2027 Garden Internship

GARDEN INTERNSHIP

Explore the world of organic gardening through OAEC’s annual Garden Internship in our over 50-year-old biointensive gardens—a rich setting for experiential learning. Work closely with our Garden Manager, engaging in all aspects of gardening. We are looking for passionate individuals eager to dive into small-scale food and flower production, helping us curate abundant, thriving gardens for our community and retreat guests. Many of our past interns have gone on to achieve leadership roles in farming and gardening. Join us for a transformative experience!

Typical Tasks

The work in the Gardens can be both repetitive and varied. Here are the typical tasks Garden Interns regularly engage in:

• Garden bed turnover and planting


• Plant propagation and greenhouse work


• Compost pile building and food waste management


• Irrigation


• Rodent trapping


• Weed management


• Harvesting


• General garden maintenance


• Facilitating group activities with weekly volunteers


• OAEC Nursery and Plant Sale assistance

Qualifications

• Physical stamina is a must! This internship involves lots of manual labor. We work outside, rain or shine.


• An excitement and desire to learn gardening through hands-on experience is essential.


• Prior garden or farming experience is helpful but not necessary.


• We are looking for motivated, self-starting people who are comfortable working alone and in groups.


• Garden Interns work closely with Garden Volunteers. A strong interest to develop management skills by facilitating group work activities is essential. 


• We encourage garden internship applicants to attend a Garden Volunteer Day at OAEC. This is a great way to meet us, see the gardens, and get a feel for the work, especially if you’ve never been here before. On the RSVP page, please indicate that you are applying to the garden internship.

Applicants are encouraged to draft answers to the questions in a separate document, then copy and paste answers into the question fields when they are ready to submit. 

If you are interested in applying for internships in multiple departments, complete this form and return to the internship webpage to fill out additional applications.

Applications for 2027 internships open on September 1st, 2026, and close at 5pm on October 16th, 2026. We look forward to receiving your submission!