If you’d like to volunteer to help maintain the grounds, we’ve got some great opportunities just waiting for you. Here’s our current list of volunteer opportunities at the farmstead. Contact Michael Bell at [email protected] for more information and to arrange an onsite orientation.
Vegetable and Flower Garden Assistants
Are you self-motivated and have an hour or so to share once or twice a week? Arrive onsite at your convenience and tackle basic garden activities outlined in the log book. This generally includes watering, weeding and pest control, and can be perfect for a beginning gardener. Garden Assistants can also be involved in sale of the produce to help provide income to sustain and advance the garden. This is a seasonal position, usually from June through November.
Grounds Specialists
Are you self-motivated, can regularly devote a block of time to the farmstead grounds, and have a more advanced plant and planting knowledge (Master Gardener or similar training)? Then our adoption program may be for you! Become a Peony Parent, an Invasives Eliminator, a Butterfly Garden Guru, or a Flower Bed Boss! These positions involve bringing various areas of the property into better condition, and then maintaining it that way. Areas of specialization or interest not mentioned above may be considered. Volunteers in these positions have an opportunity to directly influence the future of the site by taking personal responsibility for various areas of the property.
* Peony Parents – Redefine, clean-up, re-plant and maintain the remaining old peony rows and plants from the days of the property’s Tenth Street Floral Gardens.
* Invasives Eliminators – Remove invasive plants, clean-up the areas of removal, and maintain the areas against re-growth.
* Butterfly Garden Gurus – Re-claim, clean-up, and maintain the previously planted butterfly garden, while possibly expanding it or creating others on the property.
* Flower Bed Bosses – Help design, plant and maintain the various flower beds on the property, particularly those immediately surrounding the main house.
Seasonal Assistants
Not a devoted gardener but enjoy getting outdoors when you can? Then led a hand during our seasonal grounds clean-ups, special grounds projects or be on call when you can for day-to-day work! Volunteers can spend an hour or an afternoon, whatever their time allows. Although there is not currently a set schedule, clean-ups typically occur on MLK Day in January, to help clear out invasive plants in March and November, to spruce up the grounds for Daisy Day in April, and to clear out dead vegetable garden plants and rake leaves in November. Clean-up days can also be great volunteer activities for families or groups. Special projects or other volunteer assistance will be announced as needed. If these options sound right for you, learn more or be placed on the e-mail notification list by contacting Michael Bell at [email protected].