FEATURED JOB OPENING: Agricultural Worker and Caretaker (Couple) - Orleans, CA

Job Description

Nursery/Farm Worker - We are looking for 2 dynamic, diligent and hard working people to come live and work with us at our robust homestead and thriving family-run online nursery business, Fruitwood Nursery. As a member of a small team, this position is multi-faceted. You would be integral to the stewardship of our exceptionally diverse collection (plantings) of fruiting trees, bushes, vines and native plants, our large subsistence gardens,as well as to the operation of our online nursery business. The nature of this work is seasonal and flexible, and the workload and responsibilities reflect that seasonality. Full time work is available November- June and more part time (25-30 hours per week) July-October.

Roles & Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Field Work - March-Sept:

·        Cultivating with heavy hoe, fertilizing and harvesting 3 acres of perennial fruit trees, bushes and vines. 

·        Planting, cultivating and harvesting large subsistence annual vegetable gardens

Pruning - Nov-Jan:

·        Dormant season pruning of all deciduous perennial plants in a 3 acre mixed orchard

o   This includes over several hundred  fruit trees ranging from full size to more intensively planted compact trees. Requiring working on 8-10 ft. orchard ladders in cool-cold weather.

Nursery Work - Jan-April: 

·        Collecting scions and rooted plugs for customer orders.

·        Packing customer orders to prepare for shipment.

·        Propagating plants for nursery via cuttings and seed

·        Cutting prunings to size for sale as scion wood

*All nursery work done outside and in open-air sheds, often in cold and wet weather conditions*

Homestead work - seasonal and ongoing as needed

·        Brush piling, chipping, fencing, irrigation and general maintenance

·        Mucking animal pens

·        Mowing and vegetation management

·        Care for large subsistence annual gardens

 Housing Rent exchange and Caretaking

·        In exchange for 8 hours of work per person per week, we offer a 12X18  naturally built two story, two bedroom home with 2 covered porches, propane stove, wood heated outdoor shower, indoor heating via wood cook stove, washing machine and detached composting privy, as well as a generous portion of farm vegetables, fruit, and various products.

·        Animal chores 1-2 days a week per person about 30 min -1 hour, morning and evening. Includes caring for mixed poultry flock, and 10-20 head goat herd. On chore days you keep the animal products you collect such as eggs and milk

·        Caretaking responsibilities when we’re gone-generally no more than a month spread out for the year shared with another caretaker.

Experience and Expectations:

·        At least 1 year related gardening, agriculture, nursery or field work experience

·        Preferably some Pruning experience

·        Is comfortable with and enjoys the challenges of working physically in the outdoors

·        Availability to work outside in cold winter and hot summer conditions.

·        Availability to work up to 40 hours a week generally during our busiest season December-April.

·        Ability to lift 50 lbs.

·        Ability to comfortably and safely work from 8-10 ft orchard ladders for pruning and harvesting.

·        Experience with rustic and remote living conditions. Orleans is a small, remote community, and winter can sometimes prevent easy travel. 

Compensation

·        We offer compensation starting at $17.00-20.00/hour depending on experience.