Garden Steward (Per Diem) - Ohana

Welcome to Montage Health’s application process!

Job Description:

Position Summary

The Garden Steward will oversee the daily growth and management of the Ohana Garden and will work with Ohana staff to create and implement therapeutic garden programming for Ohana patients and stakeholders. The garden will be a site for daily engagement and activity for youth in the Ohana community, with the thoughtful oversight of the Garden Steward. As such, the Garden Steward will wear two hats - as a hands-on laborer to ensure the garden thrives, and as an administrative educator who utilizes the garden as a resource to support the therapeutic work of Ohana’s patients. Because the Garden Steward will be the only Ohana staff member with this unique set of responsibilities, s/he must be comfortable working independently with little direction, utilizing their own initiative and motivation to develop a robust garden operation.

Responsibilities:

• Plant Management & Garden Maintenance:
  • Management of approximately 850 square feet of garden space across seven raised beds at Ohana
  • Maintain a master crop list, including edible and non-edible plants, with continuing research and refinement of garden plantings
  • Oversee the garden layout, detailing positioning of plants in raised beds, in-ground beds, and containers, with an eye for continual refreshment and rotation as needed
  • Create and maintain a 12-month planting schedule, for a year-round variety of plants
  • Manage the daily health of the plants to ensure a thriving garden at all times, including planting, watering, fertilizing, weeding, pruning, deadheading, and removing.
  • Use sustainable and organic practices to prevent and manage pest damage
• Programming:
  • Work with Ohana staff to develop a year-round calendar of garden-based activities for patients and their families, as well as staff and other Ohana stakeholders
  • Oversee the implementation of garden-related programming, including:
  • Work closely w/ clinical staff to design programs
  • Lead or co-lead programs with patients on a daily or weekly basis
  • Create a wide range of garden activities that are appropriate for Ohana patients (e.g., planting, maintaining, harvesting crops; working with cafeteria staff to incorporate harvest into meals; incorporating edible flowers where possible, etc.)
  • Identify and support experiential garden-related opportunities for Ohana patients (e.g., mindfulness/meditation, aromatherapy, journaling, growth observation & charting, butterfly documentation, drawing/painting/sketching and creation of garden-inspired art, horticultural education, and sensory experiences including taste / smell / touch / hear)
• Infrastructure:
  • Identify opportunities for hardscape improvements and additions
  • Ensure all support systems are in place and in working order to support the garden (e.g., water, etc.)
• Planning & Development: 
  • Identify opportunities for future growth and development of the Ohana garden
  • Collaborate with Montage Health’s Engineering and Grounds keeping staff
• Staff & Volunteer Management:
  • Oversee garden volunteers to maximize effectiveness and efficiency
  • Incorporate Ohana staff as needed  
• Contractor Management:
  • Oversee all relationships with garden contractors, including research and comparison for best values
  • Maintain master list of contractors
  • Be present and work alongside contractors whenever necessary
• Materials Sourcing:
  • Handle sourcing of all garden materials (e.g., soil, fertilizer, plants, seeds, etc.)
  • Research sourcing options to maximize value
• Budget Management:
  • Be responsible for maintaining a thriving garden within the Ohana budget, and work with staff to ensure accounting is done professionally and orderly at all times

• Logistic
• On-site, with occasional local travel for sourcing materials
• Outdoors, year-round

About the Ohana Garden:

The Ohana Garden is part of the larger Ohana Center for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health in the Montage Health network. The garden will be a resource for patients, families, and staff, providing both active and passive opportunities for therapeutic healing and preventative care in a natural, calming environment. It will be a serene space for growth - literal and figurative - and will be tended to by patients as part of their therapy, with oversight and support from a Garden Steward and Ohana clinical staff. Harvest baskets can be created for families and staff to take home to increase vegetable inake.

The potential for the Ohana Garden is vast, with extensions into healthy eating and meal preparation, yoga and healthy movement initiatives, mindfulness and connection with nature, and a healthy alternative to screen time.

Experience:

• Minimum five years of experience with hands-on management of an equivalent edible garden/farm
• Minimum five years of experience with and deep understanding of sustainable, organic gardening/farming practices
• Experience with garden-related programming, and leading garden education initiatives
• Preferred but not required experience working with children and youth
• Ability to do heavy lifting (up to 50 pounds), bending, squatting, kneeling, reaching, carrying, and other manual labor on a daily basis
• Comfort working outdoors, in all weather, year-round
• Ability to operate independently, self-motivate and discipline, with little supervision or direction
• Desire to create garden-related educational & therapeutic programming and opportunities for patients and their families
• Comfort working with patients and their families, and leading groups in garden activities

Education:

Preferred but not required bachelor degree in a related field (e.g., horticulture, environmental science, agronomy, biology, organic / sustainable agriculture, etc.)

Licensure/Certifications:

American Heart Association Healthcare Provider BLS certification required.

Equal Opportunity Employer

#LI-CF1

Assigned Work Hours:

Position Type:

Pay Range (based on years of applicable experience):

to