Head Gardener
Job Number: 10003
Contract
| Toronto, Ontario
| Posted on Mar 01, 2018
POSITION:
Lead Gardener, full time April to November/December (weather dependent)
LOCATION
Downtown Toronto and client locations throughout the City
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
The Backyard Urban Farm Company (BUFCO) is an award winning, family-run, organic vegetable landscaping company that designs, installs, plants and maintains edible gardens for residential and commercial clients throughout Toronto. Our mission is to ignite people’s passion for growing their own food and to help them reconnect with nature.
We are looking for inspired, skilled, committed and self-motivated nature-lovers to join us on our quest to make the world a better place, one beautiful vegetable garden at a time. If our mission excites you, and you are driven to provide excellence in every endeavor, then BUFCO is the home for you.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Your primary responsibility as a BUFCO Gardener is to plant and maintain beautiful, bountiful, incredible edible gardens and some ornamental gardens, using organic growing methodologies and sustainable practices, and to guide and coach our clients on basic vegetable garden care.
Vegetable gardening is new to many of our clients who will look to you for guidance, information, and inspiration. They will rely on you to provide the highest quality work with great attention to detail, and to bring a strong, unique aesthetic to their garden. You will lead children and adults of all ages in formal and informal garden, and possibly classroom, environments.
The Lead Gardener will report directly to the Company Owners. You will guide your gardening team member(s) in their daily routines, taking detailed notes of work accomplished and materials used during every client visit, help to maintain and organize client folders, and assist in other garden care, administrative, and organizational tasks as requested.
- You must have a valid G-class license and clean driving record in order to apply for this position. You will be required to produce an up-to-date driver’s abstract.
- As you will be working with children, those with disabilities, and the elderly, a police check will be required. You must have a clean criminal record with no convictions or pending charges.
QUALIFICATIONS
- An experienced gardener with horticulture training
- Experience working with edible plants
- Experience as a team leader in the field
- Knowledge of, and practical experience with organic gardening methodologies including
- Companion planting
- Crop rotation
- Integrated pest management and disease prevention/management
- Soil maintenance, management, and amending
- Demonstrable ability to recognize and identify a wide variety of
- Edible and Ornamental plants
- Beneficial and invasive insects
- Viral, bacterial, and fungal diseases
- Tech and smart phone savvy
- Knowledge of, or interest in Permaculture an asset
- First Aid and Health and Safety training is highly beneficial
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Plant, maintain and harvest gardens
- Supervise and lead your team with clear direction and supportive feedback, while maintaining your own self-directed work
- Help create and maintain client planting plans and folders
- Track daily schedule and garden information using LMN software (training provided)
- Some client coaching and instruction of both adults and children
- Maintain good working condition of all gardening tools, supplies, storage facilities,
- Keep the gardening vehicle clean, organized, and presentable
- Care and maintenance of seedlings in our greenhouse as needed
- Maintain inventories of seed, seedlings, and various gardening inputs
- Some participation in trade shows and farmer’s markets may be required
- All BUFCO employees may be required to participate in larger garden installations
- You may be required to complete up to five hours of on line health and safety training before employment commences
SKILLS and ASSETS
- Passionate about growing food, urban agriculture and the good food movement
- Love of the outdoors, rain or shine
- Physically fit, able to repeatedly lift and move loads of up to 50 pounds
- Ability to lead and motivate your team using a variety of techniques as situationally required
- Confident behind the wheel of a variety of vehicles, including small trucks/vans
- A creative thinker with a keen eye for aesthetics
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, an excellent listener
- Highly organized with meticulous attention to detail
- Safe and proper use of a wide variety of hand gardening tools and implements
- Safe and proper use of a small variety of hand-held power tools (drills, impact drivers)
- Solution oriented thinker, a creative problem solver who can think on their feet.
- Able to maintain neat, tidy, and safe workspaces
- Reliable and punctual
- Photography skills are an asset
To apply please send your resume and cover letter to info@bufco.ca. Attached documents must be in .pdf, .doc, .docx, or .pages formats. We will not look at .zip files.
We appreciate the interest of all who apply, however only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.
Job summary
Company
The Backyard Urban Farm Company
Job Type
Contract
Location
Toronto, Ontario
Start Date
Apr 09, 2018