"Each of us finds his unique vehicle for sharing with others his bit of wisdom." - Ram Dass
We are looking for Interns/Work Traders/Volunteers for the months of May through to September of the 2024 growing season. We have space for couples, friends, or solo travelers. We accept minimum stays of 1 week and maximum stays are negotiable.
All levels of experience are welcome. Whether you are an experienced grower who requires minimal instruction, or are completely new to farming and/or growing, at the end of the day attitude, effort, and ability to learn are what matters most to us. As long as you have a genuine interest in growing food organically, are able to follow instructions and ask questions when in doubt, we are happy to train the right person. That being said, it's important to note that farming, even small scale, is hard work. The days will get hot, the bugs will bite, and some tasks will become tedious. We have found the people best suited for this type of experience are those that are hoping to start their own farm or homestead and have a genuine interest in learning how it's done. The people that are worst suited for this opportunity are the people that are looking for a free place to stay for the summer and have a romanticized version of what they think growing vegetables on a market garden farm looks like. These people come in with high energy and good intentions and then after about 3 weeks, realize they hate farming. So, before you apply, decide which one of the above people you might be. No judgement from us, it takes all types to make the world wonderful, and we can't all be farmers, afterall. If you find this opportunity resonates with you and the work sounds like something you are ok with, get in touch with some info about yourself, your timeframe and why you would like to work trade on an organic farm.
Please note, due to past experiences we unfortunately won't be able to accept applicants with pets.
Additionally, we are unable to provide work Visa's for out of Country residents.
Throughout the season we require help with prepping garden beds, seeding, transplanting, watering, weeding, mulching, harvesting, washing, packaging and labeling, CSA deliveries, preserving, potential art projects, building, painting, and other farm and homestead related tasks as they come up.
In exchange for a 5 hour a day, 5 day a week commitment, we provide private lodging, breakfast and lunch on work days, and produce from the gardens. Our mornings start at 8am for breakfast and coffee or tea. We will go over our goals for the day and head out. We break for lunch around 12-ish for anywhere from half an hour to an hour and then will usually work to about 2pm before we call it a day.
In the early part of the season, from May to late June, our focus is on bed preparation, seed starting, and transplanting. From late June to early September we will be seeding, transplanting, maintaining (pruning, etc), weeding, harvesting, and washing/packaging. September and October consists of harvesting, washing/packaging, cleaning up beds for winter, and planting cover crops.
We have room for 2 people in a private camper which has WiFi, electricity, and a stocked kitchen (kettle, cutlery, cooking utensils, dried goods, etc.) The space is perfect for couples, or friends that don't mind living in small spaces with their homies. If you are a solo traveler and the space is available, you won't be expected to share the space. We can also accommodate people with campers, vans, busses, etc.
There is a composting toilet on the property as well as a communal fire pit and picnic area. The shower is in the main house.
Our farm is located in rural Cape Breton, situated between two small villages just under 30kms in either direction. There is a gas station located 7kms away and a small convenience store 5kms away. The nearest grocery store is a 17 km drive. As such, we require work-traders to have reliable transportation as there is no public transit.
We are located at the foot of the Cabot Trail, just a short walk to Whale Cove beach and it's overlooking cape which is one of the best locations in the area to catch breathtaking sunsets. Within a 5 minute drive of the farm is Margaree Harbour Beach. We are also a short drive to Margaree River where you can float, kayak, paddleboard or just splash around in to cool off. Cape Breton Highlands National Park is 35km away and is loaded with groomed hiking trails and scenic look-off points.
3134 Shore Rd Margaree Harbour, NS B0E 2B0 CA