Garden Mentor

Growing Places seeks an enthusiastic gardener to be a garden mentor in the North Central Massachusetts region for the 2013 growing season!

With the beds or containers in place, Growing Places Garden Project's Mentors provide support and encouragement to gardeners at all levels to develop an array of valuable gardening skills by providing hands-on advice and support. Garden Mentors serve every gardener – from experienced do-it-yourselfer to the self-proclaimed black thumbs. Mentors ensure that our gardens succeed given the skills, needs, and interests of the individual and family gardeners. It is our goal that Growing Places' Mentors will help build better gardens one gardener at a time. The mentor recognizes that each gardener has unique needs and that some gardeners may need more, or less, help. The mentor troubleshoots whenever issues like pests or diseases arise, and assists the gardener in finding information in the Growing Guide, Growing Times or external publications. Using the guidelines and worksheets in the Garden Mentor Handbook, the mentor introduces the gardener to Growing Places' best practices for sustainable gardening.

Mentor Role

• Take the lead in supporting a gardener through the season
• Serve as a positive role model and provide encouragement to the gardener
• Help gardener(s) set goals and work toward accomplishing them

Time Commitment

• Make a one-year commitment
• Spend two to three hours per month one-to-one per gardener
• Communicate with the gardener via email, phone, and site visits

Participation Requirements

• Be passionate about vegetable gardening and have a few years experience growing your own food
• Be interested in helping people
• Be dependable and consistent in meeting the time commitment
• Attend the initial mentor training session
• Have access to reliable transportation
• Be a willing listener
• Be encouraging and supportive
• Be patient and flexible
• Be tolerant and respectful of individual differences

Desirable Qualities

• Spanish speaking helpful

Benefits

• Personal fulfillment through contribution to community and the individual
• Satisfaction in helping someone mature, progress and achieve gardening goals
• Receive recognition as one of Growing Places Garden Project's key volunteers

Application and Screening Process

• Written application and personal introduction to Growing Places Garden Project

Garden Planting

• The Garden Mentor Volunteer should budget 2-3 hours for planting cool crops, and 1-2 for planting warm crops.
• Plant seeds and seedlings with gardener using square-foot method
• Requires squatting, patience, and teaching skills

On-going Mentoring

• Garden mentors will spend roughly 2 hours per month helping gardener utilize their gardens and answering any questions the garden may have
• The Garden Mentor will use refer the Gardener to the Growing Guide and other GP educational materials to help answer questions and troubleshoot problems.
• The Garden Mentor is encouraged to visit with the gardener at their garden site at least 2 times during the growing season, in addition to the initial planning and planting, and a final visit to help put the beds to rest for winter.
• Be available for questions by phone as needed