Miles Horobin
Garden Manager
Miles Horobin (he/him) grew up in Sonoma County and spent much of his childhood exploring and getting to know the flora and fauna who inhabit this bioregion. His appreciation for the natural world is deeply inspired by his botanist grandfather, Alan. After spending many years immersed in gardening, farming, and landscaping, Miles came to OAEC in 2020 for the Garden Internship Program. In his current role as Garden Manager, he brings together many of his passions and skills and shares them with others. He is a lifelong learner and finds plants to be some of the best teachers. When he is not working, you can find him drinking tea, trail running, or transforming plants into various forms of food and medicine.
On Staff Since: 2021 Email Phone: x114
In Their Own Words
Why my work matters
The ancestral and traditional agricultural practices which we have held for tens of thousands of years are critically threatened in our current boom and bust era of big-oil and peak everything. My work matters because I believe that through this time, it is imperative that we stay connected to the land and each other and not lose sight of our historical agricultural ways. In my role here at OAEC, I aspire to be a catalyst for such needed work by helping to collectively rekindle our relationship to land.
My work at OAEC
As the Garden Manager, I am the steward of the Mother Garden. Since 1974 the Mother Garden has been a demonstration site helping to reconnect people to land, food, and each other. After 50+ years, we are proud to still be doing this at OAEC today. In my role I oversee the growing of food and flowers to bring nourishment and beauty to our staff, community, volunteers, and retreat guests. I also cultivate many plants with the specific purpose of seed saving, enabling us to share locally adapted genetics within our communities through Seed Swap events. On Wednesdays we host Garden Volunteer Days where our garden interns and I get to share what we do with the public and enjoy a tasty lunch together.
My passions
I love trail running, drinking copious amounts of tea with friends and family, and experiencing nature however I can. I am a gardener at heart and feel it is my life’s work to simultaneously be both a student and a teacher of my trade.
