Senior Grower, market garden, Lewes, Sussex
About the role
Flint Owl Farm is a 2-acre no-dig market garden just outside Lewes, East Sussex. The garden was set up to provide a field-to-fork chain for our bakery kitchen at Flint Owl Bakery in Lewes. We grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers without pesticides, mainly for our production kitchen and for retail at our three shops/cafes. The position ideally starts mid-to-late September, though October is possible. The role is full-time but may transition to part-time over winter.
Our focus is on heritage and unusual varieties, and you will collaborate with our head chef on seasonal menu planning. You will be encouraged to select varieties for flavor and culinary use rather than yield. We also grow and sell cut flowers on a small scale for our shops. The position requires constant communication with our kitchen and offers an excellent opportunity to see how your produce is used as part of an amazing field-to-fork operation.
Responsibilities
- Crop planning and selection of varieties for flavor
- Soil care and bed preparation
- Composting
- Green manures
- Maintenance of wood chip paths
- Weed control
- Management of the crop lifecycle
- Propagation
- Planting
- Crop care
- Managing pests and diseases
- Harvesting
Requirements
- Experience with no-dig, regenerative farming, organic, or biodynamic methods of growing
- More than 3 years of practical growing experience in a market garden or similar small-scale commercial farm
- Genuine interest in a sustainable approach to growing food and flowers
- High level of planning and organization
- Ability to work outdoors in all weathers (physically demanding role)
- Ability to multi-task, demonstrate good organizational skills, and work alone some days
- Own reliable transport (public transport is extremely limited)
Pay
Salary depending on experience, £27,000–£30,000 pro rata.