We’re Hiring for the 2025 Farm Season!
Please email iris@longsgardens.com after reading if you’d like consideration in joining our farm crew in 2025!
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Long’s Gardens is a third generation family owned iris farm a mile from downtown Boulder, CO. We are a non-certified organic operation, utilizing cover crops, grazing animals, and human power to achieve our goals – never chemicals.
Our team is comprised of three year-round staff with 3-5 seasonal employees (that’s where you come in!). Our main season consists of a two-month ‘bloom season’ where we are open to the public seven days a week – this is a U-dig operation where customers come to the farm and dig up their own iris plants (the rhizomes and flowers). The remaining five months of employment is focused on dividing and transplanting for both mail orders and future years, among all kinds of other farm adventures.
JOB DESCRIPTION
1+ full season on a vegetable or flower farm preferred. (Don’t have this yet? No problem, happy to train the right people.)
Ability to do farm work happily
Excellent manual dexterity
Customer service skills and the ability to stay calm under pressure
A valid driver’s license isn’t necessary for the responsibilities of the job, but reliable transportation (personal or public) is critical to ensure consistency of presence.
Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to house employees on the farm at this time. Due to the fact that housing in Boulder is in high demand we will be prioritizing candidates that have secure housing within a 45-minute commute of the farm.
Can lift up to fifty (50) lbs solo
Prior experience with hand and mechanized farm/garden tools preferable
Personal Attributes That Are a Good Fit for Us:
Energetic but balanced in your approach
Highly adaptable
Punctual, reliable, honest, and kind
Interested in organic flower farming
Willingness to work in all kinds of weather and dress accordingly (although we do tend to resist working in the fields when they are soaked through to avoid compaction)
Willingness to speak up and voice concerns as they arise.
COMPENSATION
$15.75/hr starting wage, happy to pay more for experience.
SCHEDULE
Our bloom season is scheduled from mid-April to mid-June, 2024. We are open seven days a week during this time, 9am-5pm. The weekends and holidays are always the busiest, although customers show up consistently throughout the week. You can work up to 40-hours during this period with at least one weekend day a necessity.
The month before bloom season and the four months beyond it are flexible, and we tend to drop our on-farm hours to around 30-35, although that doesn’t have to happen if you prefer to work 40. The periods outside of bloom are also largely dependent on weather. During this time, we are reasonably flexible with scheduling with the proper notice and can accommodate almost any schedule.
THE FARM
The Long’s Gardens property encompasses twenty-five acres just north of downtown Boulder. This is truly urban agriculture. The job will take place primarily on the western half, comprising approximately fourteen acres. An occasional foray down to our partner’s half (Growing Gardens) may occur.
There is a small (<15) dairy goat herd on the property that we use for nutrient management, soil health improvement, and educational purposes. Although never absolutely necessary, occasional handling of a (150lb) goat may be requested. And perhaps a (goat) kid or two…
RESPONSIBILITIES
Learn best practices for individual tasks while taking care to your own style of work
Contribute to the efficiency and productivity of the farm
Keep a patient and kind attitude with customers who frequently have questions on the mechanical, cultural, and ecological nature of iris plants (we’ll teach you this)
Taking payment from customers during bloom season through: Square POS, cash handling, and checks
Keep pace with the Director of Farm Ops and work both independently and as a group.
Take part in all aspects of growing including but not limited to: transplanting, seeding, pruning, clipping, growing, watering, weeding, fertilizing, harvesting, and planting – among other things.
Maintain clean and functional workspaces.
Take part in small construction/repair projects throughout the season.
We recently started experimenting with cut flowers on a small plot as well. We maintain these beds almost exclusively for our own internal use (aka, you’ll probably get weekly bouquets from late July through September – we try and do Floral Fridays frequently where we escape the heat and spend the last hours of the week arranging and designing)
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Email: iris@longsgardens.com
Subject line: Field Crew Application, (your name)
Please tell us a little bit about yourself in the email, answering any or all of the following:
Why are you interested in Long’s Gardens and/or urban agriculture?
What previous experience are you bringing to this position?
What are your short-term and long-term personal goals related to farming and agriculture?
Do you have any mechanical, carpentry or other technical experience?
Please tell us something interesting about yourself (hobbies, obsessions, talents, etc.)?
Feel free to attach a resume as well!
