Gardener for Plant Ecology Center and Nursery

City of New York • New York City, NY

8h • Onsite

About The Position

The Division of Environment and Planning aims to protect, restore, and expand New York City's green spaces and natural areas to maximize their benefits for environmental and community health and resilience. The Natural Resources Group within Environment and Planning manages over 10,000 acres of natural areas across the five boroughs, including forests, grasslands, and wetlands, and has secured tens of millions of dollars in grants from state, federal and private sources over the past decades to fund the restoration and management across these ecosystems.

Requirements

• One year of full-time experience in gardening work, including experience in each of the following planting, cultivating and caring for trees, plants shrubs and lawns
• A certificate from a horticulture or botanic program containing college-level courses, such as programs offered by the New York Botanical Garden, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, etc.
• A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience that is equivalent to 1 above. Thirty semester credits from an accredited college, at least fifteen of which must be in horticulture, agriculture, agronomy, plant pathology, botany, landscape design or architecture, entomology, forestry, floriculture, plant production and/or crop management, may be substituted for the one year of the work experience described in 1 above.
• To be appointed or assigned to Gardener - Assignment Level II, after meeting the qualification requirements for Gardener - Assignment Level I, candidates must have one additional year of satisfactory, full time experience in gardening work, including experience in each of the following areas: propagating, planting, cultivating, and caring for trees, plants, shrubs and lawns.
• To be appointed or assigned to Gardener - Assignment Level II, candidates must have a Commercial Pesticide Applicator - Category 3A License issued by the New York State Department of Environmental conservation. This license must be maintained for the duration of employment.
• A motor vehicle driver license valid in the State of New York. This license must be maintained for the duration of employment.

Responsibilities

• Assist with all aspects of indoor plant production, with a primary focus on transplanting operations.
• Perform large-scale transplanting and potting of nursery starter materials, ensuring proper care and labeling of plant stock.
• Spend the majority of work hours in the greenhouse, engaged in essential plant care tasks such as sowing, watering, fertilizing, weeding and monitoring plant health. Assist with grading, consolidating, moving and pulling of stock to fill orders.
• Assist with preparation of soil mixes, tray and pot filling and organization of greenhouse benches and growing areas.
• Maintain clean and organized greenhouse workspaces; assist with sanitation, pest management and seasonal reconfigurations of growing areas. Assist in and perform tasks involved in the operation, inventory and care of hand tools, consumable supplies and equipment.
• Join other teams to conduct outdoor nursery or yard work such as weeding, mowing or debris removal as assigned. Work with the seed team to prepare, maintain, harvest and clean seed from seed increase plots and assist with wild seed collections, making off-site visits to natural areas.
• Enter daily production data and transplant logs into data forms, spreadsheets or web-based databases in a timely manner.
• Supervise and train interns, volunteers and other staff demonstrating proper transplanting and handling techniques. Interact with staff and visitors in a courteous and professional manner.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed