Garden Intern Wanted: The Edible Schoolyard in Berkley, CA

Posted on September 22, 2009 by in Food Systems, Gardening, Internships, Local Food, Urban Farming and Gardening // 0 Comments

Garden Intern Wanted at the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, Ca. About the Edible Schoolyard The Edible Schoolyard (ESY) is a hands-on educational program at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, CA, where students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade tend a school garden, plant and harvest vegetables, and prepare and eat seasonal dishes in a kitchen classroom. ESY is not an elective; all students in the school attend classes in the kitchen and garden with their humanities, math, and science teachers. Since 1995, over 3,000 students have graduated from King School and the ESY program. ESY is a program of the Chez Panisse Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Alice Waters in 1995. The Foundation develops and supports programs in public schools that use food to educate, nurture, and empower youth. The ESY Garden Internship Overview The garden intern will spend ten weeks in the Edible Schoolyard garden refining his/her garden management skills. The ESY garden staff will mentor and train the garden intern to work independently, as well as together, with ESY staff and volunteer crews. This garden internship is not a teaching position. We are seeking an energetic individual with at least one year of gardening experience and a strong desire to learn more.

Essential Job Duties

Share in the responsibility of caring for the garden with ESY staff
Assist with vegetable crop production, fruit tree care, and ornamental landscaping
Assist with propagation and greenhouse tasks
Assist with the maintenance of soil fertility: composting, crop rotation, garden planning, harvesting, pruning, weeding, irrigation, and pest and disease management
Assist with small-scale chicken husbandry
Assist in the maintenance of garden facilities and equipment: tool shed, chicken coop, greenhouse, lawn mower, weed whacker, rototiller, and all hand tools

Additional Qualifications