Post by MikeH on Oct 31, 2013 4:40:01 GMT -5
Anybody using them?
This year Joyce and I used helpers for the first time. At first we were a bit tentative but the experience has been fantastic. We got projects done that required blocks of time that are never available to us. The first helper in May converted our orchard from a conventional orchard to a Michael Phillips holistic orchard. It was this project that got us thinking about helpers. We figured that maybe we could do a quarter of the orchard each year if we were lucky. It took him a month! Then we had a German helper who cleared out part of our woods and opened up a meadow for us and planted red maples, black cherry, serviceberry, chokecherry and butternuts into it. Our next helpers were an American couple from Oklahoma. They cut a new trail thorough an unopened part of our woods, planted trees, weeded and mulched the asparagus bed, etc. Our last helper was another German who scythed an expanded part of our meadow and planted red pines, white spruces, buartnuts, beach plum, Hristo's yellow cherry plums, aronia, red alder, and hawthorn. He also helped us expand our edible hedgerow and helped us prep our raised beds for winter. We were to have a last helper for the first 10 days of November but he cancelled for health reasons.
We found the experience level initially to be low but the enthusiasm and willingness to learn was high. Once a job was well explained, they always did a great job. For example, we didn't just say cut the dogwood flush with the ground or even a bit below with the sawzall. We explained that if a nub is left it will regenerate and the nub hurts to walk on or trips you up. With tree planting, we explained by doing and talking about why were doing it the way we were.
They always joined us for meals and were told that they were expected to help with the cleanup. After dinner, they had their area of the house and we had ours so we did feel we had to be "on" all the time. We had at least a week break between helpers so we could unwind a bit. Their weekends were free.
We had host listings at www.workaway.info, www.wwoof.ca/, and www.helpx.net/.
We plan to have helpers again next year.
This year Joyce and I used helpers for the first time. At first we were a bit tentative but the experience has been fantastic. We got projects done that required blocks of time that are never available to us. The first helper in May converted our orchard from a conventional orchard to a Michael Phillips holistic orchard. It was this project that got us thinking about helpers. We figured that maybe we could do a quarter of the orchard each year if we were lucky. It took him a month! Then we had a German helper who cleared out part of our woods and opened up a meadow for us and planted red maples, black cherry, serviceberry, chokecherry and butternuts into it. Our next helpers were an American couple from Oklahoma. They cut a new trail thorough an unopened part of our woods, planted trees, weeded and mulched the asparagus bed, etc. Our last helper was another German who scythed an expanded part of our meadow and planted red pines, white spruces, buartnuts, beach plum, Hristo's yellow cherry plums, aronia, red alder, and hawthorn. He also helped us expand our edible hedgerow and helped us prep our raised beds for winter. We were to have a last helper for the first 10 days of November but he cancelled for health reasons.
We found the experience level initially to be low but the enthusiasm and willingness to learn was high. Once a job was well explained, they always did a great job. For example, we didn't just say cut the dogwood flush with the ground or even a bit below with the sawzall. We explained that if a nub is left it will regenerate and the nub hurts to walk on or trips you up. With tree planting, we explained by doing and talking about why were doing it the way we were.
They always joined us for meals and were told that they were expected to help with the cleanup. After dinner, they had their area of the house and we had ours so we did feel we had to be "on" all the time. We had at least a week break between helpers so we could unwind a bit. Their weekends were free.
We had host listings at www.workaway.info, www.wwoof.ca/, and www.helpx.net/.
We plan to have helpers again next year.
