Family home and garden - rural, Homestead, Eco Retreat, Woodlot
Västra Götaland
The farm is situated around 45 minutes northeast from Gothenburg in a beautiful woodland area. We moved to our homestead from Austria in 2018 and have been developing it since: planting a vegetable garden, building a root cellar, a larger greenhouse and turning the existing monoculture forest into a more biodiverse deciduous and coniferous forest. We have at the moment a young dog but no other animals. We look forward to expanding this part of our homestead. Our aim is to develop a sustainable Permaculture and to live as self-sufficiently as possible, generating our own water, heating source (currently wood) and energy and waste water management. On our homestead we presently have a barn and 2 houses, one where you would stay. There are individual bedrooms in the guest house and a kitchen and living room with log burner, as well as bathroom and laundry facilities. Internet is available. This gives you a bit of privacy and the freedom to sometimes prepare your own meals, if you prefer, but we also love to eat and come together every day and discover everyone’s culinary traditions.
Our homestead surrounds a large lake where you can swim, fish or canoe. The nearest village is 8km away and provides the usual stores, banks, a library, medical center, restaurants and a railway station with direct link to Gothenburg, one of Sweden’s cultural cities.
We are looking for wwoofers to join us for a three weeks or longer. Every day here is a little different, depending on the seasons and weather so the work can be varied and we are looking for people who are happy to get involved. It can range from forestry work (planting trees, clearing undergrowth, making woodchips to build up soil fertility); fencing and dry stone walling; gardening work (vegetable planting, harvesting, weeding, making compost, cutting grass, working on our potato field); mushroom and blueberry harvesting; jam and sourdough bread making; and looking after the house you are staying in. We welcome people with any skill and experience level and look forward to teaching you about ecological forestry, permaculture and self-sufficiency.
About us:
Anna and Gerhard are in their early 60s and have 3 adult daughters, the eldest of which (Julia) is an artist who lives on the homestead where she has her ceramics studio. Anna is a life-coach and personal development trainer, working most of her time on the computer with customers all over Europe. She grew up in the northern part of Italy (Alto Adige) before moving to Vienna, Austria, where she and Gerhard met and raised their daughters. Gerhard is a former head of a university department for sustainable architecture in Austria, working many years on ecological buildings and construction and during the last decade he developed and sold a software for building documentation. We are a multi-cultural family, love to meet people from all over the world and are passionate about the environment, climate change action and self-sufficiency.
Future projects:
We have a mix of small and large projects in the planning. The big projects will be executed in phases, e.g. the construction of a straw-bale barn starting with the foundations, cutting down the timbers for the barn from the woods, milling them, building the timber frame, constructing the straw-bale walls, building and planting the green roof. Smaller projects include, for example, furniture making and joinery work, building a chicken coop, painting timber cladding and chopping wood. We are also just at the beginning of developing a Japanese garden on part of the property with a little lake and brook.
Organic methods: Mulching, Permacultur, biological pest control, composting
Certifications: we are not certified
Current projects:
This year (2026), we plan to create several terraced garden beds and hope to establish a good irrigation system for them. In July 2026, a very special event will take place here – the wedding of one of my daughters. We are expecting many
guests, and this year we’ll be focusing more on flowers than on vegetables. As in any season at our homestead, there is always lot’s to do and to learn on our land, and we welcome helping hands ahead of the joyful wedding occasion. Additionally, work on constructing our own hall for machinery and workshops will continue LATER in 2026.
Internet access available
Read more
Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Forestry
Wild foraging
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Bakery
Traditional crafts
Green Building
Food justice / sovereignty
Mechanics / tools / technology
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
12.7
Hectares
|
31.4
Acres
Gerhard
Member since 2021
Languages spoken:
English, German, Italian, Swedish
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 1 day
Västra Götaland
Airport: Landvetter Airport (Gothenburg), Train-/Bus-Station: Bollebygd
Reviews
Natascha
Austria
•
May 2026
It was my first wwoof experience and already from the beginning there had always been clear communication by Gerhard, not only in terms of breaks and to dos but also of keeping me updated beforehand. He wanted to make sure I know what I'm signing up for, which was e.g. raising flowers for the first time as well as constructions for the upcoming wedding :) The whole family was very welcoming, I had my own room in a seperate very beautiful and cozy house shared with another wwoofer and their eldest daughter. There was a rota for cooking, which I enjoyed a lot as well as working with wood - getting it from the forest, learning how to use the splitting machine and piling it up for drying. And I loved Zio, their dog, of course!
I'm grateful that, when I had to shorten the trip on short notice because of a nasty cold letting me feel weak and tired for several days (as well as loosing my voice), the whole family was understanding and it was a very warm-hearted farewell :)
Thank you again for everything and all the best to you!
Read more
Enorine
France
•
May 2026
I truly loved the three weeks I spent at Gerhard and Anna’s place! The garden tasks were varied and enjoyable: splitting logs and moving wood, planting potatoes, painting a shelter, repairing a fence, and taking care of the flowers every day.
On the weekends, I really enjoyed going for walks around the area and admiring the stunning nature. It was such a beautiful place to explore!
Gerhard, Anna and Julia are wonderful, inspiring people who know so many things. We shared great conversations! I’m very grateful for all the beautiful moments we shared.
Thank you again, Gérard Anna Julia and of course Zio !
Read more
Scott
Netherlands
•
April 2026
Had a great time staying with Gerhard and his family at their beautiful property. Thank you again for the whole experience.
During the whole stay Gerhard was polite, respectful, thoughtful and above all patient when working together. I learned and experienced so much while being there it is too much to all write down here.
What I liked most about my stay there is how open Gerhard was in learning from me whenever I had something to share. It truly felt like a collaboration and not at all as a job. This made it so that we had many great conversations together. I would recommend staying at his homestead to everyone who is considering it!
Read more
Susie
France
•
December 2025
I spent the whole month of Novembre at Anna and Gerhard homestead.
The tasks were very varied : building a gardeshed, chopping firewood, raking died leaves, harvesting and cooking the kale. And of course walking with Tio their lovely dog.
We also took turns cooking for each other, which was great for discovering new dishes and sharing good times over meals.
In your free time, you can make lots of walks around the lakes, visit Gothenburg, and if you're not afraid about cold water try the Scandinavian morning swimming.
Gerhard knows a lot about woodwork and has never ending project ideas. Anna is very cheerful and always makes sure we're doing well.
They're very welcoming people, I never felt homesick !
Read more
Semjon
Switzerland
•
November 2025
Ein toller Hof! Es gibt viele Möglichkeiten von den Hosts zu lernen, sie teilen gerne und grosszügig ihre Erfahrungen. Gerhard weiss sehr viel, vor Allem über Wald und Baum. Unsere Arbeit bestand zum grossen Teil aus Holzarbeit, wie das Bauen einiger Hochbeete. Dazu kam mehrmals in der Woche das Kochen für alle Anwesenden, eine Herausforderung, aber auch Erfahrung.
Dieser Hof ist für "Wwoof-Anfänger*innen" sicher super geeignet, weil hier das System gekannt und geschätzt wird.
Read more
Ariel
Sweden
•
October 2025
I'm so happy I did my first ever WWOOF here! I was really nervous but Gerhard and his family made me feel completely at home quickly. Before I agreed to go, we had a conversation where the expectations of the schedule were laid out, which gave me a lot of peace of mind. It was obvious to me the entire time that my experience was important to Gerhard and Anna, I felt cared for and respected. I am thankful they let me be a part of the story of their beautiful home!
Read more
