Internships in general are about learning by doing. The same is true of our internship. Interns do all the work we do, and in the process of all that work, you can expect to learn about greenhouse operation, variety selection, soil preparation and care, planting techniques, fertilizer application methods, cover cropping, weed control, pest and disease management, irrigation methods, harvest skills and methods, marketing skills and equipment needs, care and use.
We give instructions as we go and try to explain the hows and why along the way. We also do weekly field walks to practice the very important farmerly skill of observation. On these walks, we discuss how the crops are growing, scout for insect pests and disease problems and get a sense of the work plan for the coming week and how that fits into our over all season plan.
Ideally, interns start in late March and stay on through the end of October. There is a possibility for staying on over the winter and apprenticing for a second year.
We work a total of 5 days a week. Sundays are off for everyone and, depending on farmers market duties, interns get either Wednesday afternoon or all day Saturday off. The regular schedule is a little fluid right now due to the corona virus restriction but generally the work day starts promptly at 7:30 and ends at 5:00pm, with one and 1/2 hours for lunch. Harvest days may run late in the super busy months of July and August. We expect hard work during these hours and also respect your time and life away from the farm, trying our best to stick to a pre-arranged work schedule that equals 8 to 8 1/2 hours/day Monday-Friday.
A typical week looks something like this; Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are fieldwork days. Tuesdays and Fridays are harvest days. Every third Saturday or so, the day starts early (think 5:15am) with packing the van for market and ends around 1:30 when the market ends and the van is reloaded to return home. Sunday is a rest day!
The season is long and the relentless steady pace can be exhausting. We offer interns a paid week off in July or August and encourage people to take that week. It is important to get away for a break and avoid burnout.
Seasonal Overview
Here is a brief month-to-month breakdown of what to expect over the course of the season at Full Sun Farm:
April
- greenhouse seeding, thinning, pricking out, watering
- field work: mowing, discing, and turning under winter cover crops spreading soil amendments, spading and bed making on fields needed for May plantings
- direct seeding and transplanting of main spring crops (brassicas and onions, lettuces) and early squash and cukes (covered), potatoes
- cultivating with G, hand weeding, thinning direct seeded crops
- planting greenhouse tomatoes in high tunnel, cover with hoops and row cover
- Saturday farmers market starts and on line store opens, Friday is a harvest day.
May
- greenhouse seeding of sunflower and lettuce successions, thinning and watering continue
- field work: mow, disc and turn under winter cover crop, spread soil amendments, spading and bed making on fields for June plantings
- direct seeding of carrot, beets, lettuce mix, bean successions and transplanting mania of main summer vegetables: peppers, tomatoes, basil, more squash and cukes, eggplant, flowers, dahlia
- thinning, cultivation with G and hand weeding as necessary
- irrigate as necessary
- begin to tie up and sucker tomatoes in greenhouse
- 1st Wednesday market May 2, Tuesdays become harvest days
- Strawberry harvest begins early to mid May
- Harvest: mostly greens, green onions, lots of STRAWBERRIES and cut flowers
- Last frost day May 15
June
- greenhouse seeding of fall crops (broccoli, cabbage, kales etc), more lettuce, sunflowers, late flowers
- field work: preparation of fields for fall crops (mowing, discing, spading)
- direct seeding of beets, carrots, lettuce mix, beans, winter squash, pumpkins
- thinning, cultivation with G and hand weeding as necessary
- transplant lettuce, cukes, last summer squash
- continue to tie up and sucker tomatoes in greenhouse
- greenhouse tomato harvest starts end of June,
- stake and tie up peppers in field
- harvest over wintering onions, end of June
- harvest days get busy, beets, summer squash, peas, greens, broc etc etc
- Summer Solstice: turn under most of the spring beds and sow to summer cover crop/buckwheat
- blueberries begin to get ripe
July
- greenhouse seeding of lettuce, sunflowers, hoop house cukes
- direct seeding of beet and carrot beds, lettuce mix, beans,
- cultivating with G, hand weeding and thinning
- transplant fall crops, late july
- harvest spring planted onions, start digging potatoes
- apprentice week vacations during this month or next
August
- greenhouse seeding of last lettuces and sunflowers, over wintering onions, over wintering flowers,
- direct seeding of turnips, spinach, last beets and carrots
- cultivating with G, hand weeding and thinning
- pepper harvest begins, summer squash harvesting ends!
- harvest winter squash
- Alex and Vanessa week vacation, apprentices run the farm
September
- last sowings made in field, arugula, radishes, turnips, lettuce mix
- last transplants made lettuce, sunflowers, etc.
- plant strawberries and overwintering flowers for next spring
- Sept 15 sow all empty fields to winter cover crop
- cultivating with G, hand weeding and thinning of direct sown crops
October
- first frost date Oct 15
- frost protection for some crops
- plant lettuces etc in caterpillar tunnels for December markets
- plant overwintering onions, and over wintering flowers in high tunnels
- Wednesday market ends last week of Oct
Living Arrangements
We have a small two bedroom, one bath house with a kitchen and living room, and a large front porch over-looking the fields. We also have a three-season cabin adjacent to the house that has two additional bedrooms. The kitchen, living room and bathroom in the main intern house are common areas. Interns are expected to work together to keep the shared places clean and welcoming.
The farm itself is about 30-45 minutes from town. We live out in the country and the setting is quiet and peaceful. After a while, it can also feel isolated to some people. There is sporadic cell phone service, verizon being your best bet. New this in 2022, there is wifi at the intern house. While there is, of course, socializing with the other interns and with us, broader activities are a drive into town.
Compensation
Intern Compensation at Full Sun Farm:
- On –Farm Housing, including utilities
- Vegetables etc from the farm and a lunch stipend in lieu of week day lunches at this time.
- Monthly Stipend, starting at $1600, with a $25 raise each month, paid on the 1st and the 15th of the month.
- 1 week paid vacation, preferably taken sometime in July or August
- Season end bonus, based on mastery of farm skills (floods, drought, pest and disease disasters permitting)
- Case of beer on record breaking market days
We do take out taxes.
Keys to Success
Key traits of a successful apprentice:
The work that we do is often hard. Farming is not for everyone. Apprentices should enjoy physical work and being outside all day. It is not necessary to have previous experience in farming, but a real interest in having farming somewhere in your future helps sustain interns through the hot days of August to the glorious days of autumn.
The skills/traits we consider most important in an apprentice and that help make for a successful (i.e. you learned a lot and had a good time) internship experience are, in no particular order:
- a positive & pleasant disposition
- hardworking
- highly reliable and responsible
- communicative
- able to follow directions
- in good physical condition
- cooperative
- receptive to feedback and adjustments for work processes
- ability to enjoy being outside doing physical work
- lively sense of humor
- interest in farming and/or gardening in the future
- have reliable transportation
- self sufficient and self motivated
- takes pride in their work