Employment
About Our Farm: Green Spark Farm produces vegetables year-round in coastal Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Our farm is certified organic by MOFGA Certification Services, LLC. We employ between four and seven employees on the farm from April to November, and one person year-round in addition to ourselves, the two farmers.
- We run a highly diversified market farm, seeding over 500 plant varieties of both heirloom and contemporary vegetables, flowers, herbs, melons and watermelons.
- We specialize in market farming, winter greens production, retail plant production, and heirloom tomatoes.
- We farm on four total acres (16 tunnels), with over an acre and a quarter of our fields under tunnel space, allowing us to extend our growing season to produce soil-grown greens year-round, and very early crops of tomatoes, cucumbers, and cut flowers (among other crops), standing out at the farmers’ markets with huge displays of fresh vegetables all year.
- We operate 4680 square feet of nursery greenhouse space, producing seedlings, herbs, native plants, pollinator plants, flowering perennials and annual packs, containers and baskets for retail sale to home gardeners.
- Our top markets are the Portland Farmers’ Markets (year-round), our annual Organic Plant Sale in May and June at the farm, and seasonal on-farm stand. We have long-term relationships marketing to our CSA, restaurants, and wholesale accounts.
About Us: 2024 marks our 16th season in business! We met studying Ecological Agriculture in college on the west coast, but came home to Southern Maine to farm in 2009. We are passionate about all aspects of running a successful market farm. We have had seven past employees who have started their own farms after working for us, as well as mentoring two farms in their startup years through MOFGA’s Journeyperson Program.
What we are looking for: We are looking to hire employees who are able to commit to a full time work schedule for the main season from April to November. There is opportunity for two people to stay year-round and work with us producing winter greens and prepping storage crops for market through the winter (3 days/week December through March, when spring season begins again).
Hours: We work 8 hours a day. There is opportunity for more hours. We value a regular schedule of hours so we ourselves and our crew can lead healthy lives off the farm and come to work refreshed and ready each day. The hours at Green Spark Farm are consistently 40-45 hrs a week.
Work: Our work days are filled with harvesting, washing and packing vegetables, preparing cut flowers and retail plants for markets, planting, weeding, potting-up seedlings, and amending beds. Be prepared for fast physical labor in any weather.
- Fridays are harvest and packing days for farmers’ markets, but we often harvest every day in peak season (July and August).
- Monday-Thursday are seeding, transplanting, weeding, and tomato pruning and trellising days.
Pay & Benefits:
- We pay $17.50/hour starting wage.
- Paid time off.
- All the veggies you can eat, and plants for your gardens too.
- We take a ½ day on July 4th and Labor Day is a full day off.
No Housing: There is no housing available on the farm. Rental housing can be found 7-15 minutes from the farm in South Portland, Westbrook, Portland, and Scarborough. Our farm is 8 miles south of the City of Portland.
Professional Development: We want you to come away from your time at Green Spark with farming knowledge, professional development, and transferable job skills to strengthen you and your resume. Professional skill development, leadership and work ethic are part of our job training. If you have questions or special interests, please communicate them to us. We are willing to share everything we know about running a farm business with those serious about farming as a career.
To Apply: Please email with your resume and brief letter of interest with three professional references. We require an on-farm working interview before hire. While farming experience isn’t necessary, we prioritize applicants with the following experience: commercial agricultural experience or equivalent physical labor in construction, carpentry, landscaping, trails crew, etc.
About Us:
www.greensparkfarm.com
www.facebook.com/Greensparkfarm