Adult Volunteer Program

Adult volunteers work alongside Tilth gardeners at our learning gardens the Good Shepherd Center Garden and  Bradner Gardens Park in Seattle, and at the Pickering Barn in Issaquah. Each year garden volunteers grow and donate hundreds of pounds of organic produce to local food banks, manage and maintain Seattle Tilth's three public learning gardens, and share time and resources with countless other urban food projects in the greater Seattle area. The work of our garden volunteers is extremely important and meaningful, and helps Seattle Tilth to meet our educational goals.

If you are interested in volunteering, please complete our online volunteer application, and then attend an hour long volunteer orientation where we will answer all your questions and get you involved with the program of your choice. 

Issaquah Garden Crew
We are currently focused on building a committed volunteer corps to steward our newest, two-year-old learning garden at the historic Pickering Barn in Issaquah. If you live on the east side, or are interested in volunteering to help Tilth grow a new garden in Issaquah, view the schedule of Issaquah Garden Crew work parties.

The Seattle Volunteer Program
Choose your level of participation:

1) Garden Steward Internship program
The most advanced level of volunteer involvement in our gardens that we currently offer, this position requires some responsibility and autonomy. Qualified applicants need a background and interest in the fields of urban food production, adult experiential education, or public landscape management. We will recruit one Garden Steward for each learning garden (Good Shepherd Center, Bradner Gardens Park, and Pickering Barn.) Additionally, one Permanent Plantings Garden Steward will be chosen for the Good Shepherd Center. Stewards will be selected through a competitive application process, and ideally will be available Feb.- Oct. For a complete job description and application information, please see the Learning Garden Steward job description or the Good Shepherd Center Permanent Plantings Steward job description.

2) Seattle Veggie Crew
Early season is April-June; Late season is July-Sept.
This is our introductory volunteer program. The veggie crew is a "hands-on" learning opportunity, helping maintain our gardens to produce food for demonstration and donation. Work parties take place in the learning gardens at the Good Shepherd Center and at Bradner Gardens Park, will have an educational theme, and will be hosted by a Seattle Tilth staff gardener or trained Garden Steward. Crew volunteers commit to three months, attending at least six work parties.  View the 2010 Early Season schedule.

3) Good Shepherd Center Garden Crew: Mondays 10 - 1, March - October;

Garden Crew is for volunteers who want to increase their knowledge of both vegetable production and organic landscape management. Work will include weeding, watering, pruning, mulching, and planning in the permanent plantings and maintenance of the hardscape elements in the oldest Seattle Tilth learning garden. Work may also include the management of annual veggie plantings. Work parties will be hosted by a Seattle Tilth staff gardener, in collaboration with a trained Garden Steward. Volunteers will  begin learning how to host other volunteers in the garden.

The Handyperson Crew
This group meets on a project by project basis to help Seattle Tilth maintain and create the infrastructures needed to support our demonstrations of organic urban food production.