Homesteading & Seed Saving on the South Shore of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Come and WWOOF with us May-November, variable lengths of stay. We welcome your interest!
Yonder Hill Farm is tucked away on a dead-end gravel road on the South Shore of Nova Scotia- 10 km to downtown Bridgewater, 20 km to Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, or LaHave, 25 km to beaches, and less than 100 km to Halifax. We have 20 acres of fertile soil on a gently sloping drumlin hillside, 200 acres of forests and wetlands to explore, and frontage on a pristine spring fed lake. Wildlife is abundant, though kept from the main farm area by our trusty farm dogs, and includes ospreys (nesting within view of the field), owls, loons, eagles, songbirds, deer, raccoons, porcupines, pheasants, wood cocks, coyotes, rabbits, and the occasional roaming bear or bobcat. We have a heritage post and beam barn, outbuildings and a 20'x48' greenhouse. There is a century old apple orchard & wild blueberries in the field, and we are in the process of establishing a diverse perennial crop system of fruit, berries, nuts, & herbs. We have around 2 acres in cultivation for annual vegetable & grain crops (1 acre fenced).
Our primary commercial product is ecologically grown vegetable, grain, herb & flower seeds- we currently maintain approx. 200 varieties which we sell through our website, retail locally, and wholesale to a regional seed company. We grow a homestead-scale vegetable garden, selling excess produce to local cafes. We also raise ducks (eggs & meat) and sometimes pigs for home use.
Our WWOOFing opportunity is ideal for people who love to spend most of their time outdoors, enjoy physical work, have interest in living off the land, enjoy the company of children, and are comfortable camping out. We work hard and like to relax by a campfire, play music, and swim in the lake. We have canoes to take out on the lake, and bicycles available to borrow for sightseeing. We are well connected socially with the active and growing rural community on the South Shore. In a typical year, there are frequent social events and concerts, and there are plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities in the area.
About Us: Owners Chris and Garrett have a diverse background of farming and homesteading experience in the Northeast U.S. and Nova Scotia. Chris has been small scale organic farming (vegetables, fruits, nursery, seed crops) for over 20 years, including apprenticing and managing crews, and she has taught gardening workshops and provided sustainable landscape consultations/designs professionally. She works part-time as the Community Gardens Coordinator for the nearest town, Bridgewater. Garrett is a skilled carpenter, craftsman, farmer, teacher, and artist, as well as general fixer of things. We both love sharing skills and knowledge about living off the land. We follow organic principles and standards at our farm, utilizing generous amounts of organic matter for soil health, including composted manure, leaves, and seaweed we collect from the beach. We do not even use organic sprays, preferring cultural methods of pest control like insect netting and timing of plantings.
Room and Board: WWOOFers can bring their own tent/borrow one of ours. Our 17' camper trailer is an option for longer stays. Our 28' camper bus is set up as a shared kitchenette for farm volunteers. Board consists of farm raised veggies/fruit, eggs, and basic groceries (flours, rice, oil, pasta, etc). WWOOFers without their own vehicle are welcome to come along on town trips to stock up on their favourite foods, or borrow a bike to ride to the local farm market/bakery 5 km down the road. We enjoy communal meals and usually incorporate one shared meal per day, with shared cooking and cleaning up. As we are relaxed, easy-going people who prefer flexibility, we would rather allow everyone to feel in charge of feeding themselves/doing their own cooking chores, with the option to share family style meals when it suits everyone’s schedules and needs.
What to expect: We are looking for 5-6 hours help per day for 5 days per week. Throughout the season, heavy physical work is a must- lifting, wheel-barrowing, shovelling, digging, raking, etc. We believe strongly in setting a pace that is both productive and healthy for body and mind, being present and mindful, and taking adequate breaks, but it must be understood that hard physical work is central to small-scale farming and will be a necessary central feature of the farm-stay experience. That being said, our farm experience includes varied tasks with lots of interesting things going on to learn from. WWOOFers need to be self motivated and willing to integrate themselves into our lifestyle. And we have found that previous work experience is much less important than a person's work ethic, positive attitude, and general willingness to work hard outdoors. As a farm family with three children, volunteers willing and capable of occasional child care is an asset.
We provide more detailed information to interested WWOOFers so reach out if you'd like to chat more about WWOOFing with us!
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Grain farming
Forestry
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Traditional crafts
Mechanics / tools / technology
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
Former WWOOFer
40
Hectares
|
98.8
Acres
Chris
Member since 2014
Languages spoken:
English, French, Spanish
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Nova Scotia
Maritime Bus Station in Bridgewater
Reviews
Clémence
Canada
•
November 2021
I stayed at Yonder Hill Farm for 11 days in the begining of November. Over these days I helped with the harvest: Swiss chard, Beets, husk cherries, leeks, beans, apples. I helped in preparing the soil and then planting about 3500 garlic cloves, and then mulching with seaweed. I transplanted leeks in the greenhouse to let them grow to maturity for the seed production. Chris gave me a lot of detailed instructions and explanations on the seed production. I also worked alongside Garrett who was fun to be around.
The dinner chores were shared between us. It was always tasty organic food coming mostly from the farm.
I got to lived in their schoolbus accomodation which had all the needed appliances and a double bed.
I got to play with their kids who are generous and kind.
Overall it was an excellent stay where I had a good time and learned a lot. :)
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Bastien
Canada
•
September 2020
I spent 3 amazing weeks with Garett and Chris, they are so true and so friendly. I felt like if I was at home. A lot of laughter and music everyday, good food from the garden we shared the dinners who was always a great moment. I can only ad thank you so much for the experience
INACTIVELila
Canada
•
July 2020
Chris and Garrett are lovely people, they have two young daughters and two sweet dogs who all kept the farm stay interesting and lively! The accommodation was in a barn loft with a nice bed. I made my own breakfast and lunch which was duck eggs (from their own ducks), the best bread I've ever had, and lots of oats. They cooked the dinners which were healthy, organic and made with vegetables from their garden.
Over the 10 days I was there I dug rocks, broadforked and planted seeds. I tagged along for a trip to pick up sheep manure and the area we drove around was very beautiful and peaceful. We had a nice bonfire and great conversations.
My favourite thing about these farmers was how dedicated they are not only to raising their crops but to raising their children. As someone who works in early childhood education it was very inspiring and you can see how love is at the center of their home. I think the seeds they produce probably retain a little of that love.
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Former WWOOFer
August 2014
Thank you so much for sharing the most recent photos of your new projects, it was great to hear from you. We'd also love to thank you for providing us with the wonderful opportunity to WWOOF with you, we learned so much and absolutely loved all that you had to offer. We will definitely be in touch to let you know how Zoe's huckleberry project turns out, thank you again for the seeds. Sheila, Zoe and Stephanie
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