Florida Homestead Botanical Gardens

Mission: Our efforts consist of practicing simple living, developing a close, harmonious relationship with the Earth and the cultivation and preservation of rare, threatened and endangered edible and medicinal plants, vegetables and seeds.

From www.ic.org/directory/florida-homestead-botanical-gardens/:

"They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. We've got to get ourselves back to the garden." ~Joni Mitchell

"In the past 70 years, 94% of the plants, vegetables and seeds we eat for food have become extinct. We have lost, and are now loosing, more plants, fish, birds and animals than in all other extinction events combined. We have entered the Anthropocene."

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Florida Homestead and Botanical Gardens is a private, off-grid, self-sustaining, 6 acre forest homestead community located in central Florida.

We are looking for established and enthusiastic Earth workers, who have a background in "back to lander" agriculture and have the "soul" desire to live simply and dedicate their lives to the preservation of rare and endangered plant species, practice ecological Earth based stewardship and live a non-consumer, carbon negative, communal lifestyle.

We are not a production farm, a CSA or a co-op. We are a private homestead that maintains gardens of rare and endangered plant species that need to be continually cultivated in order to survive. They are not sold, but simply maintained and protected. We do not accept visitors and are not open to the public.

We are a closed loop, self-sufficient, ecotopian, homestead community where virtually every aspect of modern life is holistically reexamined.

Interns will be engaged in maintaining the gardens, chickens, tilapia aquaculture systems, bee keeping, clearing new gardens, chopping wood, turning compost, mulching, weeding, green house maintenance, planting, grafting, gardening by moon phase, propagating and seed saving and to see first hand how it all functions in a self-sustaining, closed loop system.

We grow our own food, generate our own power, reuse waste water, make our own compost, potting soil and make, fix or repair most everything we need. There is no pay or stipend, but there is also no need for money here.

All lodging, meals, toiletries, utilities, laundry and wifi are provided. Periodically, long term interns will participate in plant shows or farmers markets and sell plants, soap, vegetables or art work if they need to generate additional income.

While here, interns will build and maintain: off-grid solar systems, mirco power grids, passive solar hot water heaters, 12 volt water systems, wind generator turbines, cisterns, wells, rainwater catchment systems, aquaculture systems, grey water systems, water filtration systems, irrigation systems and on site weather stations. A background or understanding of these systems is A+.

On the domestic side, interns are required to help with dishes, laundry, making meals, canning, fermenting, bread making, long term food preservation and general housekeeping.

This is Florida. The summers are hot and humid, we sweat and work the Earth. Maintaining clean and tidy living quarters and daily personal hygiene is required and mandatory.

We put high emphasis on re-skilling. We have a blacksmith shop, a home based foundry, a wood working shop, a welding and metal shop, an art studio, a fiber arts studio and a full service automotive and small engine repair shop complete with tools, a pit and lift.

Interns will learn blacksmithing, wood working, fiber arts, welding, plumbing, construction, tile and drywall, electrical and engine diagnosis and repair. Being "mechanically inclined", having a understanding of construction and basic hand and power tools is A+.

We also make our own medicinal soaps, salves, tinctures and practice holistic medicine. Having knowledge of medicinal plants is A+.

We also have a number of looms, spinning wheels and treadle sewing machines. Interns are encouraged to build their own tri-looms, weave shawls, do art and make their own clothes from recycled materials. Being artistic and having a background in fiber arts and knowing how to use a sewing machine is A+.

Computers, video games, televisions, radios and ear buds are prohibited. Cell phone use is limited to personal communication and research only. It is important to understand the environmental, health and societal impact of these kinds of devices.

We do have wifi and decent cell service here. We also have a video CD player and have weekly "popcorn and movie nights" consisting of documentaries on Earth climate issues, pollution, organic farming and simple living.

We have two "clean" shelters for interns. A primitive guest cabin for short timers and an intern apartment that has a full bathroom, shower, wood stove, fireplace and kitchen. We also have two RV sites with hookups and a full outdoor kitchen with fire pit.

This is a "farmily" setting and a private residence. We only accept happy, peaceful, loving, harmonious people that want to live and learn in a quiet, forest based, communal setting.

If you are indeed longing to reintegrate with the Web of Life. If you understand the importance of a non-consumer, self-reliant, zero waste lifestyle. If you have a longing to unplug from the material matrix, move to a forest, grow your own food, cultivate rare and endangered plants, be artistic and live a quiet, peaceful, harmonious, ecotopian, communal forest lifestyle with like-minded people, then, and with mettā, Ewha has heard you... Welcome home!

A service of the Data Commons Co-op. The project has been supported by Equal Exchange, the Cooperative Charitable Trust, the USDA, and many others - thank you! Tech volunteers over the years include: Benjamin Bradley with support from GAIA Host. Ben Mauer with support from Quilted. Paul Fitzpatrick. Ronin Tech Collective, Brattleboro Tech Collective, Sligo Computer Services. Jason Lemieux. Default map tiles courtesy of MapQuest. Default map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA.