Canada
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Dear Helpers,
We are a certified organic farm operating since 2004 and producing a wide diversity of seed crops, Spring and Fall vegetable starts, soft fruit plants, and many native plants.
We also grow garden produce for our household, but do not sell this. 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 ideally 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. During these extraordinary COVID times we have only been hosting the occasional helper, fully vaccinated, with a minimum 4-week commitment, and with COVID protocols (wearing masks in enclosed spaces such as greenhouses, separate food/dishes, etc) in place for the first 10 days. 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. 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.
The farm is home to two children under the age of 18, so volunteers who are 'kid friendly' work best for us. We also have two cats and two farm dogs. In addition to the plant nursery and seed gardens, we also have egg chickens, and sometimes pigs, turkeys and ducks.
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 or tiny home/converted bus which are comfortable and quiet. Please note that these are private bedroom spaces 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
Pratique d’une langue
Aide avec des éco-projets
Jardinage
Bricolage et projets de construction
S’occuper des animaux
Aide dans une ferme
Aide à la maison
Entretien général
Aide informatique / avec Internet
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 learn a great deal, enjoy good company and be well fed while during your stay with us. 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.
Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.
At the farm our regular jobs are looking after the seed crops (annual and perennial), 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 constructing a seed processing house.
Langues parlées
Anglais: Courant
Français: Courant
Espagnol: Intermédiaire
Japonais: Intermédiaire
Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
We are happy to help aspiring farmers who come and work with us to improve their English.
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.
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 provide bicycles (and helmets) for helper use and are happy to give you lots of ideas of places to visit and things to do while you are with us!
Accès Internet
Accès Internet limité
Nous avons des animaux
Nous sommes fumeurs
Familles bienvenues
Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il aimait accueillir les digital nomads.
Cet hôte a de la place pour les vans.
Plus de 2
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
