Prue Olsen

Property Name

Greener Dreamers Farm

Farming methods

Organic

Business Type

Commercial Farm

Short Property Description

We are a family of four (Eddie, Prue, Edith (8) and Maggie (5) living on a 2 acre property in beautiful Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills. Lenswood is well known for its apple, pear and cherry orchards as well as a growing number of vineyards and wineries.

Our property comprises a small orchard, vegetable garden, raspberry patch, chicken run, dam and cottage gardens. We practice organic farming methods, we do not use synthetic chemicals or fertilisers, we feed our soil using our own compost and weed teas, we rotate beds, we grow flowers amongst our vegetables to attract bees and beneficial insects, we have 3 bee colonies, three geese, a dog and soon we will have chickens again.

Eddie has completed a Permaculture Design Certificate and currently we are implementing changes and nurturing our property to become more self reliant, resilient and productive.

WWOOFers will have the opportunity to assist with projects on the farm as well as general property duties and maintenance.

Upcoming projects and tasks include;

• Continuing the transforming of the old orchard to a food forest
• Enclosing the chicken run for fox protection
• Planting, weeding, pruning, composting
• Nurturing our vegetable, herb and tea gardens
• Harvesting and preserving food
• Caring for our pets (currently geese and bees- chickens coming soon)

Accommodation is in a converted wine cellar on the lower level of our house. The room is dark but stays very nice and cool. The room has a very comfortable double bed. We have a second bathroom on the main level of the house for guests to use. Our property runs solely on rain water so guests are asked to have short showers (personally we aim for 3 minutes each).

All meals will be shared and help with food preparation and cleaning up after meals would be appreciated. We mainly eat vegetarian meals and can cater for all dietary needs.

There is no public transport in Lenswood. There is a bus service to Uraidla (10 minutes drive from Lenswood) and we are happy to pick up WWOOFers and also drop off at the end of their stay. Woofers own vehicle would be helpful for exploring the local area (highlights include forest walks, wineries, water holes and local townships).

Our working hours are Monday to Friday 8-4 with and hour and a half for lunch and tea breaks. Weekends are reserved for relaxation. If you have your own vehicle the options are endless, if not there are a couple nature reserves within walking distance from our house and a winery opening soon across the road. Guests are welcome to join in any family outings that may be happening also.

We are social people who enjoy meeting others, learning about other cultures and sharing experiences. Our children are very energetic and love having visitors (be prepared to be very popular). We enjoy a glass of wine with some nice food and good company. We look forward to meeting people from across Australia and around the world.

Currently we are searching for an individual who is social,  hardworking and eager to get their hands dirty. An interest in permaculture or organic growing would be good. Some independent working will be required (during school drop off and pick up times). We are open to the option of longer stays however we prefer to host for a week first as a trial and take it from there.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Prue, Eddie, Edith and Maggie

Harry (the dog)

Sunny, Midnight and Lizzie (the geese)

Organic/Biological methods we use

We make our own compost and weed teas. We mulch, We grown insect attracting flowers amongst our veggies. We grow green manures and do lots of sheet mulching. We house three colonies of bees and try to have year round flowers in the garden. We practice crop rotation and companion planting.

Skills WWOOFers can learn here

Organic practices & techniques, Permaculture design practices & techniques, Gardening, Composting, Soil conservation, Propagating, Mulching, Pruning, Wild Food Foraging, Beekeeping, Animal care, Poultry care, Using & caring for tools, Fencing, Building, Handyman, Cheese making, Fermenting foods, Preserving & processing food, Bread making