ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION   

Edible Schoolyard NYC (ESYNYC) believes that all New York City students deserve access to an edible education — hands-on gardening and cooking classes as well as family and community engagement activities - that connect students to food, their communities and inspire them to create change in the world around them. We do this by partnering with NYC public schools to lead classes with their students and school community; supporting educators to implement food education in their classrooms; and advocating for long-term, sustainable changes for a better future for New York City. In the 2021-22 school year, we served 3,500 NYC public school students at our direct service sites in Brooklyn, Upper Manhattan, and the Bronx and over 200 educators through professional development, who in turn reached thousands more students. 

Gardens:

ESYNYC’s school gardens are located in Harlem, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. The gardens vary in size and grow a wide range of vegetable crops, perennials and annual flowers.  

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

The Seasonal Gardener is an essential part of the summer garden team at Edible Schoolyard NYC. Their responsibilities include working independently on tasks developed in collaboration with the Director of Horticulture and Operations and the Assistant Garden Manager to ensure that the garden is productive, tidy and supports organizational needs. Effective communication is a critical component of this role as the Seasonal Gardener will communicate regularly across the School Programs team to coordinate garden tasks, harvests, and use of shared spaces. The Seasonal Gardener should have strong organizational skills and a task-oriented mindset.  

• All aspects of vegetable gardening, including seed-starting, planting, watering, harvesting, weeding, trellising, and pest management.
• Supporting native plants and annual flowers throughout the season
• Maintain paths and meeting areas, remove litter from gardens, keep storage areas in good condition, and report any supplies and repairs needed to the Director of Horticulture and Operations.
• Perform summer cleaning on the toolshed, greenhouse, and other shared areas.
• Prepare the garden for community events and activities as needed. 

Qualifications:

• At least one year of gardening and/or landscaping experience is required or completion of a garden training program. 
• A personal interest in urban farming/gardening and a willingness to learn is a plus.  
• The Seasonal Gardener is expected to be on time, task-oriented, and able to work independently. 
• The Seasonal Gardener must be fingerprinted and pass a background check with the Department of Education. 
• Comfortable working around children in garden spaces.
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment that requires flexibility and interact with volunteers, staff, and community members. 
• The Seasonal Gardener will be expected to travel to other sites on an as-needed basis.  

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS 

• Vaccination for COVID-19 required 

• Ability to stand, reach, and bend. Mobility of arms to reach, dexterity of hands to grasp and manipulate large and small objects. 
• Ability to stand for long periods. 
• Ability to lift, push and/or pull objects, which may be approximately 50 pounds.
• Willingness to work outdoors under all weather conditions. 
• Ability to travel between sites.