Head Gardener at Salt Spring Seeds in Salt Spring Island, BC
For my current co-op work term, I have spent the summer working as the head gardener for Salt Spring Seeds. I am lucky enough to spend my days outdoors, managing the farm’s gardens and agricultural land. Salt Spring Seeds is a seed saving farm, practicing sustainable and organic agriculture. While my responsibilities vary widely, they have involved following the full life cycle of many of the plants grown on the farm, from planting to harvesting for both food and seed. It is a position that has required me to be adaptable, resilient, observant and to utilize my background in ecology and plant biology, to ensure high quantity, quality and diversity in the seed harvest. This has been an incredibly rewarding experience, allowing me to further explore my interest in addressing issues such as food insecurity and resilience to climate change through sustainable agricultural practices. I am grateful to the UBC Forestry Co-op program for encouraging me to explore how I can contribute positively to, and gain experience in, fields related to conservation and sustainability while being an undergraduate student.
