Organic fruit & veggie farming 

Hiring: Farm worker (1 position)
Farm: Laughing Apple Farm
Start date: September 1 2025

Location: Salt Spring Island BC / 20 mins bike ride to Ganges / 30 min ferry ride to Victoria BC
Housing: On-farm housing  

We are looking for a person to start in September,  work through winter,  and then continue through the 2026 season. We press apples (both our own and the other people's) September - November. We grow greens throughout the winter and do many winter projects in preparation for the next season. We prune our 500+ fruit trees January through March as well as our cane fruit and blueberries. We prep all the outsde beds for winter from September to December. This would be an excellant opportunity for someone who wants to dig deeper into how a farm operates. The winter is always slower and offers more opportunities to solve the problems from the season before. It is a time to plan the next season, fix things, and create new strategies. 

This is a full-time position with salary, on-site housing, and some produce from the farm Preferably you will have worked on a farm for 2 or more seasons growing vegetables according to no-tlll organic practices. While we will consider seasonal workers for this position, we will give more consideration to people with year-round experience on farms.

Laughing Apple Farm is located in a scenic and quiet spot on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. We have been farming here for 28 years and have developed efficient organic methods for producing a diversity of food year-around on a small scale. We have 3 acres under cultivation for vegetables, six greenhouses for year-around production, two 200 square ft heated spaces for year-around production of lettuce and microgreens, 500+ apple trees, ~ 30 plums/pears/peach trees, 70 cherry trees, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. We have a thriving community-supported farm stand, a year-around farm membership program (like a flexible CSA), and we sell locally to some chefs. Our goal is to make delicious, beautiful, and nutritious produce and we are continually working to improve our knowledge and methods so that we grow better food and be better stewards of our land. We think providing food for people who live nearby generates community connection and is a worthy and fulfilling occupation for a lifetime. We try to encourage young people to learn to farm. Laughingapple.com

Our Team:  For September - November we will have 2 field crew, a farm manager, a long time employee, and one of the farm owners. After November we will losse the 2 field crew. We need another person to complete this winter team.

Why would you want to apply for this position:

• We grow a large diversity of crops! If you stay on in 2026 you can learn about and participate in growing almost 40 different crops organically (we are not certified) for local consumption using low till methods.
• You can learn about the whole cycle — from seed to plate — of growing edible plants: seeding, transplanting, soil care and maintenance, methods of soil preparation, mulching, irrigation systems, harvesting, cleaning and preparation for sale, and marketing the produce.
• You can interact with enthusiastic customers – Salt Spring Island has a tradition of supporting small local farms and has a creative and interesting community.
• You can learn about apple pressing on a commercial scale as we press both our own apples and many other people’s apples on the island in the fall.
• You can learn to prune fruit trees, cane fruit and blueberries
• We have a flock of 50 chickens - you can learn to care for and raise
• Throughout the year there are opportunities to learn about: bee keeping, haying, irrigation systems, shop tools,  fruit trees and cane fruit.
• Salt Spring Island has a beautiful natural environment with places to hike and explore all year around.
• Winters are mild 
• There are opportunities to visit other farms on the island – Salt Spring Island has a vibrant farm community.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Pay starts at $20 per hour with the possibility of increase over time with more responsibility, plus:
• Affordable on-site housing — either in a shared furnished two-bedroom house (available September 1), or a clean, modern RV (not shared- available December 1).  
• Garden space is available to grow your own food during the 2026 season
• Some food is provided (organic flour, rice, oats, beans), plus fruit and veggie seconds from the farm 
• WorkSafe(BC) coverage is provided.

Preferred qualifications...

• 2-3 seasons of experience with producing crops according to organic practices
• Some experience of over-wintering on a farm
• Some experience with power tools and shop tools
• Be able to work quickly in a fast-paced environment with humor, compassion and efficiency

• Ability to concentrate and attention to details
• Physical and mental endurance – be able to work standing, kneeling, bending, lifting repeatedly
• Be flexible and adaptable when situations change
• Know how to take care of yourself – get enough rest, food and water – and be able to communicate your limits
• Be able to lift 50 pounds
• Have experience working outdoors – both on nice days and in heat/rain/cold
• Have the ability to work together with others as a team member
• Be able to work efficiently (your work pace is still fast) on your own
• Please, no smokers! Our farm has a no smoking policy (of any substance) anywhere on the property

Hours: Work week most of the year is M-F 9 am – 5:30 pm, with a ½ hour unpaid lunch break. During the hottest part of the summer, hours may be different to allow you to work in a cooler part of the day. In the winter it’s 9 – 4 pm.

Housing: This position comes with affordable on-site housing in a shared furnished two-bedroom house, or non-shared housing in a clean, modern RV at a subsidized rate. The house has two bedrooms, a shared bathroom, fully-equipped kitchen and common space. The RV is clean and modern with electric and propane heat, fully equipped kitchen and private bathroom. For both accommodations, Internet, electricity, water, sewer, local land-line calls are included. No smoking or pets and no recreational drugs on the property. 

Apply: 

Please send a resume and cover letter to Mary, mlaucks@telus.net . Please describe why you want to work here, and what you feel you would bring to this position. How does this job fit into your life’s plan? Please mention that you saw this on FoodWork.ca.

Questions?

Email Mary: mlaucks@telus.net

This posting will remain open until filled. If the posting is still here, the position is still open. Must be eligible to work in Canada.