Diverse 4-acre permaculture farm in OR

Oregon

16 reviews • Updated 6 months ago

This is a small and diverse farm (4 acres) located in Monroe, OR. We specialize in dry farming, and despite recent and unprecedented heat waves, our crops have done well. This will be our seventh year growing on this property. We are looking forward to many new projects and improvements and are really excited to continue the farm store (Sat-Sun), which is where we sell our produce and other local goodies! Please find our blog and website at lilliputopia.com. Our goal is to create a productive, resilient, and beautiful ecosystem (however tiny). We implement various strategies, such as rotational grazing, polycultures, and planting of pollinator habitat. We do not rely on heavy tillage or conventional chemicals. We grow organically and sustainably, but we are not certified organic. We are looking for hard-working, project-oriented, creative, kind, and open-minded individuals who desire to experience farm life. Your ability to work independently (after receiving direction) and communicate are very valuable to us! Bring your energy, sense of humor, desire to learn, engage, and have fun! Please note that farming is hard work. There is (outdoor) physical labor involved. Some of these activities can be challenging or tedious (such as removing blackberries, weeding, mowing, and irrigating). We love this lifestyle and try to make it as fun and stimulating as possible. We only have room for one volunteer, so we will screen carefully for the right person. Our goal: To create a beautiful, healthy ecosystem that both improves the land and sustains local human and wildlife communities. Our values: Sustainability via eliminating waste streams, reusing/recycling, using local/renewable and non toxic resources. Diversity of ideas, cultures, ecosystems, and people Empowerment of individuals and communities through education Current projects: Earthbag wall: Plastering the outside shell Timber-framed camping deck on the hill Dry farmed vegetables (1/3 acre). Seeding, planting, weeding, and harvesting. Annuals, perennials, and orchard: planting, harvesting, maintenance including our 24x40' high tunnel. Building soil naturally with mulch and compost Food preservation: canning, dehydrating, freezing, cooking, fermentation Learning: field trips to other farms and events Other natural building concepts. Rules and living situation: We exchange room and board for your hard work and cooperation. We ask that you work 20-30 hours per week and we will provide your basic food needs. One of the daily morning chores is feeding the chickens (7:30am), so getting up early is essential (please, no night owls). You should be comfortable around animals and plants. Living space is a room or loft in the house, which is equipped with wireless internet. We also have a friendly dog husky/shepherd mix. We appreciate your willingness to help cook and tidy up as well! Please advise, our house is small and we only have ONE bathroom, so please be considerate with your time. We live in a rural area but it is on a well traveled road. PDX is the nearest large airport, but you can also get here easily by bus (Greyhound and Bolt), which stop at Corvallis, Eugene, and Albany. 21 years or older No tobacco, pets, or children No drugs Expect to bring the following items: gloves, boots, rain gear in the winter/spring, hat, appropriate clothing Local attractions and resources: City of Monroe website: http://ci.monroe.or.us/ Portland < 2 hour drive Within half an hour of both OSU in Corvallis and UO in Eugene Approx. 1 hour to get to the coast or the mountains Lots of local hiking and wildlife Please respond with the following information: Dates you wish to come Dietary restrictions Why you want to visit Lilliputopia and what projects you are interested in working on A little more about yourself and your hobbies Any questions you may have If we think it will be a good fit we will set up a phone interview and continue the conversation. Thanks for your interest in Lilliputopia! Small things matter! Organic methods: no synthetic chemical fertilizers or pesticides of any kinds. We amend primarily with compost and lime. Certifications: We are not certified organic . Current projects: orchard management, amending beds, weeding, seeding, mulching, bottle wall, plastering Internet access available

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Poultry farming

Pig farming

Seed saving or production

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Bakery

Green Building

Methods or systems

Holistic management

No-till farming

Permaculture

Regenerative agriculture

Mentoring opportunities

Woman-operated

Host type

Production farm

Former WWOOFer

1.6 Hectares | 4 Acres

WWOOF-Verified

Accommodation

1 WWOOFer

Bedroom

Camper / RV

Campsite

Cabin / Mobile-home

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Length of stay

1 day (local)

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Eliza

Member since 2018

Languages spoken: English Response rate: 100% Response time: typically within 1 day

November 2025

Open

Planned visit

Closed

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Oregon

Corvallis station/ Eugene Airport

Reviews

Abby

United States • October 2025

I highly recommend this farm! Eliza and Thorin are amazing people and very knowledgeable. I stayed for a month and I was sad to leave. I learned all about dry farming which is a much more sustainable way to farm. I did a lot of preserving and harvesting since I came at the end of the season. The community that they are in is also very welcoming and supportive. The accommodation, food, and land were all amazing. We went on plenty of “field trips” off the farm. The small town of Monroe has a cute pizza shop, a brewery, a community thrift store, and a library. I can’t thank you enough, Eliza, for letting me into your beautiful home.

