The Company manages a 37.25 ha site comprising grassland, vineyards, woodlands, landscaped areas, kitchen garden and lakes using sustainable an eco-friendly methodologies.  Our vision for the future is a destination which provides the end user with a varied visual, physical and sensual experiences.

Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity to join an expanding team where you will take ownership of developing a varied and interesting productive garden on this beautiful farm and retreat in a stunning position on the Jurassic coast.  You will liaise with the Managing Director and Shareholders with a view to ensuring the development of a kitchen garden, ornamental garden and foraging area in line with new ideas, techniques and organic practices and methods. You will be an integral part of the Louma team striving to achieve the Company vision.

The Role

Working with, and directly reporting to the Managing Director, you will be involved in all aspects of the development, production and maintenance of both kitchen and ornamental gardens on the farm and retreat.

Duties will include:

• All general garden operations: cultivating, propagation, managing a pest and disease control plan using organic practices, crop raising, maintenance and harvesting;
• Reclaim garden following years of no management;
• Design, develop and maintain a kitchen garden, ornamental garden and foraging area;
• General garden maintenance, ensuring the site is tidy and safe for all visitors and staff;
• Equipment maintenance: maintaining a high level of servicing for all machinery and equipment;
• Responsible for stock take of garden items – consumables and assets;
• Organic practices: ensuring all practices meet with organic requirements and vision;
• Ensuring that work is carried out correctly and that assistance is provided to workers or contactors where necessary, always ensuring that everyone is treated with respect;
• The ability to provide and work within allocated budgets;
• Ability to identify and evaluate any foreseeable problems in the garden and recommend timely and economic solutions;
• Work with on site Chefs and Groundskeeper.

The Person

The position would suit a talented gardener with a genuine passion for the production of fruit and vegetables, common and otherwise using eco-friendly methodologies.  To be successful in this role you will need to demonstrate a hunger to experiment with new produce where possible, have a strong attention to detail, show that you can work on your own initiative or as part of a team, motivated, excellent time keeping and ability to create and maintain good working relationships as well as:

• Minimum of 2 years experience as a Kitchen/Ornamental Gardener, or as an Assistant Gardener;
• Experience of garden planning, design, establishment and maintenance;
• Experience of designing, establishment and maintenance of foraging areas;
• Knowledge of horticultural pests and diseases and organic practices for managing them.
• Whilst a Horticultural qualification is not a mandatory requirement, it will set applicants apart. If you do not have a formal qualification but have built a comparable level of understanding/experience, please describe how you have gained this;
• A1 and PA6 spray certificates.
• Full eligibility to work in the UK;
• A valid UK driving licence;
• Good skills with Microsoft software packages, in particular word and excel;
• Good written and spoken English;
• A willingness to perform all functions required to ensure that the gardens operate effectively;
• A strong and proven work ethic;
• Decision-making skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, whether with the employer, the seasonal workforce or the public;

The Team

The employers are a young family who are living out a lifelong passion to develop a farm and retreat business with a vineyard and kitchen garden within it. There is an expanding team already in place and you will join as part of the founding team.  This is an exciting time for the project. We are enthusiastic, hardworking, dynamic, creative and like to do things well and with integrity.

You will join a hardworking and motivated team who are supportive and collaborative, whilst at the same time focused on delivering their individual responsibilities.  You will have the opportunity to learn new skills as well as develop existing ones.  This is an exciting time to be joining the business as you will have the opportunity to grow with us and have an input on how we operate.

Tagged as: foraging garden, kitchen garden, ornamental garden experience