Small fruit and veggi farm with a small nursery on Sauvie island
Oregon
I have a rare fruit orchard I sell seasonally at farmers markets. I also grow and sell gourmet vegetables. I have 4 plant starting greenhouses and propagate plants for my nursery. Everything is organically grown. I am also working on producing organic mycorrhizal fertilizers to sell. I am an older ( but peppy!) woman who lives with her collage aged daughter, a tennis ball obsessed dog and 3 cats
What can you learn here? It all depends on the season! Winter is grafting and pruning season. I have many favorite ways to graft a tree ! Rooting and air layering come next I have a lot of tricks to start a seed in late winter. Making potting soil comes in early spring good thing I have a tractor I am happy to teach safe use of farm equipment. Spring there is planting either into pots or into the field. Summer is harvest be prepared to try fruit you will want to grow ! Also summer is drip system repair time . Knowing your way around a drip system is vital ! My drip system is more a lesson of what not to do..Fall is a great time to finish harvest and learn to store food. This is a work in progress for me. We do have an apple press, dry and can every year.
Our house has 5 bedrooms but only 2 people living here. There is a pool and a big kitchen and 3 bathrooms. I am happy if the person visiting us just enjoys the property as we do. For breakfast and lunch there will always be food on hand to make meals . I will make a large home style meal each evening.
Before I became a farmer, I was a professional artist. I still make art all the time. Sauvie island is a paradise ! there is amazing wild life, hiking, beaches, Mountain biking, canoeing, camping, fishing, and that's just if you stay on the island down town Portland Oregon is less than 20 minutes by car away Mt hood and the Ocean is 90 minutes. My daughter plays in a band.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Flower farming
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Bakery
Traditional crafts
Mechanics / tools / technology
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Production farm
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Hectares
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0.2
Acres
Sheila
Member since 2024
Languages spoken:
English
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Mon
Tue
Wed
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Sat
Response rate: 80%
Response time: typically within 4 days
Oregon
Portland Airport, Portland train station, Portland busstop on Island
Reviews
Serena
United States
•
May 2026
Sheila is brilliant at what she does! There is loads to learn from her, and her nursery is the perfect setting to do it in. Sheila is kind and generous. I volunteered for only a couple of days, and she was flexible in organizing logistics and alternative ways of volunteering.
Francesca
United States
•
April 2026
Sheila is the greatest host ever!!! We had an amazing stay with her and she made us feel right at home. Her lovely home is very comfortable and her farm is breathtaking. We helped out with lots of weeding and labeled many plants in her nursery. She was kind enough to let us extend our stay twice and let us come right back after a less than ideal wwoof stay elsewhere. We shared many yummy meals with Sheila and were very well fed the whole time. She lives close to many fun things to do; we were able to go check out Portland on our days off, as well as go swimming in the nearby river after work. We highly highly recommend wwoofing at Sheila’s it truly is paradise!!
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Veronica
United States
•
April 2025
What a wonderful time I had staying with Sheila! From the moment I arrived, I felt completely welcomed and cared for. Even though my stay was short, I gained so much — from learning about propagation techniques to experiencing firsthand how to be resourceful and creative with what’s available. Sheila’s knowledge, kindness, and passion was truly inspiring. I left not wanting to go, feeling incredibly grateful for the experience. I would absolutely recommend this host to anyone looking for a meaningful and enriching WWOOF opportunity!
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