Chizu

United States • August 2025

I had wonderful time as Woofer at Eliza and Thorin's farm so I want to keep secret myself but they needs some one help too.They are heartwarming farmers who are very thoughtful about the global environment, people's health, the living creatures and microorganisms and so on.　I learned how much effort and cost money for growing organic vegetables completely organically. Eliza and Thorin love books. They taught me many things. Thorin bakes sourdough breads from scratch and he cooked delicious meals like New Mexican cuisine from his hometown. His cooking is the best Michelin in the USA for me. They provided such a lovely cozy room with 2 big windows in the attic for me. After I had experienced and learned from them, I , now feel organic vegetable and products are "not expensive". Their taste amazing, natural medicine and great investment for our bodies and earth in the future too. Since then, I started to choose local small organic farm products. I had great time with them I really enjoyed their farm stand store on the weekend. I also learned how important and wonderful things about local Community.I wish I could stay over 1year unfortunately my father's health condition was not well so I had to go back to Japan. One day I would love to come back to this farm! I truly recommend Eliza and Thorin 's farm. For sure, you will have wonderful time with them at beautiful farm in Oregon!

Alejandra

United States • June 2024

Thank you Eliza and Thorin for hosting me !! I appreciate how patient you guys were with me. I had never used a shovel nor a wheelbarrow before. Eliza is so passionate about her farm. I love seeing how tight knit the community is and all they do for the town. I would love to come back again !

Ruby

United Kingdom • June 2024

I stayed with Eliza and Thorin for two months as my first wwoofing experience. And it was amazing! They have a lovely, manageable sized farm with a huge variety of fruits and vegetables as well as a bunch of lovely laying chickens. Eliza taught me about soil nutrients and different plants symbiotic relationships with plants, how to care from seedlings, how to germinate, and harvesting many different fruits and vegetables as well as about plant identification. Thorin taught me how to use a chop saw and cement mixer for different fences and walls being built. We did irrigation, planting in the dry field, mowing (amazing fun) weed whacking. They're both very knowledgeable about a huge amount of subjects. Eliza is really great at giving enough instruction at tasks that you can work independently as well as fun to work with on various jobs to have some company and learn more as you go. I had also been worried that living in the house with them would be a bit intense but they're both so lovely, welcoming, and relaxed that it was perfectly fine. We ate loads of wonderful food and they're super inclusive in all their social endeavors meaning I got to meet loads of their cool friends and attend plenty of pizza parties! They also helped me endlessly on my mission to find a car, driving me all over so I could go on test drives myself. I could not recommend volunteering here enough, if all that isn't enough they also have two beautiful dogs to keep you company!

Jillian

United States • August 2022

Eliza and Thorin are generous with their time, knowledge and patience. I learned so much about farming in my short time with them, from chicken care and construction skills, to irrigation techniques and the names of many, many types of (dry-farmed) tomatoes. They have a beautiful home and farm, and they truly make you feel a part of their community from day one. I already miss cooking and playing Skip-Bo with them and their two wonderful pups. I cannot recommend Lilliputopia enough!

James

Taiwan • August 2022

Thank you, Eliza and Thorin, for teaching me lots of farming and gardening methods, when I wwoofed on your farm. I’ve learned to weed using a weeding whacker and a shovel. I’ve also learned to pick blackberries, gooseberries, strawberries, and plums. I’ve also learned to take care of hens and pullets, set up an irrigation system and help build a greenhouse. I’ve also learned to prune arborvitae trees, a huge coastal redwood, a birch tree, and a plum tree, using loppers, shears, and a sawzall. I enjoyed this wwoofing experience a lot. Both of you always explained patiently to me some terms and concepts, such as loppers, pruning shears, secateurs, impact driver, clamps, sawzall, kerf, crack, weeding whacker, drippers, gasket, rake, lumber wrap, tarp, knee cushion, mulch, aphids, hay bales, hose, garter snake, valve, compost, okra and cannibalism. Below is the newsletter of their farmstore. What they are doing makes our earth happy, and people appreciate how they are farming; they are eco-life and permacultural practitioners. https://mailchi.mp/a20ad5ce2fb2/vending-at-lilliputopia-farm-store-in-14147263?e=916a2857a Many pollinators appear on their farm: https://youtu.be/ASd7o2f3EvI