Greenhouse Growers Assistant

Overview
A Greenhouse Grower Assistant is an essential role in the management of a greenhouse, where the primary responsibility is supporting the grower in maintaining the optimal environment for plant growth and ensuring the smooth operation of the greenhouse. The role typically involves a combination of hands-on plant care, equipment management, and administrative tasks to support the overall production process.

Responsibilities

• Planting & Propagation: Assist with planting seeds, seedlings, or cuttings and ensuring they are properly spaced and cared for in the greenhouse.
• Watering & Fertilizing: Help manage watering schedules, ensuring that plants receive the right amount of water and nutrients. This may involve using automated irrigation systems or watering by hand.
• Pruning & Maintenance: Regularly prune plants to encourage growth, remove dead or damaged leaves, and ensure that they stay healthy and productive.
• Monitoring Growth: Track plant growth stages and help monitor for signs of stress, disease, or pests.
• Temperature & Humidity Control: Assist with monitoring and adjusting the greenhouse environment, including temperature, humidity, and light levels. This might involve managing fans, heaters, ventilation systems, and shading.
• Climate Adjustment: Based on plant needs, help adjust ventilation, irrigation, or shading to maintain an ideal environment for growth. This may require working with automated systems or adjusting manual controls.
• Monitoring for Pests/Diseases: Regularly inspect plants for pests, disease, or other environmental stressors. This may involve identifying early signs of pests like aphids, spider mites, or fungal diseases.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Help with implementing IPM strategies, which may involve biological controls (e.g., introducing beneficial insects), cultural practices, and the careful use of pesticides when necessary.
• Operate Equipment: Help run various greenhouse systems such as irrigation lines, climate control systems, and automated planting or harvesting equipment.
• Routine Maintenance: Perform minor repairs and regular checks on greenhouse equipment, ensuring everything is functioning properly to prevent breakdowns during critical periods.
• Inventory Management: Keep track of supplies such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, tools, and consumables. Assist in placing orders for materials when stocks run low.
• Harvesting: Assist with the harvesting of crops when they reach maturity. This may involve manual picking or using specialized equipment depending on the crop.
• Post-Harvest Processing: Help with sorting, cleaning, packaging, or storing harvested produce to maintain quality and minimize waste.
• racking Growth & Environmental Conditions: Maintain detailed records of plant growth, environmental conditions, pest/disease occurrences, and inputs (e.g., fertilizers and pesticides).
• Production Documentation: Keep accurate records of yields, planting schedules, crop rotations, and other activities for reporting or future planning.
• Collaboration: Work closely with other staff members, including senior growers, greenhouse managers, and other assistants. Communicate regularly with the team about plant health, production goals, and any challenges encountered.
• Customer Interaction: In some cases, greenhouse assistants may interact with customers, particularly in retail greenhouses or public-facing operations (e.g., farmer’s markets or direct-to-consumer sales)
• Horticultural Knowledge:
• Basic understanding of plant biology and growth cycles.
• Familiarity with different plant species and their specific growing requirements (e.g., light, temperature, water).
• Ability to recognize issues with plants, pests, or equipment and find effective solutions.
• Familiarity with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies for minimizing pest and disease problems.
• Basic experience with greenhouse systems such as irrigation, temperature control, and automated planting/harvesting equipment.
• Ability to handle and operate machinery used in planting, watering, and harvesting tasks.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $40,000.00 - $50,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 10 hour shift
• 12 hour shift
• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Ability to Commute:

• Willcox, AZ 85643 (Preferred)

Ability to Relocate:

• Willcox, AZ 85643: Relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $40,000 - $50,000