Amersfoort lies in a unique spot where the Utrechtse Heuvelrug — an ice-age ridge — transitions into the low, moist soils of the Gelderse Vallei. This varied landscape offers ideal conditions for a wide range of crops: the higher sandy soils are suited to strawberries and soft fruits, while the Vallei is known for its organic farms and vegetable growing. More and more farmers in the region are choosing direct sales and opening as pick-your-own gardens, so that residents of Amersfoort and the surrounding area can enjoy produce straight from the land. The forested surroundings of the Heuvelrug make the visit extra pleasant.
U-Pick Farms around Amersfoort
Around Amersfoort, Leusden, Barneveld, Soest and Woudenberg you’ll find a variety of pick-your-own farms and organic fruit gardens where you are very welcome. You can pick strawberries, raspberries and summer flowers in a landscape of forests, heathland and meadows. You can also search among all u-pick farms in the Utrecht province .
The best u-pick farms near Amersfoort: our picks
Amersfoort has the Utrecht Heuvelrug ridge as its spine and the Gelderse Vallei as its open front. On the transition from sand to peat, from forest to field, lie farms and gardens that benefit from the rich variety this landscape offers. Nowhere in the Netherlands are so many different types of picking farm found within twenty kilometres.
In Barneveld, eleven kilometres from the centre, Boerderij ’t Paradijs has set up its organic grounds as a care farm with vegetables, fruit and products from its own animals. A farm that earns its name.
In Leersum, on the slopes of the Heuvelrug at eighteen kilometres, Moestuin Zuylestein is a 17th-century kitchen and picking garden on Zuylestein Estate: fresh herbs, bouquets and a historical context found at no other picking garden in the region. The estate shop makes it a complete destination.
Towards Utrecht, Fruitboerderij De Achterdijk in Bunnik offers its seasonal fruit along a classic Kromme Rijn route: a fruit shop and orchard eighteen kilometres from Amersfoort.
On the Utrecht city boundary, Stadsboerderij Gagelsteede offers flowers, vegetables and herbs in a setting deliberately designed to be accessible for urban visitors who want a low-threshold entry into farming.
For those staying closer to the Amersfoort centre, Stadstuin Plutodreef is the organic option for vegetables and flowers in an urban context — Utrecht Natuurlijk at its most city-integrated.
Tip: Zuylestein Estate combines beautifully with a walk through the Heuvelrug forests. Take your time — the estate invites a slower pace than an ordinary picking stop.