Lakefront Oasis in Nova Scotia countryside
Nova Scotia
Cove Cottage is a permaculture eco oasis & farm tucked into the woods, lakeside in Nova Scotia. I'm Gen X & relocated from BC to NS in late 2021 to build my semi-retirement eco dream that will provide food & shelter for generations to follow.
We are opening in April for garden work. If you're a carpenter etc I can host you as of March.
2026 projects will include:
🔵 Building a greenhouse for year-round growing, even in the dead of winter!
🔵 Planting, harvesting & drying tea ingredients
🔵 Planting & harvesting a wide variety of vegetables crops
🔵 Constructing a cold storage / cooler room
🔵 Chopping firewood or breaking trail
I'm 4 years into transforming my property. I believe in working with nature, instead of fighting her, using natural and permaculture techniques to operate organically. This property was a mowed field with non-native flower beds. I'm transforming it back to native plants while planting food everywhere & keeping the uncleared land as a pristine watershed forest.
The property has a baby food forest with nuts, berries, asparagus and fruit trees, irrigation channels, swales and hugelkulture berms, my flock of chickens & my cat Tux. We build our own soil & compost, the chickens love this part of their job. Since I'm in pristine wilderness my land houses porcupines, squirrels galore, bobcat, a bear, grey and red fox, beaver, river otters, deer, mink and I'm sure more critters I just haven't seen yet! In my goal to work with nature, the groundhogs have their own garden, where they munch on phlox and eat any chicken feed or scraps the chickens miss.
My chickens are pretty pampered, I ferment their feed and grow them fodder all winter, which means I get non-stop eggs all winter when most people's egg production plummets. The Chickens free range fall to spring and during the summer they have 2 tunnels running across the property so that they still get a nicely enriched life.
What will a day at Cove Cottage look like? A delish food, working on the property for 1/2 the day, then exploring the lake by Kayak or paddle board, or grabbing a bike and taking a quick ride down to the ocean. We're flexible with hours, so if prefer to work longer days ane take more time off to go explore, that's totally doable!
If you love to cook I love to eat, otherwise I'm happy to teach you new healthy meal ideas. When I'm not working on a fun project or working my day job (from home) I spend time on the water kayaking and watching nature.
I operate an Eco Retreat Short Term Rental as well, introducing people to how the land can be used effectively by embracing nature.
Please note that Cove Cottage is 420-friendly, outdoors of course!
IMPORTANT: I'm extremely scent sensitive so colognes, shampoos etc can set off my MCAS. I ask that you use the unscented products I provide (soap, shampoo, conditioner and laundry soap) AND bring your own unscented personal care products. Cologne & perfume can make me very ill. I'll also need you to ensure your clothes are washed in UNSCENTED laundry soap and dried without bounce as you arrive. If this isn't possible we do have an ozone machine that can remove the odor.
I love to visit & educate, then I love my downtime. I'm a bit of an introvert & also up at the crack of dawn. By 8pm I typically retreat into my own mind as I prep to end the day. If you're an introvert know that after peopling a while, you'll also be able to enjoy time without people while at Cove Cottage.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Flower farming
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
7
Hectares
|
17.3
Acres
Dana
Member since 2023
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Nova Scotia
Halifax
Reviews
Sofia
Canada
•
February 2026
Dana is truly one of a kind. Staying at her oasis felt less like working and more like playing, learning, and quietly healing. She is authentic, generous, and deeply caring — not only toward the animals and garden, but toward the people she welcomes into her space.
I was especially inspired by the way she fully embraces who she is and her incredible flexibility and understanding. Time spent gardening and playing games together was meaningful and joyful, and I felt genuinely supported and valued.
Dana creates a space where you can grow, feel safe, and be yourself. I’m deeply grateful for the experience and would highly recommend staying with her.
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Reply from Dana
Thanks so much Sofia. You were a DELIGHT to host and I look forward to visiting next time you come to NS!
Clara
Germany
•
August 2025
I had a beautiful week at Cove Cottage! Dana is a lovely host! She cares for her garden and her animals a lot and has lots of knowledge. It is really inspiring.
Work was mostly in the garden which I really enjoyed. It was great to have the afternoons off and just spend time at the beautiful lake!
Thank you!
PL
Canada
•
July 2025
This was my first time Wwoofing and I couldn't of asked for a better place! Dana is a wonderful host full of ambition and ideas. She has built herself a lovely oasis and loves sharing it with others.
There's no set schedule as long as you get your hours in. I had a lovely yellow bunkie by myself to sleep in that had everything I needed.
Enjoyed everything about my experience here and made some friends along the way. Cheers!
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Amelia
Canada
•
July 2025
Dana is lovely! Extremely generous with her time and care, and genuinely interested in helping you achieve what you want from your experience with her. Grateful for the trust and support received during my time and can’t wait to see all the future projects completed at the property. Thank you Dana!
Michelle
United States
•
April 2025
Dana’s hospitality during my stay was lovely. I had a room in the main house i shared with another woofer and she made us dinner almost every night. We always had leftovers for lunch and plenty of options for breakfast. Work wise i helped move several loads of compost to garden, created new compost pile, planted some beets and radish seeds, fed chickens and ducks, cut insulation for coldframe, helped move fridge and mattress from main house to a bunk house, and helped dig trenches for drainage and for a chicken coop. I definitely feel like a more capable human being let alone woman after this experience than i did before. The house also had amazing views of a lake and there was a sweet cat names Tux who liked to be pet and play with laser pointer.
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Sébastien
France
•
August 2024
We spent 3 pleasant weeks with Dana, who is a caring person, full of energy and ideas. The place is sublime and we were able to kayak on the lake and go cycling.
The hours are very flexible, and we were given a variety of tasks such as planting, gardening, painting, renovating... We were able to enjoy our free time.
