. They save a trip to the container park, he gets valuable raw materials. Everyone happy.
They try to restore the landscape of yesteryear, with hedges, wood edges and rows of trees dividing the land. This creates a patchwork of small habitats where insects, birds and mammals feel at home.
Working with nature
Perfection is not the goal. But balance is. And that also means learning to cope with disappointment. Growing potatoes? No success – the soil is full of peat moles. Good news for biodiversity, less good for the harvest. In the orchard, spider moths get free rein because there are not enough birds to stop them yet. No fertilisers or pesticides are involved. No tricks. Nature is given time to recover – with their help, but at her own pace.
A laboratory of wonder
What started as an inspiration has grown into their personal laboratory of wonder. They try, observe, learn – and try again. Every weekend they are out and about, using apps like ObsIdentify and PlantNet, to discover what’s out there. Pieter realises that this works because he does not have to make a living from it. For farmers, it’s a different story. Still, he hopes there will be more room for this way of working in the future: with respect for biodiversity, restoration and cooperation with nature. Because farmers still carry a wealth of knowledge – knowledge that is indispensable for a sustainable future.
Doing good feels good
Plant a tree once and feel what that does to you. Maybe it won’t change the world. But it does change something in yourself. And that is already quite something.
Pieter realises only too well the luxury he has: living in the country, in a stable and safe country like Belgium. Not everyone has that opportunity. Maybe later they will open up their piece of nature to others – as a small contribution to their well-being. What that will look like? That’s for later.
For now, Pieter quietly lets nature do its work. She does not care about full agendas or busy weekends. She recovers, grows and blooms – day and night, season after season. And Pieter? He watches, enjoys… and occasionally sweats hard.