Registered Organic smallholding
Oxfordshire
Our Registered Organic Small holding is located on 2 sites along the Oxford Canal. We grow 1st Nation squash, culinary pumpkins, Hopi maize, produce RAW honey, and make marinade and vinegar and jam. in the Summer we supply loads of salad to local pubs. In the Autumn we supply high end restaurants in London like River Cafe and St John, Rovi, & all Angela Harnetts restaurants. We have also started supplying the colleges in Oxford.
We work the fields up starting in late March/early April. Planting follows with either seeds directly into the furrows or plants brought on by a nursery. Then follows hand and hoe weeding and often times water from a large tank behind a tractor.
We heat and cook almost exclusivly on wood which we process here at the farm with chainsaw, large tractor driven table saw and axe. There is always tidying up to do. We have hens for eggs and wood burners for hot water and drying clothes and cooking. Buildings are mostly 18th century stone barns recycled into useful buildings. Would appreciate some help at any time from April through to harvest.
This experience best suits graduate students who need certification of a genuine educational experience. If you are looking for a holiday please look elsewhere.
This is a fully immersive experience which may not suit you if you are "watching the clock", and may be more demanding then other places. We are serious organic growers involved in a genuine commercial enterprise. I come from a career in Science education and this is a reflection of a sustainable growth environment. Arrangements will not be finalized unless a conversation happens to ensure commitment....many thanks.
Thanks.....greg klaes
As stated above this experience is not intended to be a holiday. We would expect WWOOfers to know how to peel potatoes, cook simple dishes, and do washing up and simple tidy chores. Accommdation in the summer is in a bell tent or tipee. Our farm is along side the Oxford Canal and we have a canoe & bikes for use by WWOOfers. Cropredy Village is 2km by road and has two pubs & two churches, a shop and a post office.
The hours per day indicated do not include the time spent chopping wood to feed the wood burners for hot water, cooking, etc. The time indicated represents real experience time in the fields; sustainable activities are in addition to this learning time.
Mature undergraduates & graduate level students who require a written report by their university have had the best results staying at our farm.
Best of luck and hope to see you soon.....greg klaes
Organic methods: we use large quantities of organic compost and wood ashes to produce about 3 dozen different types of squash and culinary pumpkins, sweetcorn and salad vegetables for restaurants.
Certifications: Organic Food Federation
Current projects: We are introducing as much regerative practices as we can as fast as we can. we are working on canal boats to support maintenance on the Oxford Canal. We are growing trees to plant along the canal with like minded volunteers. I go to festivals as a supplier of firewood and take donations for the little trees we grow and sell bagged firewood at Glastonbury. All the funds raised go towards helping the Canal and River TRust with the local canal that runs past the farm. I am a former school teacher and college lecturer. My BSc is in Physics and Astronomy and my MA is in Science Education.
Internet access available
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Grain farming
Poultry farming
Forestry
Beekeeping
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Renewable energy production
Methods or systems
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
4.9
Hectares
|
12
Acres
Greg
Member since 2011
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Oxfordshire
Bus or train to Banbury-I CAN COLLECT AFTER PHONE CONTACT HAS BEEN MADE AND AGREED COLLECTION TIME DECIDED...WITHOUT PHONE CONTACT THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE.
Reviews
Tizzy
United Kingdom
•
January 2026
Sadly wasnt able to come and stay with Greg due to change in circumstances, but he was lovely during organisational period.
Katie
United Kingdom
•
December 2025
I had a really good time at forge farm, Gregg is very knowledgeable and it was interesting to learn from him. I loved getting to see all the different varieties of squash and meeting ginge the cat. Gregg was a very welcoming host and made a great cooked breakfast
Matteo
Germany
•
August 2025
I helped two weeks in August at [Host] farm. This was my first time doing Wwoofing.
My work revolved around a large variety of different tasks, most of which in the garden.
I fed the chicken, watered the plants, picked corn, harvested courgettes and lettuce, and did weeding, as well as
preparing, weighing and delivering the harvest.
The work I did was strenuous and exhausting at times, but I enjoyed it very much, because I really understood what its like and what means to grow your on food and the troubles and struggles that come with that. I learned a lot even beyond gardening. For example, I was taught how to pick the right corn, how to process it, and, most importantly, how you use and prepare the seeds for the next season, and much more.. I had a wonderful time with the people there. We had many lively and instructive chats at dinner.
For me, there is not much to complain about, except that we did not really agree upon a time of work per day, one of the reasons being that there always much to do on a farm, of course, but that led to me working from morning to evening, sometimes.
Everyone was very easy about taking breaks, health was always put before work. However, that was not how I thought Wwoofing was meant to be. I just want to emphasize that you should always agree upon how much you work. All in all, I had a great time there and if you're serious about Wwoofing (if not, then why are you here?)
I can recommend Wwoofing at [Host] farm a lot.
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LYSA
France
•
July 2025
I stayed 3 weeks in July at Greg's farm. I did some fairly repetitive activities like weeding the squash and corn fields, feeding the chickens and watering the plants. Greg is a kind and passionate person despite the fact that he is quite impatient. (Sensitive people should refrain). Even though I was expecting more varied tasks, I appreciated that he took the other woofers and me to the cinema and the theater during the rainy weather. Also a shame that the site is not up to date.
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Monali
United Kingdom
•
July 2025
I spent 9 days at Forge Farm with Greg, and this was my first WWOOF-ing experience. It was certainly very fulfilling and exceeded my expectations. Greg went above and beyond to ensure I had a great time, be it with delicious dinners or letting us try other activities, such as fishing or taking us to the local cinema on a rainy evening. The work was mostly pulling out weeds, feeding the chicken and watering the plants; although it was a bit difficult to do it on hot summer days, it was a great learning experience that makes me want to try WWOOFing again. Thanks to the other two WWOOFers from France - Lysa & Bianca - my experience was more fun and memorable! Thank you, Greg, for being very accommodating and giving me a tree to take home and grow!
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Barry
United Kingdom
•
May 2025
I enjoyed an intense 2 weeks at Forge Farm from 9th to 23th May. I learnt a lot about planting, watering, replanting and recycling as we have planted all 10,000 sweet corns and squash across all 3 fields of the farm.
The room I stayed in also had a fire, and Greg taught me how to start the fire using a match stick, a firelighter, kindling and big chucks of wood.
There's one ginger cat and 11 chickens on the farm, The eggs were very fresh and I enjoyed feeding the chickens and collecting their eggs.
I also got to climb up the windmill tower which was very fun.
Hopefully future Woofies at the farm will enjoy their stay as much as I did!
Thanks Greg!
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