Permaculture Design, Forest Garden

Opportunity: Nursery & Educational Garden Partner (profit-sharing, long-term)
Organizations: Éco-Odyssée & Living Landscapes Design

Location: Éco-Odyssée park, Wakefield QC (35 min north of Ottawa)
Accommodation: Private room on the Éco-Odysée site (shared kitchen/bath)

Start: Flexible (ASAP); trial period of a few months to confirm mutual fit
Compensation: Profit-share on nursery sales & produce kiosk; on-site private room included
Time: Full-time (seasonal rhythm; greenhouse build this fall)

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About the Partnership

Living Landscapes (permaculture designer Trent Rhode) and Éco-Odyssée (an eco-education destination with a renowned water labyrinth) are co-creating an educational permaculture forest garden, retail nursery, and community produce garden. We are now seeking a people-oriented, entrepreneurial partner to take day-to-day leadership of this public-facing hub while working closely with Trent and park staff.

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Your Core Responsibilities

• Nursery Operations
  • Co-Design gardens and programs
  • Scale up nursery and gardens
  • Care for container stock: daily watering, fertilising, pest checks
  • Start seeds, take cuttings, up-pot and label plants
  • Track inventory and coordinate seasonal plant orders
  • Engage visitors, explain species benefits, and process retail sales (profit split)
• Educational & Demonstration Garden
  • Maintain and expand beds showcasing edible, medicinal, and pollinator plants
  • Keep paths tidy, signage up-to-date, and the space welcoming for tours
  • Harvest produce for the kiosk; trial new varieties and record results
• Greenhouse Launch (Autumn 2025)
  • Help assemble the new greenhouse and establish propagation benches
  • Co-create climate-control and watering protocols
  • Plan winter micro-green and seedling production
• Visitor Engagement & Retail
  • Offer friendly, knowledgeable service; host mini-workshops or tours
  • Manage the small produce/plant kiosk: pricing, merchandising, daily cash-out
• Collaboration & Reporting 
  • Meet at least weekly with Trent and Éco-Odysée management to review goals
  • Share data on sales, plant health, and visitor feedback; suggest improvements

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What We Provide

• Accommodation: Private room on the Éco-Odysée site (shared kitchen/bath)
• Profit Sharing: Percentage of all nursery and kiosk sales (details in interview)
• Marketing and administrative support
• Labour support and partnering
• Mentorship: Part-time guidance from Trent Rhode (20 yrs permaculture design experience) plus park staff support
• Infrastructure: Irrigation, tools, potting mix, labels, point-of-sale system, greenhouse (in progress)
• Perks: Access to boat trails, staff discounts on park activities, surplus nursery plants for personal use

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Ideal Partner Profile

• Retail, customer-service, or farmers-market experience or a natural talent for engaging the public
• English and French language skills
• Strong plant-care skills (ornamental, edible, or native nursery work experience an asset)
• Entrepreneurial mindset: enjoys tracking numbers, refining displays, spotting new sales ideas
• Able to learn fast, work largely unsupervised, and keep accurate records
• Comfortable with physical outdoor work and basic tools; ready to help build greenhouse benches, nursery beds, etc.
• Permaculture design knowledge welcome but not mandatory – eagerness to learn is key!

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Schedule & Seasonality

You’ll average ~8-10 hours/day in peak season. Spring focuses on setting up gardens, esablishing nursery, potting plans; summer on watering, tours, and produce; autumn on greenhouse setup and fall sales; winter can include planning, seed orders, and indoor propagation (hours vary).

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Interested?

Email trent@livinglandscapes.design with:

1. Why this partnership excites you
2. Relevant plant, retail, or customer-facing experience
3. When you could start and how long you envision staying
4. Any questions for us

Please mention you saw this at FoodWork.ca.

Other Opportunities

If you’re curious about work trade internships or a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) camping/cabin apprenticeship, feel free to mention that too – those tracks are still available separately.

We look forward to co-creating an inspiring, profitable, and educational nursery together!