Trainee Horticulturist / Grower Kingsbridge, England
Job description
Reporting to the Horticultural Manager (HM), the Horticulturalist is responsible for organising the South Devon Chilli Farm plant nursery, ensuring seed germination targets are met, seedlings & plants are grown efficiently, following best practice and that orders are fulfilled with excellent plant quality.
The Horticulturalist will work with the HM to ensure crop tunnels are maintained to the highest standard, ensure yields are maximized for each variety and that production targets are met for seeds, plants & fresh.
The Horticulturalist will also play a key role in the maintenance of the farm, taking on gardening tasks and assisting in site development activities including making the most of the show tunnel.
The Horticulturalist role will involve some weekend working.
Areas of Responsibility:
· Seed Germination
· Plant Care & Development
· Fruit Harvesting & Processing
· Order Fulfilment
· Site Maintenance
· Health & Safety / HACCP
Seed Germination:
- Organize the plant nursery production, ensuring seed germination targets are met, communicating any issues with the HM
- Together with the management team, plan & execute the sowing schedule (ie. sow seedlings late Jan/early Feb, sow crop plants mid-Feb)
- Ensure all plants are clearly labelled using the correct trays to prevent discrepancies and maximise space
- Prepare nursery tunnel ready for the sowing to begin at the start of the year (ie. laying black plastic, capillary matting & heating matts
- Complete end of season stock take and report to the Operations Manager (OM) for re-order
Plant Care & Development:
- Ensure best practices are followed throughout the nursery growing process and plant care is of the highest standard
- When seedlings have germinated ensure these are carefully pricked-out and transferred into coir plugs in module trays with heating matts installed
- When seedlings have matured ensure these are potted-on promptly and pots are filled with the correct amount of soil and with the correct ratio of soil/perlite/vermiculite/osmocote
- Perform daily checks of plants assessing signs of disease, pest damage and isolating high-risk plants as a matter of urgency, communicating any issues with the HM
- Make sure plant watering is effective, minimizing usage through precise watering technique
- Ensure plant feeding is meticulously followed so plant growth is consistent allowing for smooth operational control
- Work with the HM to ensure crop tunnels are well maintained, urgently addressing any issues with plant support, pest damage or fruit spoiling
Fruit Harvesting & Processing:
- Ensure fresh picking is carried out efficiently and with maximum care
- Work with the HM to ensure fresh picking targets are met for the production kitchen & dehydrator
- Accurately record all bulk fruit weights before processing for reliable yield data
- Ensure the dehydrator capacity is maximized and that picking schedules are in sync with the drying process
- Assist the HM in training & supervising temporary fruit pickers
Order Fulfilment:
- Ensure customer expectations are met and quality of all seedlings, plants & fresh chillies is of the highest standard and carry out final inspection before packing
- Make sure plants are correctly supported before packing to limit damages of mail order plants
- Ensure fulfilment deadlines are met for daily orders of plants & fresh chillies
- Communicate seedlings/plant progress with the fulfilment team to schedule pre-order processing
- Provide seedling/plant stock levels to fulfilment for updating on the website
- Ensure stock levels are maintained for packaging materials ie. seedling packs, plant canes etc. and alert the OM to low stock items for re-order
Site Maintenance:
- Ensure the polytunnels are well maintained, communicating any issues with the HM and carrying out repairs when necessary
- Ensure health & safety procedures are adhered to and that any hazards are dealt with urgently ie. trip hazards in the nursery tunnel
- Together with the HM, manage the growing conditions and watering schedule to ensure plant health is maintained ie. watering at weekends during summer, partial-closing of tunnel doors
- Maintain nursery storefront, keeping plants & growing equipment well stocked, ensuring the area is clean & tidy and interacting with customers answering any growing queries they have
- Maintain show tunnel keeping the area clean & tidy with signage clearly visible & canes safely capped, checking beginning & end-of-day and periodically throughout the day during peak season
- Ensure garden beds are well maintained and customer facing areas are kept clean & tidy ie. grass cutting, picking trays/trolleys stored away
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent, Apprenticeship, Graduate
Salary: From £10.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Flexitime
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Store discount
Schedule:
- Flexitime
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Kingsbridge: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
- Gardening: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
Expected start date: 09/06/2023
