Charity Curry

A remote off-grid forest property in southwest OR seeking a homestead caretaker.  This position offers an opportunity to live (camp) in an 8’ x 16’ micro-cabin and small monthly stipend in exchange for about 12 hours/week help with homestead chores and maintenance.  Very limited amenities to be maintained and utilized include a gravity-fed water system providing piped water to cabins, a greenhouse, young orchard with berries and young fruit trees, a small solar battery charging set up, propane camp shower, laying poultry, and other basic tools (including a chainsaw and necessaries for firewood harvesting.)  Room for gardening and fun foraging.  The neighbors are National Forest and timber farms.  Should be in good physical shape; no drugs.  Ideal for someone (or a couple) wanting a homestead rural life.  Photos and more information available upon request.  A minimum of 1 year commitment requested, although can be flexible.  Please email caridademoz@hotmail.com for more information.

I'm just remote enough that I have few nearby options. The one high school age kid graduated and moved onto college. He was helpful with dog sitting and such when he was around. I'm just remote enough that it is tough to get help that comes out for the day. I know I'm not the only one; but doesn't make it easier. Part of the learning is just to break things down in small pieces and keep the momentum.

will keep looking.

I've seen a few threads about going it alone and the realities of being in a remote location alone. I've owned a beautiful piece of property on the Oregon coast for almost 5 years. I moved here nearly 2 years ago. It is amazing and I've enjoyed the privacy, remote area, and solitude more than I expected. But as has been noted so often in various threads, it is an incredible amount of work for one person. I also travel a bit for my job - which I still love, gives me tons of flexibility, and the income to continue to develop the property. The property wasn't completely raw, but it came fairly raw.

I've tried caretakers. Of 5 caretakers in the last 5 years, only 1 couple lasted. They stayed over 2 years. Everyone else has had serious issues of interest and reliability. The more you have, the more work and maintenance it takes to keep up and on top of it. I find it disruptive and draining to have all of this turnover and bring new people up to speed on how things work (it is off-grid . . . teaching people how to keep water, power, heat, and waste systems at a very minimum.) It might just be my introverted nature which also finds the turnover draining.

Anyone have other suggestions? I have 160 acres, a HUGE garden, an orchard, a 1 acre pasture, poultry, and lots of foraging. I keep thinking I will find a couple or small family interested in the lifestyle but unable to jump onto a place like this themselves who can help take it all forward and enjoy/benefit from the bounty. Most of the time I'm great. But I get days when I'm just overwhelmed and wonder about keeping it all up, as well as having time/energy to do the fun new projects I want (root cellar, citrus greenhouse, outdoor kitchen . . .)

Anyone else have to rely on some level of outside help? I have great neighbors, but they are great for borrowing tools, not ongoing extra set of hands.

I have 160 acre off-grid REMOTE paradise on the SW Oregon coast. I have lived there for a couple of years now myself and am continuing to slowly develop the homestead. It is mostly a forest/timber property, not a farm or market garden (too steep and too remote from potential markets.) The south facing, terraced garden area is about 5,000 square feet of growing area, slowly being put into production as able to manage. About an acre orchard area with young fruit trees and bushes is still being reclaimed from scrub trees and bushes, and new plantings. The blueberries were loaded this year. The first pears were harvested as well. There is also a large greenhouse where subtropicals and tropicals are growing, as well, as herbs. A propane shower, composting outhouse, solar battery charging station, and other infrastructure is developing and provides constant need for maintenance and iteration. I also have a duck flock for eggs. I've just increased the population with new stock and hope to even, possibly, have a few meat birds hatched out next year/season.

I live in an 8'x12' shed/micro-cabin. There is also an 8'x16' micro-cabin that I hope can be used by some 'help.' This is an opportunity to come and experience homesteading life. I've had a few caretakers in the recent past and have learned a bit. Lots of privacy, but I need help. This is an opportunity for someone (a couple? or young family) who would like to try the homesteading/backwoods life. There is cellphone service, so if someone came with a remote work arrangement for income, they could get internet arranged through cell data (which is what I do.) It is a lot to keep on top of, and I need to do some travel for my job (so I can continue to invest in the property and get it paid off; and I do enjoy my work, particularly when I get to come home to the wilderness life.) I can provide lots more information if someone is interested. Please email caridademoz@hotmail.com. Put 'caretaker' or 'homestead' in the subject line so I can find your email.

It is very rainy in the winter, but a fairly mild climate. Year round gardening (I've learned a lot), fun foraging, borders National Forest, tons of privacy, LOTS to do and learn about in terms of providing your own water, energy, garden, orchard, poultry, manage time and attitude, etc. This is a homestead, not a farm or market garden. This is a forest property, not a nice flat, cleared grassland. This is my home; so can't be someone who has absolutely no interest in being polite and neighborly. Reliable, good communicator, understands and wants to make hay while the sun shines, optimistic, self-reliant, attentive to details, self-motivated, adventurous . . . . I don't have time or energy to take care of other people. (now I've rambled)

I'm also reasonably new to the Oregon Coast, but quite a bit south from the other answers. I also don't live there year round (am looking for caretakers right now.) It is 5 miles as the crow flies from the coast itself and up at between 1400-1800 ft elevation. The entire property is beautifully southfacing. We benefit from the ocean effect in that it rarely gets that cold (any snow melts reasonably quickly and we don't get really hard freezes; I'm from east of the cascades, so it is all relative.) But we are also above the fog line, so get beautifully hot Augusts (though nights always cool down.) January can be 70 degrees and sunny or cloudy and drizzly.

