2016 flower apprenticeship
June 20th, 2016 by caitlyn
Flower season is here again at Little City Gardens, and we’re looking for a 2016 flower apprentice!
After last year’s move toward more significant flower production, we’re continuing to hone our flower growing and bouquet making skills. We’ve expanded our dahlia patch and increased the amount of bed space devoted to other summer blooms. We’re growing some of our favorite flowers from the past couple of seasons, and we’re experimenting with a few new varieties and textures. We’re building on last year’s lessons and momentum, working with old customers and new, and we’re approaching this summer with efficiency and artistry in mind. We’d love some help working with these beauties, and we’d love to share with you some of what we’ve learned so far.
What we can offer:
- In-depth explanation of our methods of flower production as we’ve developed them, from soil care, to plant spacing, to crop maintenance
- Harvest practices and tips
- Bouquet making basics
- Continual conversation about the ins and outs of running a small urban farm business, observations about sales outlets, customer relationships and pricing
- Weekly flowers & veggies to take home
- Your weekly horoscope
Ideal interns will be:
- Organized and thorough
- Excited to learn about flower growing
- Have a good eye for color and texture
- Invigorated by ambitious, focused work and willing to get dirty
- Able to get up early and spend mornings outside
- Available Wednesday mornings 7am-noon, mid July – end of September
Internship tasks:
- Harvest, trim and sort flowers
- Help with bouquet making and wrapping
- Help with cleanup (bucket washing, pruner care)
- Occasional crop maintenance (weeding, deadheading, fertilizing, etc)
TO APPLY:
Please send an email to littlecitygardens@gmail.com (subject FLOWER APPRENTICESHIP) responding briefly to the following questions. Deadline for applications is Monday June 27th. Applicants will ideally be available for 2-3 hours on Weds July 6th or Thursday July 7th to join us for a working interview on the farm.
- Describe your interest (and/or experience — though none is required) in farming or working with flowers.
- What skills do you bring?
- What’s most compelling to you about farming in the city? Why is it important?
- Are you available on Wednesday mornings July – Sept? (Please mention any out of town plans).
- How long have you lived in SF? What other kinds of things do you like to do?
We can’t wait to hear from you!
Hi! I am so excited that this opportunity popped up! I am an experienced gardener/landscaper who finds herself moving to the city in August. I have been living in Santa Cruz, CA the last 18 years and farmed organically in the hand tilling methods of Alan Chadwick the first 5 of those. I am now landscaping but was excited to re-invigorate my passion for flower farming, and have been wondering now that I am leaving my large backyard in SC for a small one in SF where I was going to do this. I found your garden last December on a walk from the room I was subletting, and have been following your story ever since! I would love to help out however is best. I defiantly have experience, but would love to see how you do things. I farmed flowers for drying as the director of the Wonens Organic Flower Enterprise at the Homeless Garden Project, and have been causally growing them ever since. I am not available July but am in August/Sept. Let me know what you think. (I also love dance and make hats!) Cindy
Oh my gosh! This sounds amazing and fun! I live on Delano and would LOVE to help/volunteer on Thursday, July 7th.
I would be available after 8am because I need to drop off my son at summer school.
I’ve lived in the Mission Terrace neighborhood for the last 15 years, before that I lived on Church Street, right across the street from Dolores Park.
We grow dahlias too! Well, my husband does all the planting and I do the weeding and harvesting—my favorite parts of gardening. I love physical labor and don’t mind getting my hands dirty at all.
I have no formal training but have been known to make lovely bouquets that Farmgirls would be proud of. I helped my neice with her wedding flowers last year and I enjoy making simple bouquets from the flowers in my backyard—usually dahlias, hydrangeas, roses, and on rare occasions, a precious peony.
I work as a Production Artist in an Advertising and last month we had layoffs so my work schedule has been reduced from 4 to 3 days. Currently I work M-W. Outside of gardening, I enjoy indoor rowing, calligraphy, rooting for the Warriors and the SF Giants, and hanging out with family.
I realize I’m not an ideal intern candidate—I’m not even available on Wednesdays, but I would LOVE to help out on Thursday, July 7th. Please let me know if that’s a possibility.
Thanks so much!
Cindy