Saturday, March 3, 2012

Looking for a New Garden Coordinator

Tracy and I are going to be farming a 1/4 acre incubator plot with the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project in Lowell this season.  As a result, we won't have the time to run the 200 Foot Garden this year.  We're actively searching for a new garden coordinator.  (Just to be clear--there's no pay--the whole garden operates on a volunteer basis.)

The coordinator would:

  • decide what gets planted
  • buy seeds/seedlings or arrange volunteers to grow seedlings
  • lay out the planting plan (in terms of placement and timing)
  • deal with fertility issues (order compost or get bagged fertilizer)
  • set up planting and work days (for watering and weeding)
  • communicate with volunteers for the planting and watering schedule
  • oversee the signage
  • update the blog  (VERY easy)
  • communicate with the management company that owns the property.
This sounds like a lot, but it's not super complicated because the garden is small and quite self-contained.  In the past, we've ordered a couple yards of compost, but it might be all right without that this year, just put in some bags of composted manure.  The planting is usually done over only a few short sessions.  (Lots of hands make it go quickly.)   The signs are already up, though some will needed updating. 

The position doesn't require a huge amount of gardening experience--just someone who is energetic, organized, and a good people person.

Having done this for the past three years, I can say it's a tremendously rewarding project.  I'm going to miss it.  I've done a lot of work that generates public feedback (I'm a playwright for my day job), and I have to say this is one of the projects that comes with the most positive response.  Every day we work in the garden, people come up and tell us how grateful they are for the garden, not just for the vegetables to eat (though they do like to eat them), but also for its beauty and for the way it adds a bit of vitality to the neighborhood. 

If you're interested, I hope you'll send me an e-mail at  If you know someone who might be a good fit, I hope you'll pass along the info.