Lincoln Home Heirloom Gardener/Master Gardener Volunteer

Job Title: Heirloom Gardener / Master Gardener

Job Description: 

Educate visitors about and maintain Lincoln Home heirloom "Dean garden". Volunteer will:

• Educate visitors about heirloom garden plants and related historical information
• Maintain the Dean Garden during spring, summer, and fall seasons. This includes: sow seeds; cultivate, water, weed, and harvest plants; till soil, manure garden, and prepare garden for winter season, new spring season
• Safely use hand and garden tools to perform garden maintenance work
• Deliver harvested plants to food bank located at nearby church (walkable distance)
• Answer visitor questions related to garden, site, historical time period, and other related topics.
• Meet and greet visitors
• Research plants grown in 1850s-1860s gardens
• Dress in period clothing (optional)
• Assist staff in interpretive programming, demonstrations, and event programming involving garden, heirloom plants (optional)

The park will furnish seeds, plants, and basic tools such as a hoe, shovel, clippers, and gloves. Gardeners in UIS Master Gardener program may have additional requirements, if specified by the UIS Master Gardener program. Garden volunteers are not required to be in the Master Gardener program in order to volunteer at the garden, but the Dean Garden is overseen by both Lincoln Home and the Master Gardeners. More on the UIS Master Gardener program: https://web.extension.illinois.edu/mg/whoweare/default.cfm

Work Schedule: 

The gardener will be required to work an average of 8-16 hours per month, of at least 2 sessions per month, with preferably 2-4 hours of gardening per week during the growing season (April – September). Volunteers will also be required to attend periodic meetings and training sessions. Master Gardeners are required by the UIS Master Gardener program to volunteer at least 30 hours per season.

Skills Needed/Preferred:

Volunteer must have at least a basic knowledge of gardening techniques; preferably volunteer should be an experienced gardener who has historic gardening knowledge and skills. Volunteer must also:

• Be friendly, outgoing, and patient
• Be able and willing to learn about historic varieties of plants
• Be able to follow National Park Service environmental & historic preservation rules
• Know or be willing to learn how to use various hand and garden tools safely

Physical Demands:

Volunteer gardener’s duties may include lifting, kneeling, pulling, bending, and using tools like wheelbarrows, hoes, clippers, watering can, and rakes and other small hand period tools.

Working Conditions: 

Work is outdoors during the spring, summer, and fall; sometimes under extreme weather conditions including heat and humidity. Volunteer may get dirty and wet.

Age requirement:      18+

Other comments: The volunteer will not be permitted to apply pesticides or other garden chemicals.