Urban Farmer Position

Love & Carrots is DC’s foremost urban farming and edible landscaping company. We design, install and maintain organic urban farms, vegetable gardens, and native landscapes across DC, MD, and VA. Through our garden care & coaching program we provide expert garden maintenance, guidance, and education in almost 150 gardens every year, helping connect people to their food and inspiring local food production and farming inside the beltway. Since our inception in 2011 we've installed over 500 gardens and our clients include residents, local restaurants, and community organizations throughout the DMV.

The Job:

Our Urban Farmers are responsible for the maintenance of our clients’ organic vegetable gardens, ensuring that they are beautiful and productive!  On an average day they travel to 3-4 gardens, primarily residential, and maintain between 20-30 gardens over the course of a two-week period. New staff members also have the opportunity to work with senior staff on larger farm projects and garden installations, schedule permitting.  Farmers work independently, driving from garden to garden, to perform all necessary garden tasks, and are supported remotely by our office crew and in the field by a team of experienced senior farmers. Our service area ranges throughout the beltway area, but daily routes are limited to specific neighborhoods to minimize travel time. Each farmer is provided with a kit containing all tools needed to maintain gardens.

Maintenance tasks include:

• Amending soil, fertilizing.
• Seeding, planting, weeding, pruning, harvesting and applying organic pest control practices.
• Trellising, irrigation repair and management.
• Ensuring the area in and around the garden is neat and well maintained.
• Tracking visit details on iPad with our data management software.
• Engaging with clients: teaching, sending recap emails, answering questions, receiving client feedback and applying to garden.

Necessary Qualifications:

•  At least one full season of experience working on a farm or in a community garden.
• A valid driver's license and working personal vehicle required.
• The ability to lift at least 50 lbs; the job is physically demanding.
• Knowledge of proper harvesting, weeding, transplanting, pest/disease ID, sowing, fertilization and rotation/succession planting techniques.
• The ability to think on your feet and come up with solutions to common garden issues on the spot (minor trellising/irrigation repairs, etc) without immediate assistance.
• Experience with carpentry, landscaping a plus (hardscapes, raised bed building, etc.)
• Proactive, friendly, and prompt communication through phone and email.
• Comfortable teaching adults and children gardening basics (using our supplied curriculum.)
• Attention to detail and organization.

Compensation:

•  $115/day, depending on experience.
• Benefits include health insurance, and paid time off.
• Mileage Reimbursement for use of your personal vehicle on garden routes.
• Opportunity for seasonal bonuses, based on performance.
• Our office/headquarters has an on-site vegetable garden for staff use.

Interested? Email a brief letter of interest and resume to: Garden@loveandcarrots.com