Permaculture, organic and wildlife garden
Cardiff
🍏 At the moment we’re in winter mode, focusing on seasonal tasks that set us up for a productive spring 🌱. This includes mulching beds 🍂, clearing brambles 🌿, spot weeding, and pruning our fruit trees 🌳 and soft fruit 🫐 — plus making wine 🍷 from last season’s harvest.
We’re also happily eating our way through frozen berries ❄️🍒, fruit compotes 🫙 and preserves 🍐 — yum!
As a WWOOFer, you’ll be hands-on with all of this 🤲, as well as helping care for our ducks 🦆 and chickens 🐓.
There’s plenty to do and lots to learn if you’re interested in food growing, food processing, and small-scale animal care.
You’ll have comfortable accommodation and we’ll share home-cooked meals, often using our own produce. We enjoy eating and chatting together - we’ve been told it’s a warm, relaxed atmosphere where people feel at home.
We’d love to welcome someone who’s enthusiastic, hands-on and up for joining in a variety of garden and kitchen tasks. If this sounds like you — please get in touch!
We are Chris and Michele and we have a one acre permaculture garden with chickens, ducks and lots of food being grown. We like to involve WWOOFers in the garden but we also love to cook and make preserves, low sugar jams and wine from our produce. There are lots of different things to get involved in, in the garden - sowing, planting, willow hurdle fences, weeding, sheet mulching, watering, composting and path maintenance depending on the time of the year and of course our chickens and ducks!
Although there are green fields everywhere, where you can go for country walks, we also live close to main transport systems and Cardiff city itself is only 15 minutes on the train from our local train station. We are not in a remote location which on the one hand means that you have lots of things convenient to you - shops, museums, swimming pools etc but also means that you are within earshot of roads and a train line. So if you are seeking a completely remote and rural experience then you would be advised to apply elsewhere.
Saying this, we are well situated for you to explore the beauty spots of south Wales and take day trips to places like the beautiful Brecon Beacons. Travelling in the other direction you can take a trip to Barry Island Beach, go a bit further and you get to Llantwit Major and picturesque St Donats, a bit further still and you get to the stunning Gower. You get two days off every week so there is plenty of opportunity if you plan ahead!
If you like the idea of wwoofing at one of the most advanced urban permaculture sites in Wales with the convenience of shops and a nearby city as well as opportunities to visit beautiful places then please get in touch!
Adendum
When you are emailing could you please include the following info as it makes it easier for us to combine wwoofers:
• nationality (we like to have international mixes)
• your age (we like to have mixed ages if at all possible)
• dietary preferences - vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, omnivore (e.g. it’s better for us to have all vegetarians or no
vegetarians as this makes making meals easier)
• if you are a vegan does this also rule out eating our eggs from our own free range chickens and ducks or would this be an
exception?
• dietary restrictions - gluten intolerance, nut allergies etc
• if you are a smoker
• if you've been in paid work before
• if you've had any experience in farming, gardening and / or highly physical outdoor activities
Organic methods: permaculture, no dig, natural pest control, forest gardening, self-seeding all year round salad crops.
Certifications: We are not certified because we are not a commercial organic farm. We have a large garden, using organic techniques within a permaculture design. We use the site for our own self sufficiency.
Current projects: All year round general garden maintenance. The activities in the garden vary depending on the time of year.
Internet access available
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Wild foraging
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
0.4
Hectares
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1
Acres
Michele
Member since 2010
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 98%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Cardiff
TRAIN/BUS: Eastbrook Train Station - unless there are exceptional circumstances we expect WWOOFers to walk to our house as it's only a ten minute walk.
