Flower Farmer

Sweet Greens Farm is a family farm in Central Virginia growing sustainable cut flowers and specialty produce on over 5 acres. We provide high quality wholesale cut flowers to florists, designers & grocers in the Charlottesville and Richmond areas. We also sell at a farmers market in Charlottesville offer bulk flowers and floral design for weddings, events and weekly accounts. We grow in high tunnels and in the field using a combination of tractor and human power with modern scale appropriate tools. We strive to be a positive workplace, maintain a culture of cooperation and respect, and foster professional development through challenging work. Our mission is to spread joy and beauty through local cut flowers, bring healthy food to our community and build living soil for future generations.

We are seeking candidates to join our team for the 2025 season, March 3rd-November 26th. Experience on a production farm, especially a cut flower farm, is strongly preferred. Some experience in floristry is desired. Ideal candidates will have a positive attitude in all weather conditions, a strong interest in flowers, food and farming, be capable of working at an efficient pace and enjoy working outdoors both on a team and individually.

This position is 16-40 hours/week. Candidates must be able to work on Mondays and Tuesdays. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are other possible workdays. On Mondays and Tuesdays work centers around flower harvest & post-harvest: cutting and processing flowers, making bunches and bouquets, washing buckets & cleaning workspaces. On Thursdays we focus on farm production tasks and field work. Wednesdays are a combination of harvest, post harvest and farm production tasks. Saturday is our farmers market day with hours from about 5am-2pm. Priority will be given to applicants who are able to work a minimum of 2 and up to 5 Saturday farmers market shifts per month.

A typical work day is about 8 hours with a 30-45 minute unpaid lunch break. The start time varies throughout the year but is approximately 7-4pm, with the exception of July when hours are approximately 6am-Noon. We encourage employees to take unpaid vacation time in July. In our busiest months of April, May, September, and October, vacations and elective days off are strongly discouraged. The main season runs March through November. There may be the possibility to continue work part-time over the winter and stay for another season.

While employees will be immersed in beautiful flowers in an idyllic setting, be aware that this position is physically demanding and the work can be fast paced, repetitive and hard on the body. We work in all weather conditions throughout the year, stand up to 7 hours a day, and cut flowers 2-5 hours a day up to 5 days a week in peak seasons. We grow hundreds of different varieties of flowers each with its own unique set of standards. We value the ability to learn quickly and work efficiently while paying attention to detail to maintain our quality standards.

We work closely with you to train you in our production, harvest and post-harvest practices. Once trained you will be expected to complete tasks independently, efficiently and with attention to detail in order to maintain our quality standards. For example, you will be expected to be able to read a harvest list, cut and process the flowers to our specifications from that list, then follow a detailed packing list to pack and label those orders for their final destination.

We strive to maintain a positive and welcoming work environment. The farm is our place of business but it is also our home which we share with our adventurous toddler and very friendly extra-large dog, who you will see daily. Our main farm area is set within 15 fenced acres on our 65 acre property which is very peaceful, comprised of rolling hills, creeks, native plants and trees, a pond and lots of wildlife.

You will report to the farm owners/managers, and will work both independently and alongside the farm owners and one or more employees on a wide variety of tasks. Responsibilities may include but are not limited to:

• Cutting, processing and bunching flowers and assembling bouquets
• Field work including weeding, planting, field preparation, irrigation, trellising, greenhouse work and farm maintenance
• Harvesting & washing produce
• Cleaning, sanitizing and organizing equipment and materials
• Assorted farm production tasks as needed
• Assist with floral design tasks as needed
• Farmers market shift on Saturdays: Load and drive a large cargo van from the farm to Charlottesville (25min) on Saturday morning; Set up the tent, tables, flower stands, signage & arrange flowers and produce into a visually pleasing display; Greet and assist potential customers. Share our farm story, offer floral care advice and answer questions. Restock as needed.; Use our Square POS register to complete checkout, ensuring accuracy for the sales record; At the end of market, breakdown the display and load the van. Drive back to the farm and unload the van.

Ideal candidates will possess the following traits:

• positive attitude
• ability to work on a team and individually
• ability to work quickly and efficiently
• attention to detail to maintain quality standards
• eager to learn and retain information on crops and new farming systems
• capable of receiving feedback
• strong communication skills
• ability to work in all weather conditions
• physical stamina with the ability to stand, bend, kneel, squat, cut/snip and lift and move 50 pounds, repeatedly for extended periods of time.

Requirements:

• Must have a drivers license as you will be required to operate farm and delivery vehicles. We are located in a rural area with no public transportation, therefore reliable transportation is required.
• Our Covid policy requires that employees are vaccinated.

Compensation & perks:

Starting wage of $16-18/hr, commensurate with experience. Free excess flowers and produce are available for personal consumption. We provide workers compensation insurance. As part of a small team you will have the opportunity to learn about all aspects of farm production and receive extensive on the job training, with room for growth and promotion. You will have the opportunity to visit other farms as part of the CRAFT program. Employees are eligible for performance based raises and paid time off after one full season (8 months). We offer limited part-time work over the winter, and offer the possibility of staying on for another season.

Limited housing is available to rent at a discounted rate in a shared employee apartment in nearby Scottsville. Priority will be given to applicants who are able to work Saturday farmers market shifts and about 30 hours per week.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: $16.00 - $18.00 per hour

Expected hours: 16 – 40 per week

Schedule:

• 4 hour shift
• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Every weekend
• Morning shift
• No weekends
• Rotating weekends

Application Question(s):

• Why do you want to work at Sweet Greens Farm?
• Are you able to comfortably lift at least 50 pounds, bend, kneel, squat, stand, snip and perform repetitive tasks for long periods of time?
• Do you have any physical or mental health conditions, recurring injuries, accidents or anything else that would limit your ability to perform strenuous physical labor? Please list all of them below.
• If you do not live locally, are you interested in renting a shared employee apartment in Scottsville?
• Are you able to start on March 3rd? Are there any dates this year you are not able to work?
• What days of the week are you able to work? How many hours would you like to work per week?

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Required)

Experience:

• farm or floristry (professional/personal): 1 year (Required)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Scottsville, VA 24590 (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $16 - $18