Vegetable museum ’t Grom

’t Grom is the museum of the Vegetable Region, which stretches from Aartselaar to Rotselaar and from Zemst to Ranst. Nourished by the two Nete rivers and the Dyle, Demer and Rupel, this region has always been fertile ground. This riverscape with its clay and loam soils is and was ideal for horticulture. And with its proximity to major cities such as Antwerp, Mechelen and Brussels, a booming trade was assured.  

No wonder the Vegetable Region has been the playground for many individual pioneers and their innovations in vegetable cultivation for 150 years. From the discoverer of chicory, to the inventor of the leek hole puncher, to the brains behind biological pollination. The region’s fame grew with the establishment and work of institutions such as Vilvoorde horticultural school, the Mechelen auctions, the Tasting Station for Vegetable Growing, or the very first Belgian Organic Farmers’ association Belbior.  

In the heart of the region lies the gardeners’ village, Sint-Katelijne-Waver. This open-air museum pays tribute to the courage and success of pioneers and growers in horticulture. The museum is a testimony to the complexity and coherence of our vegetable cultivation, from soil to mouth, from geography to genetics.