Reviews
Hannah
United States
•
February 2026
I had the best 3 weeks staying with Michele and Chris! This was my first WWOOFing experience, and I’m so grateful for how it went! I got to stay in my own camper van, so cozy! Working in the garden with Michele was incredible! I learned about different weeds, fertilizing, composting, caring for chickens and ducks, pruning, removing invasive plants, poly tunnel work, prepping garden beds, etc. Getting my hands dirty every day was so rewarding and grounding! Chris is amazing as well! He let me help in the kitchen so I could learn cooking skills which I really appreciated! He’s so knowledgeable about the area-- taking me on a fabulous historic bike ride, a beautiful walk to an ancient fort, and giving me a detailed map of Cardiff which is only a 15-minute train ride away! The food was absolutely incredible—apples, pears, berries, leeks and salads fresh from the garden, homemade bread and yogurt, Michele’s famous pie, and apple crumble (my favorite)! One morning they even let me visit a friend’s horses to learn how to care for them which was so awesome! Open mic night at the local pub had the best live music, and I was a little jealous of Michele’s amazing dance moves at a disco we went to! Tofu, their cat, is a cutie! Overall, Michele and Chris were welcoming, kind, thoughtful, understanding, and generous. I truly felt safe and cared for. Their garden is beautiful, the work is rewarding, and they make you feel part of their family. I definitely recommend staying with them! :)
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Reply from Michele
Thx for your lovely words Hannah! It was a joy hosting you. You are welcome back anytime :)
Meiqing
United Kingdom
•
January 2026
I spent 11 days in December last year with Michele and Chris, and I feel very lucky that this was my first wwoofing experience. My tasks involved looking after the ducks and doing chores in the garden such as replanting and weeding, which were grounding and fulfilling. Since Michele and Chris were away for Christmas, my fellow volunteer and I did house sitting for about 3 days and looked after their lovely cat Tofu (We found Christmas gifts for us too:)) There were many happy moments, and I especially appreciated it when Chris took me on a bike ride in the forest, a ride to the beach as well as the farmers' market. I felt also spoiled with Michele's pumpkin pie and apple juice plus some nice homemade wine. All in all, it was a very unforgettable experience. I appreciate their hospitality and the way farm newbies are welcomed. Wishing them all the best!
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Reply from Michele
Thanks so much Meiqing (Nora :)– you’re welcome back anytime!
Abigail
United Kingdom
•
November 2025
I stayed from end of Sep 2025 to very start of Nov and so stayed with Chris & Michele for over a month and what a fab stay it was! It was my first woofing experience & they both were lovely hosts. I learnt so much about salad harvesting, waste consciousness, soil composition, recognizing weeds & different ways to prep & cook food. The tasks set were very varied - apple juicing, potting plants, weeding, picking produce, tidying/cleaning & chopping wood. Michele was very patient with me whilst I learnt & is very happy to share her extensive knowledge about permaculture & her beautiful garden. All meals were amazing and very accommodating to any dietary restrictions. Chris was an amazing tour guide & took us out on bike rides & down to the coast. Caravan was great, cozy & warm especially with the electric blanket & heater! Definitely recommend this place, was great!! Thank you :)
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Reply from Michele
Thanks so much Abi – you’re welcome back anytime!
Scarlet
United States
•
September 2025
The little farm is so beautiful and charming with ducks following me in a row, rain glistening off fruit and a cozy electric blanket waiting for me when I go to bed.
This was an amazing first WWOOFING experience. I mostly helped to process apples and pears as well as some gardening. Michele was a very good teacher and showed me all I needed to know! Meals were delicious and a really nice time to chat and get to know each other further. Everyone was so kind and supportive, really making me feel at home.
Chris and Michele, thank you so much for my time with you!
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Reply from Michele
Thank you Scarlet! You’re very welcome to come back.
PS – you forgot to mention you sang in our local’s open mic!
Dongyeon
South Korea
•
September 2025
I spent 10 days here, and every morning I happily took care of the chickens and ducks, and picked fruits. It was apple harvest season, and most of the time I helped make apple juice indoors — which was perfect for me, as apples are my favorite fruit in the world !
Michele and Chris are very understanding and have a way of trusting wwoofers quietly, which I deeply appreciated.
Even though it was quite a short stay, Chris took me to some amazing spots in the surrounding nature, so I was able to go and visit the sea and take wonderful walks in the forest after work.
I already miss the delicious meals we shared at the table, the deep conversations we had, and Tofu, who used to curl up and sleep on my lap.
It was truly a memorable experience, and I‘d love to come back :)
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Reply from Michele
Thank you for your lovely review Dongyeon. It was a pleasure hosting you and we hope to see you again. ♥️
Léa
France
•
August 2025
I spent four wonderful weeks with Michele and Chris, who welcomed me with great hospitality. They shared with me their vision of permaculture and Welsh culture.
I had the opportunity to look after the chickens and ducks, harvest fruit, weed, and generally look after the upkeep of their garden and the cooking.
Michele and Chris are very interesting, patient and also flexible and understanding.
I was very comfortable in a space reserved for me and the meals were absolutely delicious. I also had the opportunity to share some unforgettable moments with them and their friends.
I couldn't have wished for anything better and I'm glad to have shared this experience with them.
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Reply from Michele
It was lovely to have you here Léa - you're welcome back anytime. xx
