The farm has 66 hectares of strawberries, which are all grown on table tops in poly tunnels.
Work to be undertaken includes planting, tunnel construction, picking, packing, weeding and some general farm work. Before commencing work you will have an induction and health and safety training. On the first day of your work you will be trained for the job you will be doing.
PLANTING AND TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION
We start the season by planting strawberries between February and April. Planting usually is on a piecework basis (per metre). Work will involve heavy lifting, so a good level of physical fitness is required. You will need to work outside in all weather conditions hence you are required to have waterproof clothing and footwear. Please note that this job would not be suitable for those who cannot fulfil the heavy lifting and physical demands that the work requires.
PICKING
The harvesting season runs between May till late October. Picking strawberries is on a piecework basis (per tray). During the summer months the picking day starts very early ( about 5am). You will be working in teams of 5 pickers on a freely chosen basis. If you are not happy in your team, you can change it once a week on a Thursday. All team members pick in one tunnel and the total amount of trays picked is divided amongst them. Good level of physical fitness and motivation is required for this job as work is outdoors, at times in poor weather. High level of finger dexterity is required. Please note, that if you don’t have a good level of physical fitness and suffer from fruit allergies, you might not be suited to this work.
PACKING
Packing takes place in our state of the art Packhouse from May until late October. Packing strawberries is on an individual piecework basis (per punnet), which means the more you pack the more you earn. There are not set working hours in the Packhouse as the working day is dictated by the fruit availability, customer orders, delivery slots and fruit quality. If you wish to work in the Packhouse you need to be extremely flexible, with strong work ethic, hardworking, reliable and responsible as we aim to maintain the highest levels of hygiene and quality of the product we despatch daily to major supermarkets across UK. Good level of physical fitness and motivation is required for this job as work is in a fast paced environment. High level of finger dexterity is required. Please note, that if you don’t have a good level of physical fitness and suffer from fruit allergies, you might not be suited to this work.
GENERAL FARM WORK
During the season there will be times when you will be asked to do general farm work such as weeding, runner cutting etc.