Carolyn “Lindy” Dewey bought her 10 acres of wooded paradise near Whitefish five years ago as a place where she could grow an organic garden.

Her idea was to create a small farm, in part to raise healthy food for herself and her 37-year-old son with Down Syndrome. As a longtime healing-arts practitioner, the serene environment was exactly what she’d been looking for.

One thing has led to another over those five years, and Dewey now operates SpiritWorks Herb Farm with an internship program for people wanting to learn about organic farming.

She recently received a conditional-use permit from the Flathead County Board of Adjustment that will enable her to eventually create a broader educational and retreat center, once she meets the conditions of the permit.

Dewey, who has a master’s degree in therapeutic recreation, said her plan of living the life of a reclusive farmer was altered at the end of the second growing season when her mother died.

“I took my emotional difficulties to the dirt,” she recalled about the therapeutic effect of gardening.

Dewey also remembers feeling a calling — “I heard a voice,” she said — telling her that it was time to begin healing others. She balked at the idea at first.

“I was a plant person, not a people person,” she insisted. “I had cut myself off from the human race.”

She took the next step forward by networking with guidance counselors at schools across the country that had sustainable agriculture or herbal curricula. Dewey put the word out for interns to help grow dozens of herb varieties and other crops, and welcomed her first interns in 2013.

The internship program wasn’t a bed of roses initially.

“Of the first 12 interns, I sent seven away,” she said. “They were teaching me what I wanted to deal with and what I didn’t want to deal with. I realized I was going to be growing people.”

She found it necessary to quickly develop a set of standards that help interns navigate their time at the herb farm.

“It’s been a discovery process for me. These standards are key,” Dewey said as she observed various young interns weeding and tending to garden plots.

She encourages each intern to complete a “leave behind” project that becomes part of the farming environment. Such projects have included a chicken coop, a fire circle and a stone wall.

The 10-acre farm has become fertile ground for growing both plants and ideas. Last year several terraces with raspberries, goji berries, garlic, shallots, fruit trees and 1,000 strawberry plants were added.

Dewey and her interns also created a circular mandala herb garden and established a grape arbor and herb nursery.

Years ago she was inspired by a speaker at a Montana Organic Association conference in Kalispell who urged small farmers to develop health spas and other opportunities to connect people with nature and the land.

“He planted the seed of needing to welcome people,” Dewey said.

Ongoing projects include exploring permaculture concepts of crop diversity, soil building, composting and no-till soil preparation.

“Our goals are to maximize productivity on this land and build health with our lifestyle choices,” Dewey said.

Chickens and bee hives have been added as part of the quest to learn skills for homesteading and survival.

A three-story bunkhouse built largely from recycled wood and fixtures is nearly completed, and once Dewey meets requirements such as widening the access road and securing additional road easement, she will be able to go operational with an expanded program.

“I hope to meet all of the qualifications by the end of September,” Dewey said. “Then we will offer classes in healing arts and herbs, and farming practices.”

Income from the farm is coming in from several sources. Dewey sells produce at local farmers markets. She sells fresh herbs to restaurants and various outlets.

All of the previous paths in Dewey’s life have wound their way toward the development of her herb farm and healing arts center, giving her the varied skills she’s using at SpiritWorks Herb Farm.

A native of Vermont, she has gardened most of her life in northern New England.

Early in her career she was a recreation therapist with a community hospital in New Hampshire. In graduate school, she led a youth program with activities such as spelunking.

Dewey ran the financial end of her husband’s construction business for a time. She has done consulting work for medical practices needing business management expertise, and since 1993 she has been a healing-arts practitioner with craniosacral and polarity therapies.

At SpiritWorks Herb Farm, Dewey has found a comfortable stride in life.

“Everything has come together in the last several months,” she said.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.