Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
18 Apr 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 3 days
Feedback
13
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
Dear Helpers,
We are a certified organic farm operating since 2004 and producing a wide diversity of seed crops, Spring and Fall vegetable starts, propagating soft fruit plants, and many native plants.
We now have 260 +different seed varieties, including kale, tomatoes and many new potato varieties that we have bred and selected here - very exciting. We have even created 2 new apple varieties!
Our preference is for helpers who will stay a minimum of 4-6 weeks and up to 3-4 months, as it takes a lot of our time to train someone to work well with these seed crops in the greenhouses and gardens. The farm has a nicer feel when folks stay for longer and we all get to know each other and have the time to enjoy working as a team. This being said, we sometimes have bigger jobs like transplanting that our farm staff team can use some help with, so we sometimes consider a shorter stay for the right folks. If you are a helper who has some farming experience, or who is passionate about working with plants, and you will apply the learning that you do here in your own future farming we'd love to hear from you! Training and seed education/experience for future farmers is a key part of why we host volunteers here, as this education can be hard or expensive for future farmers to find.
We also have two cats and a farm dog. In addition to the plant nursery and seed gardens, we often have egg chickens.
We are located in beautiful rural Metchosin, approximately 30 minutes from downtown Victoria by car and an hour by bus, and near extensive cycling trails and nice beaches, lakes and hikes. We take our hosting responsibilities seriously so we'll help you plan what you may want to visit while staying with us, learning about growing seed plants and sometimes improving your English. :-)
Our helper accommodation is a camper which is comfortable and quiet, with wifi. Please note that this is a private bedroom space only, and that we all share laundry, kitchen and bathroom facilities. The whole farm crew works from 9:00 AM-2:00 PM Monday - Friday, with our paid staff working hours until 4:00. Helpers make their own meals with food provided by the farm, and we look forward to enjoying our famous shared farm lunches again when COVID has passed. On a personal level we are non-smokers who enjoy a mostly vegetarian diet and an active and healthy lifestyle.
Since we are a professional working farm with a seed business that we are developing, we do ask that our helpers work Monday-Friday. Once a helper has been with us longer than 1 month then we can be flexible about the work days and hours.
At the Farm, we feel that the work we are doing stewarding seed varieties and breeding new food plants is very important. In North America for example, in the past 100 years we have lost 90% of our apple varieties, and 94% of our food seed varieties! I suspect that this statistic is quite similar throughout the Western world as the UNFAO estimates a 75% global loss of food seeds during this same time period. Sadly, with the expansion of 'green revolution' agriculture in southern countries this trend of genetic and cultural loss is increasing world wide. In Canada, we import an estimated 97% of the seed grown in our country each year! (SeedChange.org). By coming and learning about seed saving and plant propagation and developing a related skill set with us, you can become part of the solution to this very significant issue. Seeds are the foundation of our entire global food chain - yet when was the last time you thought about this, and how many people do you know who can save seeds...? Taking this knowledge forward in your life does not mean that you have to be a commercial farmer - even a small back yard garden can produce a lot of food and you can propagate and share food plants almost anywhere that you are living. There is no food security without seed security!! :-)
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE CANNOT HOST ANYONE HERE AT THE FARM WHO IS A TOBACCO SMOKER, even if you smoke occasionally. Tobacco mosaic virus is a very serious (non-treatable) seed-borne disease that is very stable, can last 50 years (!) in the soil with no host, is common in commercially-grown tobacco products, and is not removed by washing with soap, including from hair and clothing. As a seed farm, this is a disease that we very much want to avoid contracting, as it would possibly mean the end of our heirloom tomato seed production as well as growing potatoes (we are breeding new varieties), eggplant and peppers.
Thank you for reading about our little seed farm,
Fiona and the Farm team
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We take our hosting responsibilities very seriously and will discuss with you what your goals and hopes for your exchange with us will be. Since we are a professional working farm with a seed business that we are developing, we do ask that our helpers work Monday-Friday, and we promise that you will be given opportunities to learn and develop your skill set. We can help you with your English, teach you farming and food-growing skills, and ensure that you experience and explore the beautiful area that we live in here. If someone stays with us longer than 4 weeks we are happy to be flexible on what days you do your work trade hours and jobs.
Help
At the farm our regular jobs are looking after the seed crops (annual and perennial), sometimes egg hens, weeding, transplanting and propagating. We also do a lot of seed saving, soil building, and general farm maintenance. Bigger projects we are working on include planting a pollinator hedgerow and shifting our main field garden to low/no-till beds and paths.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Japanese: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
We are happy to help aspiring farmers who come and work with us to improve their English.
Accommodation
Our helper accommodation is a 5th wheel motorhome, which is quiet and private, with wifi, sleeping loft and sitting area. We share laundry facilities and kitchen in the main house, and a very nice (i.e. well maintained and pleasant!) cedar composting toilet that is conveniently located. On a personal level we are non-smokers who enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle.
What else ...
We are located in beautiful rural Metchosin, approximately 30 minutes from downtown Victoria by car and an hour by bus, and near extensive cycling trails and nice beaches, lakes and hikes. We are happy to give you lots of ideas of places to visit and things to do while you are with us!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Our wifi is sufficient, but probably not enough for someone working professionally online while they are travelling.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (6)
He was a pleasure to be around, and we'd recommend him highly.
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)
Cultural exchange:
(4.8)
Communication:
(5.0)
He was a pleasure to be around, and we'd recommend him highly.
