APPRENTICE PROGRAM, 2008

PRESENT SITUATION Jan. 08.  Three apprentices are returning from last year (Abby, Mike & Katie), Steve is resident, I have accepted several more. At this point I have room for one more individual with experience in gardening / nursery, computer / internet, or other relevant area.  I anticipate having 6 or 7 full-season apprentices, which is how much housing is available. 
    If you are interested in apprenticing at Mountain Gardens, I suggest you do another gardening apprenticeship this year and apply for 2009. Going forward, I anticipate that a previous apprenticeship or equivalent hands-on experience will be a prerequisite.  The best listing of apprenticeships that I know of is found on the ATTRA website (hunt around, it's there and it's big).

VISITING / WWOOING   meanwhile, you are welcome to visit for up to 2 weeks, extendable by mutual agreement; but don't count on it, because even if we love you and you're a great help, there might be someone in line behind you.  And there is a limit to the carrying capacity of the facilities here - I'm thinking somewhere around ten (figuring it out may be one of the the themes this year).  Visitors should anticipate sleeping in a tent.

PROGRAM CHANGES One thing I want to emphasize this year is everyone starting work together at a set time in the morning (maybe a designated breakfast cook?)  We'll all work together until lunch, mostly we'll be systematically moving through the garden, overhauling beds: weeding, harvesting, fertilizing, planting, labelling, mapping.  Afternoons we'll break up and do individual / small group projects - your choice from a variety of options.

PROJECTS & OBJECTIVES FOR 2008  There will of course be stresses, but also advantages, in maxing out the carrying capacity.

Food - growing more food and all kinds of experiments with wild food, food preservation, fermenting, baking, brewing and otherwise progressing towards self-sufficiency.

Dome - another 'hobbit house' (earth-covered, cob-sapling dome) incorporating what Steve has learned from the first one)

Yurt build - in early August, we'll be building another yurt, in conjunction with a mini-reunion of my Peace Corps group (1966).

Rain catchment, ponds, waterlines - I've been wanting more water features in the garden, and the ongoing, scary drought is additional motivation to put in some ponds to catch water when it does rain. And it will be so great to get all these waterlines buried.

Mapping & labelling - in order to make the garden more interesting and accessible to apprentices & visitors.

Record keeping - we need to do a much better job of keeping track of experiments, seed germination, seed collection times, tincture formulas and batches, cob formulas, brewing recipes, herb harvesting, etc., etc.

Business - I want to involve apprentices more in the various income-generating projects, starting with reading and responding to email, filling orders, packing and shipping.  

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I have openings (housing) for 4-5 full-time, live-in apprentices, from mid-March to late October. I'm also open to shorter stays (WWOOFers, college students on break, etc.) - but you may have to bring a tent to sleep in. (Part-time apprenticeships are discussed below)

Full time means 40 hours / week (up to ten of which can be on a personal, garden-related project), plus a share of the chores (like cooking, cleaning up, firewood). Two weeks vacation (plus weekends off)

I provide room and board - basic staples, mostly from our neighborhood food coop. Sorry, no stipend.

The work is extremely varied and creative, including in addition to the herb growing, seed saving and medicinal preparations mentioned elsewhere on this website, vegetable garden and food preservation, rough carpentry, cob, bamboo and rockwork, maintaining and upgrading photovoltaic and irrigation systems, wildcrafting, library research, mapping and record-keeping and all the varied tasks which compose a 'simple' lifestyle. Recent projects as well as our advanced apprentice program, are described at news

The botanic garden, research library & apothecary, and adjacent natural environments add up to a unique educational opportunity, which I created for myself but delight in sharing.

If you are interested in applying, please email or post a letter describing yourself, educational, employment and relevant life experience, skills and interests, and objectives / goals in working here, as well as any questions you might have.

A visit prior to making a seven month commitment is best for both of us and required except in unusual circumstances.
Sorry, no dogs.

Part-time apprenticeships: I am very open to people who live in the area (we are about 1 hour from Asheville) and would like to apprentice one (or more) days / week, but not live here. Housing is limited, but interesting work is not. Most of the time, it should be possible to accomodate particular interests (garden-making, medicinal herb cultivation, herbal preparations, etc.)