Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
2 Apr 2024
Reply rate
94.4 %
Usually responds within 5 days
Feedback
33
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Details
Description
I have a small farm in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The garden has always been my passion and teacher, and landing myself on these 6 acres to take on horses, water issues, invasives and endless bug mysteries, has been an eye opening experience to say the least! After watching Kiss the Ground, I am inspired to try regenerative farming techniques to get my soil back in tip top shape and to help alleviate some water run off issues, fingers crossed.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Asheville is a diverse community of entrepreneurs, outdoor enthusiasts, tourists and eccentric people who enjoy good food and drink! Asheville is a named beer city USA, with a plethora of craft breweries, amazing dining experiences, hiking and biking galore. Anybody who visits this city, will feel inspired by the magic that exists in these ancient Blue Ridge Mountains.
Help
Every year things change around the farm as we learn and grow about permaculture. We have studied, to name a few: Ruth Stout growing methods (no till), the Garden of Eden method, hugelkultur, humanure, and this year, more focus on cover crops and regenerative farming. I enjoy hearing what you have learned as much as I enjoy offering you ideas.
Here are some things that happen yearly:
• Planting more natives: trees of all sorts, shrubs and things that the pollinators thrive on.
• Plucking out the invasive plants which can be tiresome and boring and endless!
Spring:
Pastures: weeding and seeding, clearing rocks and sticks, working with cover crops
Vegetable garden: preparing soil for vegetable planting, starting seedlings, planting seeds
Flower gardens: dead heading, clean-up and general yard maintenance
Animals: barn clean-up, chicken coop clean-up, horse hygiene/care, picking up horse manure for composting
Composting: picking up grounds from local coffee shop, mixing, blending, moving, making compost tea
Summer: lots of garden weeding and maintenance, picking vegetables, grass mowing, fence mending, putting up hay for horses
Fall: harvesting the gardens and canning the goods, drying herbs, seed saving, preparing beds for winter, picking up bagged leaves for the winter chicken coop (and compost)
Winter: horse and stall care, feeding and watering
Building: renovation of a workshop; small building projects that come up; perhaps build a duck house in the near future; bird houses
Pond restoration: planting for the pollinators; removing the never-ending water shield plant
Self motivation is key, as well as working together!
**Bonus**
Have you read Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer? An amazing read for any homesteader!
My latest gem of a read is by Asia Suler: Mirrors in the Earth. So sweet and special.
The movie, Kiss the Ground, is great for all your regenerative farming ideas.
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Accommodation
My workaway space is a three season workshop within 50 feet of the main house with a small outfitted kitchen. It's rustic and cozy. In the cooler weather, the heat source is a wood stove. Is this something you have been exposed to before?
Critters abound around this farm. Think mice, rats, snakes, bear. While they are hopefully not in your room--well, no guarantees really... i have busted a mouse or two--you do need to keep your space tidy, free of food particles and store all food in proper containers... the containers are provided.
Meals: breakfast and lunch are on your own to fix. In season, eggs and veggies are readily available and for you to partake of. I eat a mostly plant based organic diet, occasionally meat too, and we can cook and clean up together for supper with ingredients provided. There are nights I go out... and let you fend for yourself.
I enjoy private time as much as social time. Please feel free to do what you need to do, including taking two days off in a week to be out and about.
Please be considerate of others and tidy
• I maintain a healthy, smoke-free environment on the farm.
• Due to chemical sensitivities, I ask you to refrain from using perfumed products, including laundry detergent
I do not accept pets, sorry.
What else ...
The area is full of wonderful activities to partake of: local artists around town, music everywhere, local shops, Biltmore mansion, mountain activities, the arboretum, river activities, dining out, breweries. The Blue Ridge Parkway is nearby for hiking and biking.
There is a local bus stop within walking distance of my house to take you into town, a mere 3 miles away. I have one or two bikes to loan out. Uber/Lyft are readily available from my house and town. I can always drop off into on my many errand runs.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (16)
Andrea is a workhorse, yet also so flowy. She… read more
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Andrea is a workhorse, yet also so flowy. She… read more
The animals were meticulously cared for: feeding twice a day, egg collecting, chicken coop cleanout. I… read more
I learned to use a pickaxe, a table saw, what a loofah plant is, did some trail clearing, yard work, de-nailed some boards, painted, farm-sat for a few days when Andrea was out of town, and she even let me use her kitchen for… read more
