ORGANIC MARKET GARDENS

Positions: Farm Hand/Interns - Market Gardening
Type: volunteer + lodging and food (see below)
Farm: Shining Moonlight Gardens
Location: Whitecourt, Alberta

Gardening combines physical activity with social interaction and exposure to nature and sunlight. If you are looking for a break to recenter yourself, need some time to think, meditate while working you will find that this is the perfect activity :) We are a Market Gardener Farm, we grow about 40 different vegetables on 1.5 acres with minimal tilling, intensive cropping practice using no chemical or pesticide along with different process to adapt with our shorter summer and colder weather. We are hoping that one day we can get our organic certification. We are looking for people that are interested in learning our methods and want to contribute to the “locally produced” movement we are living in our area which I must say is awesome.

What we offer : We are open books we share all the knowledge we have, and you will be part of discussion and all activities on the growth, crop rotation, fertilisation, and pest control. If you want to learn how to grow your own garden and utilise your space, do crop rotation we are the people you want to spend time with, if you are looking to start your own Market Gardener project and you would like to spend a whole season with us we are open to it as well there is a lot of satisfaction to see how it's starts and how it ends :)

What we will be focusing on : Planting, weeding ; our goal is to one day be weed free and there is a way to achieve it. We always joke that at first weeding looks like a tedious job but it doesn't take long to disconnect from everything while doing it and to us it has become a form of meditation. Harvesting, washing and prepare vegetables for the market, keep the nursery running for crop rotation, general maintenance of the yard and work on the workers living area, recreation area and much more. Lastly we will also prepare new areas for next season.

We are located 2 hours north west of Edmonton Alberta, 3 hours north east from Jasper and about 5 hours from Banff. My husband and I both speak French and English. We will help in every way we can to guide you to your next stop, if you feel comfortable and enjoy our company as we enjoy yours then you will be more then welcome to stay longer. For your own privacy you will be logging in a 38'foot RV Trailer (see pictures) the trailer has 3 bedding areas :)

We are family oriented and we love to share our meals with you so we can learn more about one another. On the meal part there will be a rotation on who prepares meals so everybody participate. We eat pretty much everything so we can adapt and as said food will be supplied. Don't hesitate to message us if you have questions :)

We usually like to have a short video conference so we can meet and discuss live before accepting requests. Anyone that has knowledge in beneficial flowers would be greatly appreciated, we would like to work on some flower gardens around the propriety that could attract beneficial insects (this is not a must). You have canning / food preservation experience or you want to learn, we will be testing some recipe and different methods.

Here what we expect in exchange of all that was mentioned above : 30 hours of work per week to cover lodging and food all hours worked after that will be paid at $15.00/hour. Pickup in Edmonton will only be for people that are planning to stay for more than 3 weeks if less than 3 weeks you will have to arrange your own transportation and we can pick you up in Whitecourt (we live 12 minutes from Whitecourt) if you are staying for a longer period and you want to go visit Jasper / Banff and othe area we are open for you to take a break and come back as long as it's planned and we are aware :) Since we are not too far from Whitecourt if you are in good shape you can bike in Town (we have bicycles available) if not we go in town every day so if you need a ride for any errance we can figure it out.

There are some activities available in our area, hiking, lakes (kayak/canoe rentals are available), river tubing, we can help you get there. Me and my husband both work regular 40 hours a week jobs and we jump into our gardener gears as soon as we get home, this upcoming season we will have a schedule that will make it easier for everybody to know what is expected. During day time you may have small/short task but we expect you to help us more once we are here so evening and weekends, this is way better for the learning part and the the overall working in group experience.

Please be prepared if you chose to come to our farm, we work rain or shine, cold or hot and you will get dirty, you are working with soil after all so bring the proper clothing. You don’t need experience but do need the will to learn and actively participate.

Please take note that we will NOT provide an immigration letter.

Internet access available.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054565429146

To see review from people that spent time on our farm you can find them on WWOOF Canada : https://wwoof.ca/en/host/32184

Please send your résumé to shining.moonlight.ab@gmail.com – put in subject if you apply to be farm hand or looking for internship.

Please indicate you saw this posting at GoodWork.ca.