Come learn about organic farming, permaculture, and sustainable homesteading...

...while exploring an area with the greatest diversity of plants and animals in the continental U.S.

In your free time, paddle down the river named by The Nature Conservancy as the number one river worth protecting in our entire nation.  Or hike miles of trails in a nearby national forest and state park.  Leave yourself time, as well, to relax in our remote woodland.


What am I getting into?

As part of the WWOOF network, we're looking for folks who are willing to help us out on the farm in exchange for room and board.  Volunteers will put in four hours of work per day.

In your spare time, you can check out the numerous ecotourism opportunities in Scott County and the surrounding area.  If you bring your own canoe or kayak, we're glad to drop you off for an afternoon of paddling down the Clinch River, located five miles away.  You will need your own vehicle to access nearby trails, although you can always explore our 58 acre cove hardwood forest.

We are looking for hard workers who want to come for a weekend or for a two day period during the week.  Longer stays can be negotiated after we get to know you.  We can accommodate one or two people.  No children or pets, please.

We have work for every talent including weeding, planting, and harvesting in the garden; building construction and repair; and cutting and splitting firewood.  Some other projects that we might dive into include a passive solar hot water heater and composting toilet.

We have 58 acres of land, but we're only farming a few acres.  We use permanent raised beds and are working on a forest garden in our orchard.  Our livestock includes chickens (in tractors), honeybees, and worms.  Read our blog for more information.


About the accomodations

We live a half mile walk from where we park the cars, so please pack lightly.  We have an electric golf cart which we can use to ferry in supplies, but that is only feasible during dry weather.  Be prepared to wade through knee-high water --- bring waterproof boots or water shoes.

You will be staying in an isolated yurt about a tenth of a mile from the main farm area.  There is one foam mattress on the floor as well as a chair and small table.  Please bring a sleeping bag.  The yurt is fully wired with electricity and high speed internet (via an ethernet cable.)  We don't have a TV on the property, though.

We eat lunch and dinner as a family.  Please let me know if you're a vegetarian and I'll be sure to cook meat-free.  I'm not confident about my ability to feed vegans --- you might need to cook your own meals but we'll do our best to provide the raw materials.  We provide breakfast food for you to cook yourself.  (Be prepared for a lot of eggs.)  95% of the vegetables we eat are from our organic garden, but we still buy lots of other items in the grocery store.

Be prepared to use an outdoor latrine.  Bathing opportunities are currently limited.  Think camping with a few luxuries.


How do I sign up?

Email anna@kitenet.net for more information.  We're looking forward to meeting you!

Want more in-depth information? Browse through our books.

Or explore more posts by date or by subject.

About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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