Oldshed

Host Profile

    My Property

    Business Type

    Small/Non-commercial farm

    Farming methods

    Organic

    Short Property Description

    Two thirds hectare, semi rural property in the forested hills east of Perth Western Australia. In the last 200 years our block &;surrounding areas have been cleared of native Jarrah & Marri eucalyptus forrest to be replaced by orchards & chook farms which have long since disappeared, leaving a patchwork of degraded farmland & fire prone, fast growing Marri tree forests, invaded with introduced Eastern states & overseas grasses, plants, shrubs & trees which have overcome native flora . In the last 30 years we have cleared the property of high fire risk invasive species, ( Flinders range wattles, Blackberries, Watsonias ,Stinkworts, Mullein, etc.) We have suppressed weeds with multiple layers of cardboard , improved soil quality & moisture retention with constant mulching. We have created low water use floral gardens with native plants & succulents. We have a vegetable & fruit tree garden for home use. All this has been done on a near zero budget as our local shire gives us free mulch & 70 native seedlings each year.
    All our succulents have been free cuttings. Our property is sloped, so we have extensive rock wall terracing for practical & aesthetic appearance.
    Our house is modest 80 year old 2 x 1 weatherboard cottage with a fully self contained granny flat for visitors. Attached to the flat is a studio & workshop. The block is unfenced allowing the kangaroos to come & regularly mow our modest lawn in Summer.

    Organic/Biological methods we use

    Physical. weed suppression (cardboard matting), Mulching, Fine netting of fruit trees

    My Details

    Profile Name

    Oldshed

    Gender

    Male

    The Stay

    Can Accommodate

    2 WWOOFers

    Preferred length of Stay

    2-4 weeks

    Accommodation

    Separate Building

    Other options

    Non-Smoking, No Children, No Pets please

    Meal Procedures

    Food provided, cook your own

    Languages spoken

    English, French

    Diets we cater for

    BYO Special diet foods please

    Why I became a WWOOF Host

    My wife Madeleine & I have been involved in local bushcare activities for 30 years & we have transferred & applied those learned skills to our own property. There is a lot we don’t know about gardening so we thought it would be good to get enthusiastic young people in to give us some tips & perhaps we could pass on some of our accumulated knowledge of the W.A. bush environment. As we have created a monster here & gardening is never ending we are finding we could do with a little extra help.

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