Garden Coordinator

Kennebec Estuary Land Trust

Opening posted: 11/20/2023 | Expires: 04/01/2024

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 31, 2023

Position Dates: April 1 – November 15. Part-time, seasonal role. Approximately 10 hours a week during the garden season. The ideal candidate would be able to spend a few hours in October – November 2023 under the mentorship of our current coordinator.

COMPENSATION: $20 per hour

SUPERVISOR: Kennebec Estuary Land Trust

Summary: The Garden Coordinator has two main objectives: to oversee the production and distribution of food produced in the LOCAL Garden, and to coordinate volunteer hours and educational events at LOCAL Garden in Bath in collaboration with KELT Community Engagement Manager. The position will largely be based out of the LOCAL garden in Bath, with some flexible hours during the year for planning garden plots and activities.

About the Garden: The LOCAL garden is in Bath, and stands for “Leading our Community in Agricultural Learning.” The garden is managed by the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, and has 42 raised beds that produce healthy food entirely donated back into the neighborhood to increase food security for families in Bath. The garden harvests get sent out to free local sharing tables, the food bank, and summer meals for kids and teens on a weekly basis in the summer months. The garden is a place for educational opportunities for kids ages 0-3 for Parent and Baby days in the garden, for students in elementary school for field trips in planting and harvesting, and to neighbors of all ages for volunteer hours in service of the community.

Gardening Duties:

Perform all tasks of planting and maintaining an edible garden to donate to our local neighbors, including: transplanting, seeding, thinning, weeding, fertilizing, pruning, harvesting, and pest management.
Plan what will be grown in the raised beds each season.
Keep an inventory existing garden equipment and materials

Facilitate the planting of crops alongside volunteers and service trips.
Harvest food for donation and educational purposes
Work with volunteers of all ages and abilities to care for the garden throughout the growing season. Communicate weekly with volunteers about weekly Tuesday volunteer hours (10 am – 12 noon) and coordinate volunteer projects for one-timers and regulars. Projects could include planting, weeding, mowing, harvesting, etc.
Communicate with KELT staff garden needs (equipment, materials) and scheduling for events and workdays
Bi-weekly updates on food production (by email)

Track: amount of food produced, number of garden volunteer hours, units of materials used during the season, number of hours coordinating garden activities (education and production)

Educational Duties:

Work with KELT staff to plan and facilitate educational opportunities:

Students visits, field trips, and volunteer work days (May & June; September & October)

Public events (SagMOFGA volunteer day, harvesting days, garden workshops,etc)

Work with KELT’s Executive Director to facilitate with food pantries and summer lunch programs to deliver food

NECESSARY SKILLS:

Have maintained at least two seasons of gardening or farm work in a personal or professional capacity.

Passion for horticulture, botany, environmental education, or seed-to-table movements a plus.
Be available in-person at the garden for weekly volunteer hours (currently Tuesdays from 10 am – noon, negotiable if necessary)
Driver’s license and reliable personal transportation
Willingness to work with people of all ages and experience level in the garden. A bonus if you have an interest in working with young children ages 0-12 for field trips and gatherings.
Ability to manage time and garden tasks independently.

Willingness to work in outdoor conditions (it’s a garden after all!)
Able to pass a background check to work with children.

TO APPLY:

Send a paragraph of interest and a resume to with the subject line Garden Coordinator Application. We will interview on a rolling basis, with the hopes of hiring our Garden Coordinator to overlap with our current coordinator who will be departing at the end of the garden season January 2024. We look forward to hearing from you!