The previous owner had a vegetable and egg business, into Brookings, right at the California border and about 20 or so miles south. I have olives planted and have seen citrus fruiting, large in the ground citrus, in Brookings. There is a 30+ foot fig tree in a neighbors cattle pasture!

While our last frost free date is probably fairly early (can't quite believe anything published because the nearest weather stations are in the towns at sea levels), it still doesn't make sense to put out heat loving seeds/plants without something like 'quick hoops' because the nights cool down so much. I'm thinking of building a tall earthbag wall into the fence at the north side of the garden as a micro-climate for citrus.

anyway best of luck further up the coast!

We are looking for UNPAID caretaker(s) for our beautiful and remote acre off-grid forest property on the Oregon Coast. We have had a lovely and hardworking couple for the past 1.5 years who are unable to continue. They have invested a lot of sweat in reviving the vegetable garden and greenhouse (previous owners had a vegetable and egg business in Brookings, OR), digging out and developing the young orchard (now with raspberries, varieties of gooseberries, cherries, plums, wild huckleberries and elderberries, figs, and much more), maintaining the gravity powered water system, taking care of a small flock of poultry which includes laying hens, and keeping the place occupied (with hunters and other trespassers out.)

It is steep (largely south and west facing) with lots of walking (must be in good shape.) The main roads have been improved greatly. It is a 10 mile drive from the highway on graveled county and forest service roads.

There is piped water to the main areas of the homestead, a compost outhouse, and lovely outdoor (covered) propane hot water shower. It is camping with amenities. It is near to fantastic hunting and fishing (20 miles to the mouth of the Rogue River), ocean views, and borders national forest. Fantastic mushrooming in the winter; huckleberries are on now. There is no electricity. There is a small solar set up where I typically charge my phone and laptop when I am able to be around; though I also have a small gas generator for use in the winter when the rain blocks the sun. Verizon covers the mountain with cell service (I use a USB modem for internet.)

There are basic tools for basic required maintenance projects and firewood (chainsaw, woodchipper, a few power tools run off the generator, etc.). This is unpaid. Just a place to camp out in exchange for maintaining the basic infrastructure and keeping it occupied (and feeding the chickens.) Ideally the person(s) should have their own means of transport and savings or income. We are really sorry to have the couple leave that have been with the place the last nearly 2 years, but health requires them to move off the mountain. We would require a background check before finalizing an agreement. It isn’t an easy place to live, but could be a wonderful adventure for the right person(s). It might snow a few times in the winter, but doesn't get very cold. There are two micro-cabins, one for us, the owners, and one for the caretakers. The previous caretakers might need a couple of months to vacate. A temporary caretaker with a small RV or other means of camping would be preferred until longer term lodging can be offered; though we prefer a longer-term arrangement. My family actually typically sleep/camp in the end of the greenhouse when they come to visit and help with property projects.

The posting is available on - http://www.caretaker-jobs.com/search_detail_jobs.cfm?CFID=49167556&CFTOKEN=8473748&ID=45757.

I have lots of photos and absolutely love the place. We live and work in Washington State while the property is slowly developed, so aren't there as often as we would like. We have had the place almost 3 years and appreciate having responsible hands onsite to keep things maintained and helping with projects like the young orchard, improving the veg garden, and keeping water off the roads.

I am sure I will need to post this in the construction area as well, but I need to build a new/improved fence around my garden - the deer and elk have ravaged it. It is steep and has four vegetable garden terraces excavated out (not retaining walls, just cut into the hillside.) Based on various local recommendations, I'm thinking of harvesting douglas fir poles around the property for the fence posts - to have a minimum 9 ft fence height. (the fence circumference will end up about 640 ft.)

Along the north fenceline though, which is conveniently the uphill side of the beautifully southfacing slope, I might need to actually figure out how to make the fence 12ft high - to account for the slope (the deer can jump straight and probably clear a 6 ft fence.) Given all that I've read about the ability to grow certain fruits against warm southfacing walls, I am considering buiding possibly a 30-40 ft section of that as wall, instead of fence. The property is within 5 miles of the Pacific Ocean (though nearly 1800 ft elevation) and it is in the banana belt of Oregon, which means I've seen citrus growing in protected locations in yards along the coast. I would love to be able to build a south-facing wall and try some citrus. (I have olives up in the orchard area - and have since learned that deer and elk LOVE young olive trees; those will probably not recover well and will need to be replaced. The animals have left the figs alone though; and I came across a 30ft fig tree in a neighbor's cow pasture a few weeks ago!)

So - any experience building a purpose built garden wall? I was thinking of using earthbag construction to build the wall to keep costs down. Will it absorb and retain the heat well? I'm sure building a 12ft wall will pose construction problems, but am looking for experience from the production/garden side of things before committing to a wall. Other suggested construction that I should consider? Cost and effort are considerations; but I want to install something that works and will be there for the long haul.

Thanks!