Small homestead located just outside of Asheville accepting short term WWOOFers!
North Carolina
NOTE: I COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP IN JUNE AND JULY 2025!
I have a LOT of different and interesting projects going. Please get in touch. I especially need help from people with construction skills at this time.
I typically just host one Wwoofer at a time. No cats. ONE dog possibly would work if they have a proven history of doing well with cats. If you support the destruction of our democracy that is taking place in DC by Trump and his cohorts, please go wwoof somewhere else. We won't get along.
I am Kathleen. I'm 71 years old. My small homestead (it's not really a farm) is located just outside of Asheville. It is a beautiful mountainous area with a mild climate. There is a LOT going on in town (15 min away by car)... music, yoga classes, festivals of all kinds, & lots of groups. The area is excellent for hiking with the Blue Ridge Parkway nearby. There is little bus service out here so it's easiest if you have a car to participate in the local activities. However, there is Uber service, now.
I have a beautiful stone house with an attached greenhouse. Wwoofer housing is a small (I mean SMALL) rustic stone cottage with a nice single bed. You'll need to come into the house (very close by) to use the basement bathroom, take a shower, eat, etc. It's a sweet spot but will only accommodate a single person. You are welcome to use the house and gardens to hang out... you don't need to stay in the little house all of the time. I also occasionally host a Wwoofer in my house in a guest room.
The (all natural) food is super! I eat meat but I can also accommodate vegetarians. I'd rather not host vegans and gluten-free folks. Their diets are just too different than mine. I have plenty of homegrown veggies. I am actively working to maximize my land to provide most of my food needs.
I am developing a great ornamental plant collection for beauty and privacy. There is a cat for cuddling and playing with.
I need help taking care of garden beds and plantings. I sometimes need help to build things in the yard. There are plenty of house projects, too, and fences to mend. I am still developing ideas for the property and I am open to your input! There is no end of projects here and I could really use someone with handy-person skills to help get it all done.
Typically, I can accommodate one woofer at a time for help around the homestead. The wwoofer house is best in warm weather but some folks have stayed out there in the winter.... I am flexible about length of stay. I provide food, lodging, and linens.
I have a degree in Horticulture and I am retired from my landscape design business. I am busy and hardworking and appreciate a job done well. I am friendly and love to teach people about gardening, fermenting, etc. I speak some Turkish and a tiny bit of German.
This is a great place to live and a great area to visit. I'd love to have you!
Some details: No tobacco use on my property. No e-cigs. No heavy drinking. Be good to the animals and polite to the humans. You help 20 hours/week. I provide housing and food. Also bedding, towels, etc. Open to fewer hours and less food sharing. Please be frugal with utilities, etc. Eat veggies from the garden. I have homegrown veggies. Homemade bread, yogurt, etc. The food here is super and mostly homegrown/homemade. You provide special needs like vitamins. You provide your own toiletries. Please arrive and depart when you say you will. If you have an unexpected change in plans let me know ASAP! I will be counting on your arrival. Hopefully we'll learn, be productive, and have FUN while we're at it!
Meals are flexible. Sometimes I'm around a lot and have time and make lots of meals. Sometimes I'm busy otherwise and might just point you in the direction of the fridge/pantry to help yourself. We share the cooking and clean-up chores... it's fun!
Thanks!
Kathleen
Certifications: I just grown for myself and friends, using organic methods. Not officially certified.
Internet access available
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Seed saving or production
Methods or systems
No-till farming
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
0.3
Hectares
|
0.8
Acres
Accommodation
Kathleen
Member since 2014
Languages spoken:
English, Turkish
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
North Carolina
Asheville, NC
Reviews
Jinglin
United States
•
January 2026
I had a truly wonderful experience staying with Kathleen. She is incredibly kind, welcoming, and genuinely passionate about what she does. Her garden is beautiful, productive, and clearly cared for with a lot of knowledge and love. Every day brought new learning opportunities, whether working outdoors or helping with projects around the house.
Kathleen is easy to communicate with, patient, and always happy to share her experience and answer questions. The accommodations were comfortable, the meals were delicious and often included fresh produce from the garden, and the overall atmosphere felt warm and homey. I learned a lot, worked hard, and had a great time doing it. I’m very grateful for the experience and would highly recommend staying with her！
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Colby
United States
•
August 2025
I am so lucky to have gotten to spend a small slice of time with Kathleen! She's a very thoughtful and kind individual. I felt right at home in the little house. She's easy to communicate with and the work sped by. It rained a good bit of my time at Kathleen's, but we made the most of it with some fun indoor projects! She's got a fantastic garden and I hope to return on sunnier conditions to get more hands-on learning. She is a plethora of knowledge in all things horticulture. She's a great teacher and enthusiastic to answer any questions.
Plus, freshly harvested tomatoes with every meal! 😊
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Alex
United States
•
August 2025
I had an incredible time staying a little over a week at Kathleen's beautiful property. We worked hard on some cool landscaping projects around her new patio and also maintaining her impressive vegetable gardens.
This is an awesome place to come if you are interested in learning to cook and preserve all the delicious garden produce! We shared so many delectable meals and snacks, almost all made fresh with ingredients right from her garden or local farms/sources (I think our most repeated phrase during my time there was "oh my God this is so good" 😅). She was very generous with her food and her living space, and she shared lots of great fermentation knowledge with me!
During my time there I was able to join in on a potluck with a bunch of her wonderful friends, went with her to a cool craft festival in a nearby town, shared so many fun and interesting conversations, and had plenty of time to go into Asheville and explore on my own (so much incredible live music to choose from!!).
The accomodations in the cozy little stone cottage in the backyard were perfect and very comfortable.
Kathleen is truly a gem and such a fun person to spend time with - even after just a week I consider her a good friend and I will absolutely be coming back to visit sometime in the future :)
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Kaitlin
United States
•
June 2025
I learned so much in my short time staying with Kathleen. I’m honored to have such kind hospitality. I arrived the first day and we started making my new favorite meal spanakopita! We got to attend a festival together in Asheville. I had so much fun trellising vines, and crafting necklaces. I will work on my tree ID and be back!
Pratima
United States
•
June 2025
Kathleen is a dynamo and I was very impressed with her home and gardens. She is very knowledgeable about growing all manner of plants and is quick to share all of this with you. Kathleen works very hard to keep all her plants well cared for and in the case of food plants, "nutrient-dense". She will work alongside you most of the time so you can truly learn about how to do an exceptional job at organic growing.
As a person, Kathleen is very compassionate and very easy to communicate with. She really takes care of you providing very hearty breakfasts to power your activites and satisfy your soul. She shares her home and grounds very freely and will even send you home with loads of plants if you are able to manage to get them home and give them a good home. My stay with Kathleen was very packed with activity and learning and I felt truly cared for. I highly recommend Kathleen if you are serious about learning and practicing top-notch work in every sphere of improving a property.
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Mariya
United States
•
June 2025
I ĥad a great time with Kathleen! She is very knowledgeable and has a beautiful, organized, and productive garden. We enjoyed great meals with fresh produce and wonderful conversations. The accommodations were super comfortable. Be prepared to work hard, have fun, and learn a lot!
