Fruit Tree Nursery Assistant job description

Elmore Roots Fruit Tree Nursery Assistant Job Description

About Elmore Roots

We are a small certified organic nursery with a big heart and over 40 years of experience. The farm is family owned and operated along with a devoted, friendly crew of plant lovers. The nursery, located in the rolling hills of Elmore, is a unique landscape made up of food forests, fruit groves, native plants, a high tunnel, state-of-the-art gravel beds and more. 

Our mission is “To be a nourishing place for the earth, the customer, our crew, and the life all around us by growing and offering the hardiest and most productive plants possible.”

In our efforts to help customers realize their vision of a home orchard or berry patch,   we’ve sourced, tested and propagated the cultivars that do best in our northern climate. 

We propagate many of our plants from our own orchards, as well as partner with trusted distributors. Our fruit trees are grafted onto the hardiest rootstock known.

Nursery Assistant Job Summary

Our goal is to create a healthy, respectful place to learn and do work that helps make the world better. We value being part of a team that is gentle, kind, and considerate and that cares about the quality of our plants, our customers and each other. 

Tasks vary season-to-season and even day-to-day based on weather, customer needs, planting jobs, harvest season and more. The job is never boring or too repetitive! 

The Nursery Assistant works closely with a seasoned employee and sometimes on independent projects to perform a variety of the following tasks:

Order Fulfillment and Planting Jobs: Selecting and stabilizing plants to be picked up or shipped out. Planting jobs are off-site in neighboring towns. 

Groundskeeping: Digging, Fencing, irrigation, general clean-up, mowing (push-behind mower), trellising and maintaining farm equipment/tools such as golf carts, wheelbarrows and tractor. 

Plant Care: weeding, mulching, fertilizing, pruning, potting, propagating, harvesting, building new planting beds, inventory upkeep, pest/plant disease control and more. 

Customer Service: Helping customers in person and occasionally by phone/email with questions and concerns. Assure customers feel welcomed and supported. 

Qualifications

- Reliability is first and foremost! 

- An ability to work independently as well as collaboratively. 

- A person who is gentle and respectful, and also has a good sense of humor!  

- A willingness and preparedness to work outdoors in all weather conditions. 

- An ability to occasionally lift heavy trees and/or bags of planting materials (around 

  50 lb) into trucks for deliveries.       

- An ability to use farm tools such as shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, lawn mowers, etc.

- Must be able to work some Sundays as needed (See schedule below).

Elmore Roots is an Equal Opportunity Employer that supports diversity and inclusion. 

Schedule

2024 season dates: Approximately March 26 - Nov 20. A full-time work week at Elmore Roots ranges between 30-35 hours per week.

Our work centers around a five-day work week – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sundays– typically from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Lunch is ½ hour*. Some flexibility is required due to the nature of farming, weather, and a customer-centered seasonal business. Sometimes employees may be asked to start earlier or stay later. *Once or twice a week, the crew will eat together.

Sundays are an important day in the spring months of April, May and June and you will definitely be asked to work on some Sundays. This will be planned out as best as possible. Sometimes extenuating circumstances and the nature of being a farm makes this difficult.

Also, please note that historically Sunday is the day when families and many customers come to Elmore Roots as it is the one day we are open on the weekend. Elmore Roots is closed on Saturdays because of spiritual practice.

Compensation and Benefits

The Nursery Assistant, if committing full-time for the entire 2024 season, will be paid $17/hr which raises to $17.50/hr after a successful first month. 

Full time employees receive a 20% discount on plants and 10% discount on other nursery items such as tools. Full-time employees are also given one paid day off of their choosing in September. Employees receive a large amount of certified organic, locally grown winter storage vegetables towards the end of the season.

Employees are eligible for unemployment benefits during the off season.

How to Apply

Please send a brief cover letter, resume and three references by email to elmorerootsishiring@gmail.com. Position is open until filled. No phone calls please. 

Thank you for your interest in working at Elmore Roots!