Organic market gardening

We are hiring for 3 positions for 2026!

Position: Organic Market Gardener
Farm: Sundance Harvest

Location: Mount Forest (an hour from Guelph), Ontario
Rental Accommodation Option Provided: There is a second floor in our farmhouse which has a separate side entrance, is fully furnished, there are two private bedrooms. The second floor also contains a full bath, living room and kitchen. There's a laundry room on the first floor as well as high speed fibre internet.

Compensation: $23/hr
Term: Early April to end of October

Hours: 30 hours a week, with 4 shifts a week at 7.5 hrs each (can be flexible for more hours)

About Sundance Harvest

Sundance Harvest is a living wage employer and 2 acre market garden that grows a diverse array of cut-flowers and vegetables using organic practices. In 2026 we are expanding our flower operation up to 1/2 acre of flowers with about half of that being perennial cut flowers. If you are interested in cut-flower production, this could be a great oppournity to see one start up. We have two farm locations as a farm business. One which is the main 2 acre production farm in Mount Forest and another which is more of a smaller demonstration market garden in collaboration with the non-profit Sundance Commons at Woodbine Racetrack in Rexdale. This site is managed by Chelsea, who is heading into their 3rd season with us. We are excited to continue to grow into our new farm this coming year and inviting new team members on board this year. To read more about Sundance Harvest and more please check out the press archive here.

Sundance Harvest, a farm business started in 2019 and owned by Cheyenne, bought a new farm in August of 2024 after leasing a over a few years. With that move came in 2025 the addition of six caterpillar tunnels, two greenhouses, a small additional backyard nursery greenhouse, about 1.5 acre market garden in production, multiple sales channels and a budding flower farm. Heading into 2026 we will carry on attending Toronto Farmers Markets, producing vegetables for a Community Supported Agriculture boxes, start up our new flower CSA and growing great crops for our wholesale accounts. We are priortizing season extension moving forward to really extend our growing season and offering more shoulder season work for returning staff, hence the infastructured noted above. If you are interested in learning about growing during the colder months, you will have the ability to learn about these tunnels/greenhouses and how we produce crop during those months.

Beyond participation in the farm, crew members have the chance to meet cool people and participate within the sister world of Harvest - Sundance Commons. Commons is an agricultural non-profit which provides land access, tools, training, infrastructure, mentorship and more to new farmers who may face barriers to entry into agriculture at no cost to them. Commons manages 5 farm locations in southwestern Ontario and conducts numerous hands-on and amazing farm training workshops throughout the season. This non-profit was co-founded by Cheyenne and her best friend/mentor Jon Gagnon in 2023. We have social gatherings, harvest events at our orchard site and lots of intermingling amongst those within the Commons universe so there’s connections to be had! Commons is also a member of the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts. Cheyenne works for both Harvest and Commons. There are other members of Sundance Harvest such as Nico who does the same (our market staff and seen below eating an apple donning his sunhat). If you are curious about collectives, our incubation model and radical land access you are more than welcome to ask questions and Cheyenne is happy to share any knowedge she can on how both entites have started as she is invovled deeply.

Some of the Commons members, at a orchard day in which some Sundance Harvest staff attended :) There's lots of socializing to be had in the season.

For both of the Sundance Harvest farm locations, we grow using organic methods and with low-till practices. We don’t use pesticides, even organic ones as I find it more of a hassle than using insect netting. We primarily use hand tools and a permanent bed system 30 inch wide by 100 feet long. We utilize landscape fabric as much as possible to prevent excessive labour being spent toward weeding. Compost and other amendments are mainstays within our system. A lot of what we do is human first in terms of our design rather than tractor mechanized or technologically driven hence our disinterest in fully automated or AI greenhouses/nursery systems.

About the Position

Farm Crew members are the foundation of Sundance Harvest’s sustainable success as a farm. All farm crew members play a crucial role in all aspects of food production including seeding, transplanting, cultivating, harvesting and packing produce.This position starts out as physically demanding field work in April and May which consists of many tasks but not limited to prepping beds, spreading compost, amending beds, laying landscape fabric, skinning caterpillar tunnels, transplanting and harvesting. From June to the end of September the tasks are primarily focused on harvesting, transplanting and some weeding of the open beds (those without landscape fabric such as baby greens and roots). In October the tasks are mainly around field clean up and prep for the following year with harvesting still occurring. Both cut-flower production and vegetable production will include you at the farm. The chosen employee(s) must be able to lift up to 50 lbs as part of regular job duties.

The shifts in the shoulder seasons (April and October) start at 8am normally. During the main season which is from May to end of September work starts at 7am or earlier during periods of heat waves such as starting at sunrise. Alternatively, shifts can be pushed back, rescheduled or shortened if needed due to extreme heat alerts if desired. Lunch breaks are unpaid, you are welcome to take a longer break such as an hour if desired. We use a punch in/out clock so it's fairly straightforward. The majority of the field work will be supervised by the manager and Cheyenne will be around during shifts managing the wash pack or greenhouse nusery.

Farm Training and Check-Ins

New crew members are trained primarily by the manager and Cheyenne. Training takes place by written, verbal and/or demonstration. For the first two weeks there will be an emphasis on working alongside new crew members by both the manager and Cheyenne. There will be an expectation for new crew members to work efficiently independently when the work tasks require it . After the initial two weeks is completed, though the manager will be there to answer questions and/or provide support throughout your shift. One on One check-ins will take place throughout the season, mostly on a monthly basis. Larger team meetings will take place as needed as we have daily check-ins in the morning already.

How to Apply

Sundance Harvest is committed to creating a diverse environment and is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive thoughtful consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity of expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability and age. Sundance Harvest encourages applicants of all backgrounds to apply.

Please send a resume with only relevant work experience to sundanceharvest@gmail.com . Letters of interest are suggested to be sent too.

Those who are applying should feel confident in their ability to work efficiently during their shift while keeping pace with the team/managers and to work alongside others in a team in a healthy communicative manner. If you have worked in fast paced kitchens, fast food or repetitive manual labour such as landscaping some of those skills are transferable. You do not need farming experience to apply, though it’s an asset!

To have your application considered, please answer the following questions below in your Letter of Interest.

• Please share five things you think people should know about living/working with you.
• Are you seeking to rent as well? If so we will send you our PDF with photos and more info.
• Please express what your work style is and the ideal workplace for you.
• What do you find meaningful and are passionate about in your life?
• We sometimes receive wage subsidies for youth under 30 (defined by the funder), are you under 30? It’s okay if not!

Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca.

We cannot accomodate pets for those who will chose to live here. There are currently two cats under 2 years old who live in the house, we do not have the capacity for any other pet animals to live in the house. There are some barn cats who live on the farm outside too. Pets such as dogs are not permitted on the farm.

Only applicants who are permitted to work in Canada can be considered.

It is not feasible for us to reply to everyone who applies, we can only reply to candidates who will be interviewed. Interviews will be done on video and will include Cheyenne showing you around the farm and the upstairs portion of the house so you can get an idea of what everything looks like. We may offer a paid 3-5 hour trial shift during the interview process to better get to know you, that would take place in December/January/Feburary in our greenhouses/tunnels primarily.

Thank you for reading :)