House and garden

Dorset

13 reviews • Updated 7 months ago

We need help right now with clearing of beds, a bit of digging and some weeding - and - if you have the skills mending sheds! We are (almost) self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables and medicinal herbs and have been growing produce for our own family (with a small excess to swap with other people) for the past 30 years. We are very unusual in this respect - we find very few people have the drive and tenacity to be self sufficient all year round! We also have fruit trees and established shrub and flower borders. We have 3 laying chickens (and 2 black cats). We live in the centre of a picturesque village with good village shop and the sea within walking distance. - Whilst we spend a lot of time in the garden ourselves, we don't expect our WWOOFers to spend long hours participating in activities - our WWOOFers normally spend about 5-6 hours a day sharing in our activities, with plenty of free time to themselves, and around one full day to themselves per week. - We like having new people here, have become friends with some of our WWOOFers and keep in touch with them. - Our visitors need to be 'self-starters' and not require too much attention or looking-after from us (but we however do look after you very well (see our reviews). In order for us to consider having you here, you will also need to have practical experience and skills - with vegetable/fruit growing and/or any other useful practical skills which you might be able to share with us, eg light building & maintenance work, electrical skills, carpentry (woodwork) and chopping firewood. - Or perhaps you have particularly interesting life experiences or knowledge, which seems to be a fit for (or a complement to) our own interests and experiences? - Accommodation is normally in one of the bedrooms in the house, but sometimes camping in the Summer. We are located in beautiful West Dorset, southern England, with views of the countryside and sea (20 minutes walk away - our WWOOFers often go to the beach in the afternoon). ; - We are an artist and writer with twin sons (aged 31) who were home-educated and are here from time to time. We are trained and experienced in the use of natural medicines and therapies. Mary-Clare also teaches antenatal and post natal classes and runs monthly walks for mothers and babies. We grow a large range of medicinal herbs and run courses on using medicinal herbs for health (and more general courses on how to keep yourself well). Our volunteers often say they have learnt a lot from their time with us. See our page www.andrewgreen.biz/wwoof for MUCH more information about us! We are always very happy to have people with any of the following skills who can participate in these activities - - maintenance of garden buildings - (simple) carpentry or skills in electrical work, electronics or plumbing - maintenance of 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines For 2025 we have a major digging activity - removing a large amount of bamboo, This is good exercise and might perhaps suit a couple, or 2 men coming here together! We have wired internet access (but can switch on WiFi for short periods if you need it) and normally have a computer available for occasional use by our WWOOFers. - We also have a very hot outside solar shower (see images)! - If you're interested in what we have to say on a broad range of issues (natural health, medicinal herbs, nutrition, GMOs, organic growing, environmental issues, attachment parenting, home education ... and whatever comes between and within all of these), take a look at my Twitter feed - http://twitter.com/andrew_j_green Please contact us whenever you want to come ..things are quite fluid here so we never know when we might need someone! Organic methods: We grow using the Biodynamic calendar and are trying completely homeopathic pest and disease control this year. Certifications: We grow organically, but only for ourselves. Current projects: Fruit and vegetable maintenance, especially weeding and digging. General maintenance of outbuildings and 2-stroke/4-stroke engines. Some electrical expertise and basic carpentry. Internet access available

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Poultry farming

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Seed saving or production

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Bakery

Natural cosmetics fabrication

Renewable energy production

Food justice / sovereignty

Methods or systems

Biodynamic agriculture

Permaculture

Host type

Self-sufficiency property

Former WWOOFer

0.2 Hectares | 0.5 Acres

Accommodation

2 WWOOFers

Bedroom

Campsite

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Length of stay

1-2 weeks

Andrew

Member since 2009

Languages spoken: English, French, Italian

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Response rate: 61% Response time: typically within 5 days

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Dorset

Train/Coach (National Express) to Dorchester or Weymouth, or by car. Weymouth best, because you can then get the local X53 direct to our house. If you arrive late, after the last bus has left, we can pick you up from the bus/Train.

Reviews

Mathilda

United Kingdom • November 2025

What a delight to spend time with Andrew and Mary-Clare in their beautiful home and garden by the sea! I greatly enjoyed my time there, both in the work and the conversations we shared over meal times and in between. It was interesting to have an opportunity to learn from them the nature of being self sustaining when the garden is in this season at this time of the year. An all round inspiring week. Thank you again to both of you!

