I’m a Nashville native who moved to Texas and spent nearly 30 years in Austin, where I was a teaching artist and professional percussionist. I recently sold our Austin home and returned to Tennessee, where I purchased 18 acres with a rambly barn and a 1944 farm house. Peppertree Family Farm is named in honor of our home of 18 years in Austin and we are in the beginning stages of developing a regenerative, permaculture, farmstead. While we have no plans to develop a large-scale commercial farm, we do have a small farmstand open late March through December, and have developed a small flower field for market and on-farm sales. Aside from myself, there 5 goats, a gnarly rooster, 14 hens, and a mischievous shih tzu named Sirius on the property.
This is a small, rural town of approximately 2,000 people. With a larger town of 7,000 people a 15 minute drive away. There is no public transport or ride-share service. WWOOFers would ideally have their own transport. This is a creative, open-minded, and tolerant household. We are open to people of all faiths and traditions, but have a zero-tolerance policy towards religious proselytizing of any kind.
We have no internet or television on the property, but we do have an awesome projector and we use the local library, 1.4miles away, to download shows and have movie nights
WWOOFers will have an opportunity to learn a variety of homesteading skills: dehydrating, canning, fermentation, cheese/yogurt making, bread baking, starting seedlings, planting. Additionally, skill sharing, such as using power tools (drills, circular saws, table saws, etc.), designing and building necessary on-farm structures, gardening, and rudimentary construction during projects.
As a new farmstead in our third growing season, we are learning new things daily, and are happy to share any and all knowledge gained so far! While I’ve gardened on a small scale for many years, this project is far beyond the scope of anything I’ve done before, and I’ve been expanding almost continuously for the past couple of years. Currently, there’s a large kitchen garden comprised of 14 raised beds; a pumpkin and corn patch; a small flock of 24 chickens; a small “orchard” of around 20 fruit saplings; and a large cut flower field. My average day changes with the seasons….except chicken chores…those are year round! Chicken chores include feeding and watering daily, securing the ladies in the evening, moving chicken tractors every couple of days, and moving electric netting and solar fence chargers every couple of months. And while skilled labor is always welcome, if you can rake, shovel, hold boards or be an extra pair of hands during building projects, that is always appreciated.
Spring days typically begin around 8am, rotating and watering seedling trays and adjusting light (if they’re still inside), making soil blocks and starting trays of seeds, planting out seedlings, top-dressing beds with compost or manure if needed, mulching, and general garden clean-up and prep.
Southwest Tennessee can get very hot in summer, since our high rainfall leads to very high humidity, so as the season progresses, the work day begins earlier in order to beat the heat. I generally try to get outside no later than 7am (earlier if my body allows), in order to wrap up outdoor garden chores by 10am, then working under the shade of the barn until noon at the latest. Summer chores may include things like watering the garden, harvesting, and processing the harvest indoors by canning, dehydrating, or freezing. Typically in the summer, there are also wild blackberries and wild passion fruits to find and forage, and in late summer, I try to beat the creatures to the pecans that are scattered across the pastures.
First frost here typically hits anytime after mid-October, so mid to late summer is busy seeding beds with fall crops and crops that can overwinter, and as October approaches, I’m busy harvesting the last of the tender annuals, and installing simple hoops and frost cloths to protect those few veggies we’ll have growing all winter. This is also the time to clean the rest of the beds out, add compost, and cover deeply in a bed of leaves, leaving the beds to rest until the following late winter/early spring. This is also an excellent time to build new beds, either raised or in ground, by layering with materials from the woods and fields, hugelkultur style. Beds prepared this way in Sept/Oct are ready for planting in Feb/Mar. Additionally, there is seed saving and sorting for the following year.
Winter chores typically involve gathering mulch and compost materials, clearing brush, and working on building projects, like chicken coops, animal pens, and shelters. This is also the time to make decisions about next year’s crops, work out the rotation plan, and order seed if needed.
WWOOFers will have a guest room in my home, and generally speaking will have the main bathroom and shower to themselves. In the event I have family visiting, the bathroom will be shared, but your sleeping quarters will still be private. WWOOFers may also choose to camp—there’s a nice camp spot with a large 10’ x 10’ tent platform, and compost toilet setup, near to the pond—or they may choose a spot to park a small camper or van if they have that set up.
For meals, I always make sure there’s plenty of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, fresh bread and an assortment of cereal, oats, or granola for a grab-and-go breakfast. We don’t typically eat large lunches on work days, but sandwich fixings are available, and there are often leftovers from dinner the night before. I do prepare dinner most nights, and would also welcome any WWOOFer into the kitchen who would enjoy preparing a meal. If I cook, I do expect help with cleanup, and vice versa. Please be aware that we are omnivores, and while I do prepare many vegetarian meals, I also prepare meals with meat/egg/dairy products. If you are vegan, you should come prepared to cook some of your own meals.
….I’ve had ALL the hobbies, from weaving, to candle making, to a long time obsession with broken tile mosaic, and finally gardening. Which led me to sell my mosaic-covered Austin house, “retire” from music (but I mean, you can’t really leave music if it’s in your DNA), and return to Tennessee to prepare for the Old Wild Hermit phase of life :) There are guitars, drums, and percussion instruments around my home, some collected on my travels around the world, and others built by me (another long hobby—primitive instrument making), and I sometimes like to sit by the pond and make a racket when I'm not swimming in there.
The Tennessee River Valley area has a long and unique historical and musical legacy. The farm is located 7 miles from the Shiloh archeological dig site and civil war battlefield. We are approximately 5 miles from the Stantonville Amish community, and this offers a unique opportunity to explore the area. There are 7 state parks within an hour’s drive of us, which are free to visit, and we are approximately 7 miles from the Tennessee River.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Poultry farming
Wild foraging
Flower farming
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Cheesemaking
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Mechanics / tools / technology
Methods or systems
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
BIPOC-operated
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
7.3
Hectares
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18
Acres
