Agritourism Destination, Market Garden

Newfoundland and Labrador

9 reviews • Updated 3 years ago

Our WWOOF experience is part of our Small Scale Sustainable Farm and Agritourism Business. Located in a historic Farming community, We started our business dreams in 2012 when we purchased our 6 acre property. Working towards self-sustainability while lowering our carbon footprint we have used locally sourced lumber and repurposed materials to build our homestead which has become an asset to our newly established Bed and Breakfast FarmStay (2020). We take pride in their hometown and share it's unique farming history through cultural culinary experiences. We are also proud to be contributing to the local food security in our region and in 2020, our homestead became a registered small farm off the province and we began selling produce to grow food security within our community. We have worked abroad and researched design principles to build our permaculture farm dreams. Our farm is committed to growing food naturally without the use of pesticides and herbicides. We implement many different techniques and compost is an integral part of our farming approach. Since establishing our homestead as a farm we have been busy implementing regenerative agriculture practices, no dig gardening methods and utilizing other permaculture techniques including water harvesting methods to grow fresh produce for our local community. We continue to be mindful by reducing waste with mindful packaging (still learning new techniques everyday) and repurposed building equipment. We love meeting travelers from all around their world. Stay with us in our B&B in a specially designated WWOOFer's space to learn what we are doing to grow food more sustainably. Share your experience and knowledge with us as we grow our farm. On your days off explore Newfoundland from The Settlement! Start by exploring the world renown, UNESCO Cultural and Heritage site of Gros Morne National Park. Visit Twillingate and stay with our friends to learn about the significant fishing industry and taste the fresh and wild flavors of the the Atlantic ocean. Travel North bound to the historic Viking Site of L"anse Aux meadows or travel East and visit St. Johns, the oldest city in North America! Every hook and crany of the island has an experience and a story that you will want to visit! Newfoundland is a destination not to be missed! Turn your working holiday into an amazing travel experience! Learn and get involved with farming, food security and the intimate culture of this island, 30 minutes later in the Atlantic Ocean. Organic methods: No Dig Crop Beds No Dig Gardening is Permaculture method of farming that was made famous by Charles Dowding. No dig gardening is very simple. Effectively, it's where you don't use a fork or spade to disturb or loosen the soil in any way, no digging. This method creates a great environment for micro-organisms, fungi and worms to thrive. Together, they work to feed the plant roots and enhance soil biology. Regenerative Argiculture Using a repurposed camper our hens have been living a nomadic lifestyle on the farm. Every 10-14 days we would pack their camper, roll up their electric solar powered fence and relocate them to a new section of the feild to forage new bugs and pasture, without wearing down the fields. The field as never looked greener as the chicks continue to amend the soil, adding manure and aerating the ground as the go. In the Fall, they get to enjoy old crop beds, eating pests and veggie leftovers. Chemical - Free Commitment We are committed to growing food Naturally without the use of pesticides or herbicides. It takes a lot of extra hard work but nature thanks us and so do our customers. Using row covers, companion planting, salt water, beer traps, and natural mulches such as wood chips and straw we work hard to prevent pest invasions and reduce the growth and spread of weeds Permaculture Zoning We have designed our small sustainable farm implementing the principles of Permaculture Zoning. Zoning a homestead, or small farm is a way in which you design and place the elements of your farm according to their needs and daily use. Simply put, the more often you need to visit, use or work on a farm element the closer it must be to your residence, in our case, closer to the B&B. The less demanding a farm element is the further is may be from your primary zone, including foraging and wildlife ecosystems. Certifications: Cost restrictions and being a new operating business has prevented us from obtaining this certification, Hoping to grow into it! We live fairly remotely and organic feed is very very expensive and not feasible in our location. Current projects: Building a barn Building a processing facility to clean, wash, dry and store produce Building a mill house for Mill Expanding cleared land and creating no dig beds for vegetable produce Always weeding Developing pest management practices and log books Expanding our regenerative agriculture practices to include pigs

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Poultry farming

Pig farming

Forestry

Wild foraging

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Meat processing

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Bakery

Food justice / sovereignty

Methods or systems

No-till farming

Permaculture

Host type

Production farm

0.8 Hectares | 2 Acres

Accommodation

2 WWOOFers

Bedroom

Campsite

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Length of stay

1 day (local)

Weekend

Less than a week

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Lauralee

Member since 2022

Languages spoken: English, French

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Response rate: 29% Response time: typically within 8 days

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Newfoundland and Labrador

Reviews

Luci Elise

Germany • September 2025

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to experience a beautiful, authentic and nourishing time at the Upper Humber Settlement. I had three unique summer weeks on the island and fell in love with the place. There is such a nice variety of vegetables, herbs and plants in general which comes with different tasks to do on the farm, I really enjoyed that. As well I am impressed by Lauralee and Mark who are two amazingly sweet souls creating this beautiful space with pure devotion. They know how to take care of balancing an open minded and traditional lifestyle. And they carry the gift of warm open hearts which made it easy for me to feel incredibly welcome from the first moment.

Matéo

France • December 2024

I spent 5 weeks working on the beautiful farm (because yes, it truly is) of Marc and Lauralee with my friend Lucie. It was an incredible stay. Marc and Lauralee are lovely and always attentive to the needs of their woofers. The tasks are varied and rewarding, and Marc is very patient and a great teacher. It was a real pleasure to work here ! Thank you for your hospitality, your trust, and for introducing us to "Newfi" expressions, local activities, and so much more. If you enjoy working, you won’t regret it. One of my best woofing experiences !

Jakob

Germany • November 2024

Stayed with Lauralee and Mark for 3 outstanding weeks! They are a kind and welcoming couple who love sharing their passion for biodynamic agriculture. The conditions were more than fair and I was included in family activities right from the start. Big recommendation for everyone wanting to explore the totally underrated region of Newfoundland! I really hope meeting you two again and wish you all the best!

Juline

Canada • August 2024

We loved the experience and had a wonderful stay with Mark and Lauralee! They are great, welcoming and take the time to teach us things. They made us feel very comfortable right from the start. Their project is very interesting, and the setting is superb. A farm in the middle of the forest, with beautiful fruit and vegetables, animals and peace and quiet. We're really grateful for everything we've learned and for all the lovely encounters!

David

Canada • July 2024

Mark et Laurale sont des personnes incroyables, leurs ferme est le reflet de leurs personnalitees. Si vous cherchiez un lieu pour apprendre sur l'agriculture ou même la construction c'est le meilleur endroit. Ils aont des hotes genereux si tu as envie d'apprendre, tu pourras en apprendre plus que ce que tu pensais . Chaque journée est differentes, aucune journée ne ressemble, la ferme est un terrain infini d'apprentissage.

Benoit

Canada • June 2024

J'ai passé un merveilleux moment, tellement que j'ai même prolonger mon séjour. C'est une très belle ferme dirigé par des passionnés qui ont le coeur à l'ouvrage. J'ai appris beaucoup de choses en très peu de temps. Je recommande à quiconque de faire une halte dans cette ferme et de prendre autant de plaisir que j'en ai eu. Un gros merci a toute la team.