Cultivate your skills with Common Ground
Join us and work with Common Ground at Red Mud Ranch and gain invaluable hands-on experience. We offer a unique opportunity to learn practical skills in regenerative agriculture and land stewardship through direct involvement. Learn about our volunteer tracks and the knowledge you'll cultivate with us.
Volunteer at Common Ground: the reality
We operate on a straightforward exchange of hard work for real-world education. When you volunteer here, you are stepping onto a working operation. You will learn the practical mechanics of regenerative agriculture, soil remediation, and land stewardship by putting your hands in the dirt and doing the actual work. Review the two volunteer tracks below to see where you fit before filling out the intake form.
Track 1: land & soil remediation (the dirt work)
This is heavy, physical labor. We are actively remediating dense, heavy clay soil and constructing hugel mounds to bring the land back to life. Our major priority is the massive restoration of our century-old water catchment and irrigation system.
Until that system is fully repaired, we are running manual watering systems to keep things moving. If you sign up for this track, expect to be moving earth, hauling water, working with hand tools, and breaking a sweat.
Track 2-Farm and Garden Stewardship
Volunteer Track 2: Farm & Garden StewardshipPerfect for those who enjoy working outdoors and getting their hands in the soil. Volunteers in this track help support the health, productivity, and beauty of Red Mud Ranch through seasonal and ongoing land stewardship activities.
Tasks may include:
• Seed starting and transplanting
• Planting vegetables, herbs, flowers, and native species
• Harvesting produce and preparing crops for distribution
• Watering and general garden care
• Weeding and mulching garden beds
• Weed eating and vegetation management
• Greenhouse organization, cleaning, and maintenance
• Composting and soil-building projects
• Orchard and food forest upkeep
• Pathway maintenance and site beautification
• Seasonal farm projects as needed
No experience is necessary. Training is provided, and volunteers are encouraged to learn practical gardening, food production, and regenerative land stewardship skills while helping support community food access and ecological education.
The exchange: valuable skills for your effort
We do not believe in free labor without a return. If you put in the hours, you are learning the Common Ground methods. You walk away with practical, hard-earned knowledge in:
- Soil remediation and heavy clay management
- Building and maintaining hugel mounds
- Freeze-dried herbal processing and plant medicine
- Off-grid self-sufficiency and infrastructure repair
Contact
Common Ground @ Red Mud Ranch
Sarah Bidema
17689 S. Deininger Rd
Oregon City, OR 97045
Hours
Thurs-Sun
10am-5pm
Phone
(971) 356-4134