*It's not too early to start thinking about next year!!!***Work directly with Ianto Evans in a practical apprenticeship focused on providing a diversity of food year round for the school.  Decisions are made based on careful observation of soils, microclimate, light, weather, our own eating habits and the ecology of each food plant, all competitors and every ally. Ecological Gardeners will be mostly in our organic gardens at Cob Cottage Company in Coquille, Oregon. At the School we will be expanding the quarter acre garden, pioneering cultivation on land which has never before been dug; we'll test a wide variety of edible and display plants, both herbaceous and hardwooded, including many not normally grown in Oregon.   Ianto has gardened in Oregon since 1973, breeding varieties suited to our climate and adjusting to local soils and microclimates. We grow many unusual vegetables and fruits not normally seen here such as citrus. Apprentices will be involved in every stage, from cultivation to seed to table, including saving seed, propagation, crop storage, drainage, irrigation, soil amendment, garden structures and the experimental design of food polycultures. The fee for the Ecological Gardener program will be negotiable based on your skills and needs, payable in advance, to cover the first 3 months.  Months 4 through 6 will be on a trade basis and the balance of your time there could be a small stipend, depending on productivity. Your work will be with Ianto mostly, though you will need to be resourceful and self-motivated for the periods he's out of the country. Gardens need constant attention and vigilance. We will take only two or three Ecological Gardeners.