Gardener, Level 1

(Paid Opportunities) Return to Paid Opportunities

 Compensation: New hire $20.79/hour Incumbent $23.91/hour*

NYC Parks is the steward of nearly 30,000 acres of land — 14 percent of New York City — including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets.  We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 1,800 basketball courts, 550 tennis courts, 67 public pools, 51 recreational facilities, 15 nature centers, 14 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches.  We care for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums. We look after 600,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City's principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and programs. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals.

First designated a park by the City of Brooklyn in 1847 at the urging of Walt Whitman, and designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1867, Fort Greene Park is one of the most storied neighborhood parks in America. A verdant 30-acre jewel at the edge of Downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene Park's history dates back to its use as a post of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. As both the formal burial site of nearly 12,000 American Martyrs and bustling greenspace serving nearly 200,000 residents of the surrounding neighborhoods, Fort Greene Park is a monument to the American Experiment — a vibrant, diverse public space that gives citizens a place to reflect in a busy, growing city.

Perks - Earn vacation and sick leave every month and receive free membership to our recreation centers. 

Responsibilities/Duties

  • Assist in the planting and cultivating of trees, flowers and shrubs including tasks such as digging up, balling, burlapping, transplanting trees and shrubs, digging up and transplanting sod, potting flowers and plants as well as propagating plant life and pruning and spraying trees, shrubs and plants.
  • Prepare soil and seed beds. Grade, sod, weed, mulch and mow lawns. Repair damaged planted areas, fertilizing and watering soil.
  • Assist in and perform tasks involved in the operation and care of hand and power gardening tools and equipment. Make necessary operating adjustments to same; report needs for repairs and replacements to supervisor.
  • Perform simple record keeping and prepare simple written reports.
  • Drive vehicles and operate other motorized equipment incidental to the performance of duties.
  • Supervise and work alongside volunteers twice a week through Park's Volunteer Gardener Program and may supervise seasonal employees.
  • As directed, perform tasks in connection with cleaning grounds and painting fixtures and equipment

Qualifications/Requirements

  • One year of full-time experience in gardening work, including experience in each of the following planting, cultivating and caring for trees, plants shrubs and lawns; or
  • A certificate from a horticulture or botanic program containing college-level courses, such as programs offered by the New York Botanical Garden, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, etc.; or
  • A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience that is equivalent to ʺ1ʺ above. Thirty semester credits from an accredited college, at least fifteen of which must be in horticulture, agriculture, agronomy, plant pathology, botany, landscape design or architecture, entomology, forestry, floriculture, plant production and/or crop management, may be substituted for the one year of the work experience described in ʺ1ʺ above.                                                   

     LICENSE REQUIREMENT
  • A motor vehicle driver license valid in the State of New York. This license must be maintained for the duration of employment.
  • Residency in New York City, Nassau, Orange, Rockland, Suffolk, Putnam or Westchester counties required for employees with over two years of city service. New York City residency required within 90 days of hire for all other candidates.

      PREFERRED SKILLS

  1. Familiarity with local and ornamental plant species.
  2. New York State Pesticide Applicator License category 3A or 7 a plus.
  3. Ability to initiate and complete projects in a timely manner.

Contact Information

New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
Website: Apply Online