Gardener at Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado

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Gardener at Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado

Deadline for full consideration: February 11th, 2017

See full posting and application at: https://www.shambhalamountain.org/job/gardener/

Shambhala Mountain Center is a 600-acre meditation retreat center in Red Feather Lakes, CO. This is an opportunity to live and work in a community aspiring toward mindfulness, sustainability and ecological integrity.

The Gardener reports to the Land Steward and is responsible for the planning and sustainable management of Shambhala Mountain Center’s ½-acre organic garden and 1250 sq. ft. geodesic dome greenhouse. As all food grown in the garden feeds participants and staff, the Gardener is responsible for maintaining high productivity, from vegetable production through compost.

Because the SMC garden is an important tool for connecting staff and participants with food and our land, the Gardener serves as an accessible resource for sustainability and education. In addition to managing the garden, the Gardener supervises summer volunteers and may assist the Land Steward in sustainably managing SMC’s land through projects relating to forests, natural areas, gardens, and trails.

Position Responsibilities:

• Plan crops with an emphasis on short season, high-altitude, high-yield crops.
• Manage all aspects of garden, including soil preparation, planting, integrated pest management, weeding, and harvest.
• Maintain records of planting schedules, crop rotations, best yielding varieties, and yields.
• Manage proper seed saving of best yielding varieties for future planting.
• Install and maintain irrigation systems.
• Provide four-season greenhouse management.
• Manage and improve on-land composting system.
• Manage garden budget and supply purchases.
• Maintain, care for, and organize garden tools and equipment.
• Coordinate with kitchen staff to integrate garden produce with kitchen orders and planned menus to avoid produce waste.
• Train, supervise, and educate summer volunteers.
• Develop the garden and greenhouse as aesthetically pleasing spaces for visitors.
• Lead tours for participants and guests as requested.
• Assist with land stewardship related outreach and education.
• Lead seasonal land crew projects.
• Assist with landscape planning and management.
• Assist with snow removal, noxious weed management, forestry, trail work, and fire mitigation.

Helpful skills and experience:

• At least one season of work experience on a production-level vegetable farm or CSA; management experience preferred.
• A strong understanding of high altitude farming and gardening.
• A strong understanding of integrated pest management techniques.
• Knowledge of organic production, permaculture, and other sustainable gardening traditions.
• Understanding of seed saving and vegetable breeding.
• Experience in managing a large composting system.
• Supervisory and/or crew leader experience.
• Experience with tractor, power tools, and manual transmission operation.
• Capable of physical labor in variable weather conditions at 8,000 feet elevation.
• Proficiency in plant identification, particularly Colorado native plants.
• Hands-on experience in forestry, landscaping, trail work and/or noxious weed management.
• Experience with ArcGIS, GPS, and Microsoft Office.

Benefits:

• Base pay of $9.30 per hour based on a 30 hour work week
• Three meals a day, seven days a week
• A low-cost housing and meal plan (required for on-land living)
• 18 paid personal days per year (combination of vacation and sick days)
• An additional 15 paid program days per year for retreat/program participation
• Solitary retreat time in our retreat cabins on the land
• Biannual paid staff retreat
• Private living spaces (or a private room in a shared cabin)
• The opportunity to enroll in dental insurance
• Guest Nights for friends and family to stay at Shambhala Mountain Center at a discounted rate
• Classes, events, and retreats offered only to Shambhala Mountain Center community members
• The opportunity to take most programs at Shambhala Mountain Center at no cost
• Access to Meditation Instructors

To Apply for the Gardener at Shambhala Mountain Center:

Online Staff Application