Arcata’s Environmental Services Department Seeking Volunteers for Bayside Park Farm

This is a press release from the City of Arcata:

The Environmental Services Department is seeking community members with interest in small-scale organic farming to participate in the Bayside Park Farm’s Volunteer Program. 

Bayside Park Farm is a three-acre vegetable farm located in the City of Arcata’s Bayside Park at 930 Old Arcata Road, which is dedicated to cultivating connections between the community and sustainable agriculture. The Bayside Park Farm share program was the first CSA program in Arcata and has provided the community with local, organic produce for 29 years. 

In order to participate in the Bayside Park Farm’s volunteer program, volunteers ideally make a two-and-a-half-month-long commitment to assist for three to six hours a week in exchange for fresh vegetables and hands-on training in organic farming. The volunteer shifts are on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. or in the afternoon from 1:30–4:30 p.m. 

In addition to general planting, pruning, and harvesting skills, volunteers will learn other useful skills including sowing seeds in a propagation house, mending, and preparing beds for planting, transplanting crops, growing crops from seed, and irrigation techniques. 

For the health and safety of City staff, volunteers and farm share participants, current COVID-19 protocols must be followed when visiting Bayside Park Farm. 

Those still interested in volunteering for the program’s summer season should apply as soon as possible, and those interested in the fall season should apply by August 12th. For more information, community members are encouraged to email [email protected] or call (707) 822-7091. To learn more about Bayside Park Farm or to enroll in the farm share program online, please visit cityofarcata.org.