We are looking to hire a gardener to serve all of our campuses beginning Mid March 2026
Required qualifications
Demonstrated gardening or small-scale farming experience across seasons.
Comfortable planning and executing production in protected culture (high tunnels/greenhouses) and outdoors.
Strong organization: can build checklists, routines, and systems others can follow.
Comfort working outdoors in all weather; physically able to lift, bend, carry, and dig.
Positive communicator who can lead helpers (students/teachers/volunteers) kindly and clearly.
Preferred qualifications
Experience in educational settings or youth programs.
Familiarity with permaculture/food forest management.
Basic irrigation and light construction skills.
Experience with cut flowers and/or plant start sales.
Experience tracking yield and basic farm finances.
Gardener Role summary
We’re hiring a School Gardener to develop and maintain productive, beautiful growing spaces across our campuses. This person will lead day-to-day garden operations for high tunnels and greenhouses, planters, raised beds, in-ground rows, vegetable and flower gardens, and the food forest—while building systems that make the work sustainable with students, teachers, and volunteers.
A core goal of this role is to increase harvest quality and consistency so that, over time, production can break even with the costs of materials and labor (through sales, CSA-style offerings, farm stand, school kitchen use, plant starts, flowers, workshops, etc.
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Seasonal rhythm with peak periods (spring planting, summer maintenance/harvest, fall production, winter planning)
Regular weekly schedule with occasional early mornings or special events as needed.
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Create and maintain a seasonal growing plan for vegetables, flowers, herbs, and perennial systems.
Plan crop rotations, successions, and planting schedules for:
High tunnels and greenhouses
Raised beds/planters
In-ground rows
Food forest / perennial polycultures
Start seeds/propagate plants and manage transplants.
Track varieties, dates, yields, and notes for continuous improvement.
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Maintain tunnel/greenhouse structures for safety and longevity (plastic, hardware, ventilation, irrigation). Make repairs when necessary.
Keep interiors weeded and organized; manage soil health and bed prep.
Build and maintain systems: irrigation, trellising, shade cloth, frost protection.
Create standard operating procedures (SOPs) so others can help effectively.
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Build soil through compost, mulch, cover crops, and amendments as needed.
Implement efficient watering plans and ensure systems are reliable.
Manage pathways, weed pressure, and erosion in high-use student areas.
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Maintain and expand the food forest: trees, shrubs, vines, guilds, and understory.
Manage pruning, mulching, watering, and protection from pests/wildlife.
Establish signage/learning features and simple maintenance routines for shared stewardship.
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Set harvest standards for quality and timing; reduce losses and waste.
Organize washing, packing, storage, and distribution systems.
Help create a simple sales/use plan (choose what fits our school):
Farm stand / pop-up market
CSA shares
Bouquet sales (flowers)
Plant starts (spring)
School kitchen/cafeteria integration
Community partnerships/donations with tracking
Track basic farm economics: inputs, labor time, yields, revenue and value used by the school in collaboration with school leadership.
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Provide direction to teachers and volunteers during work blocks.
Maintain a safe, welcoming, organized workspace that supports learning.
Facilitate the teachers ability to coordinate student involvement safely and meaningfully.
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Maintain beds, rows, planters, paths, and common areas (clean, safe, attractive).
Keep tools organized and in working order; maintain a clear inventory list.
Monitor pests/disease and manage using integrated pest management (IPM).
