Head Gardener Job in Virginia at Local Food Project, 2012

Head Gardener Job Opportunity in Virginia at Local Food Project, 2012 Title: Head Gardener Location: Airlie Center, Warrenton, Virginia Type: Salaried, full-time, year-round position Compensation: Pay commensurate with experience. *Job Description:* The Local Food Project at Airlie is seeking a Head Gardener for its four-acre organic vegetable garden located at Airlie Conference Center (www.airlie.com) in Warrenton, Virginia, one-hour southwest of Washington, DC. The Local Food Project at Airlie is designed to demonstrate the benefits of eating local food and supporting local farmers by producing many of the vegetables served in the conference center. The Project aims not only to offer fresh, sustainably produced food to Airlie’s guests, who come from across the nation and the world to attend conferences at Airlie’s world-class facilities, but also to provide guests with opportunities to learn more about sustainable agriculture in local food systems.

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The Head Gardener is responsible for maintaining all aspects of the vegetable garden and its hoophouse using sustainable and organic methods and delivering the resulting food to the conference center’s kitchen. This work includes determining the vegetable mix in conjunction with the Center’s chef, developing planting schedules and crop rotations, maintaining soil fertility, planting, harvesting and composting waste from the Center’s kitchen.

The Gardener is also responsible for developing and conducting educational programs for Airlie Center’s guests, including garden tours as well as discussions and seminars about sustainable agriculture and local food systems.

*Qualifications:*

This is a salaried, full-time, year-round position. Applicants should have knowledge of and experience with all aspects of growing vegetables sustainably and organically. Their experience should include management responsibility for developing and carrying out plans for a full growing season. Applicants should also have a significant understanding of the issues surrounding organic and sustainable agriculture and the importance of local food systems as well as an ability to communicate those issues both orally and in writing.

*Compensation:*
Pay commensurate with experience.

*Start Date:*
March 2012

*Application Procedure:*
Please submit a cover letter and résumé to Breanna Detwiler at bdetwiler@airlie.com.