Sienna

United States • August 2025

I spent a very formative 2 weeks with Mary-Clare & Andrew in Abbotsbury. I passed the days meditatively weeding, clearing, pruning, shredding, sewing, shucking, mulching, and painting in their lovely, impressively diverse garden, the afternoons exploring the sweet village, the surrounding countryside, and the wild coast, and the evenings sharing seriously good dinners and stimulating conversation and watching carefully selected films with Mary-Clare and Andrew. The room was great, the solar shower fun, and the work load very fair and flexible; the 5-6 hours/day in the garden can be shaped to your rhythm, starting and finishing when you’d like. I learned a lot both in the garden and in discussion with Mary-Clare and Andrew — most memorably, I think, about the food industry, nutrition, women’s health, parenting, medicinal herbs, and aromatherapy (their knowledge is vast and developed! They even very kindly helped design and order me a regimen for menstrual pain). They are thoughtful, accommodating hosts and wonderful chefs, even inviting me to get dressed up and join them for a picnic and garden opera, one of the highlights of the 2 weeks :) Thanks again guys, wishing you all the best xx

Reply from Andrew

Thanks Sienna! We loved having you here x

Dominique

France • July 2025

J'ai adoré mon séjour chez Andrew et Mary Clare. L'accueil était parfait. Ma chambre était la chambre d'un de leur fils avec accès libre à une salle de bain et une douche solaire. J'ai partagé tous les repas avec Andrew et Mary Clare et j'ai pu échanger très fréquemment avec eux en Anglais. Andrew et Mary Clare ont adapté leurs demandes à mes compétences. Mon travail consistait essentiellement en des réparations d'abris et de constructions de jardins. Nous avons aussi beaucoup échangé sur l'usage des plantes comestibles de leur jardin. Andrew et Mary Clare mettent en oeuvre des pratiques très écologiques dans leur grand jardin. Nous avons enfin engagé des discussions plus profondes sur l'économie et les politiques environnementales en partageant les réalités comparées du Royaume Uni et de la France. I loved my stay at Andrew's and Mary Clare's. Their welcoming was perfect. My room was the bedroom of one of their sons, with free access to a bathroom near. I shared every meal with Andrew and Mary Clare, and I could discuss many times with them in English. Andrew and Mary Clare have very well adapted their demand to my skills. My everyday job was mainly DIY and repair on different sheds and garden wooden buildings. We also have shared many information about the use of edible plants of their garden. They implement very ecological practices in their garden. At least, we had deep discuss about economy and environmental policies by sharing compared realities in the UK and in France.

Alec

United Kingdom • May 2025

Mary-Clare and Andrew are absolutely delightful and fantastic hosts the sun shone brightly daily not only in the garden but also in the house and whenever in their presence. Their home and garden is in a fantastic setting with st catherine's chapel in the distance, i'd suggest visiting the chapel and having a sing... It was my first time woofing and couldn't have asked for a better host. Their knowledge of all things plants and herbs are invaluable and are both incredibly knowledgeable on the subject. Evening dinner's were spent having some very radical conversations about life and combined with Andrew and Mary-Clare's hilarious wit and interlect * Andrew writting right to left like an Arab* I do miss those evenings. Thank you for having me to stay in your home and sharing your knowledge and humour, I will never forget my time with you. Step light, stay free.

Ritesh kumar

United Kingdom • April 2025

A Truly Wonderful First Wwoof Experience! We want to say very, very big thank you to Andrew & Mary for hosting us- it was such an amazing experience specifically as first time WWOOFers. From the very beginning we felt completely at home. Marie was so caring, always looking after us, specially when it came to food & our well being. We truly appreciated her warmth & kindness. The garden work was also very flexible, which made things so comfortable. We are allowed to work at our own pace. We did some digging etc. It felt like we are helping out in a family gardern, not doing a job. Andrew & Mary are incredibly knowledgeable about natural healing, self medication and using nature's resources for wellness. We learnt so much just being around them- it was inspiring and educational experience. We hope to come back and join in the garden again sometime. Thank you again for everything. It was a truly lovely stay Regards Ritesh & Reema

Samuel

United Kingdom • June 2024

This was my first wwoof experience and it was a great place to start. I spent a lovely week with Andrew and Mary-Clare who are wonderful hosts that made me feel welcome from day one. The work I performed ranged from digging vegetable patches, pulling weeds, using the plant shredder and cutting back nettles and brambles. I was allowed to work at my own pace and felt comfortable and satisfied with all the work I did. They are located in the beautiful village of Abbotsbury which I loved exploring in my free time. They are a less than 10 minute walk from the St Catherine’s Chapel which you have great views of from their garden. It’s also located a short walking distance from both the Abbotsbury sub-tropical gardens and Abbotsbury swannery which are both amazing attractions to visit. I learnt a lot over the course of my stay about different herbal remedies and practices that Andrew and Mary-Clare are super knowledgeable about. They also have tons of experience growing and making their own remedies. The meals were delicious and were made using ingredients they grow themselves. The accommodation was a spacious spare room in their house with a nice comfortable bed. I was always checked on and provided food whenever I needed. We shared some lovely conversations during the week in the garden and round the dinner table which I feel I gained a lot of knowledge from. All in all I had a wonderful time in abbotsbury with my hosts which I would recommend to anyone looking to wwoof in the bea