Southside Blooms
Location: Chicago, IL
Type: Part Time / Seasonal (depending on need)
Southside Blooms is a social enterprise cut flower farm based on Chicago’s South Side. The organization focuses on sustainable urban agriculture, workforce development, and creating meaningful employment opportunities while growing high-quality flowers for local markets and events.
The Farm Production Assistant supports daily farm operations across flower production, harvesting, post-harvest handling, and general farm maintenance. This role is hands-on, physically active, and ideal for someone who enjoys working outdoors, cares about sustainable agriculture, and is motivated by community impact.
You will work closely with farm leadership and production teams to ensure crops are grown, harvested, and processed efficiently and to high quality standards.
Assisting with planting, weeding, irrigating, and maintaining flower crops
Supporting greenhouse and field production tasks across multiple growing stages
Harvesting flowers at proper maturity and handling them with care for quality preservation
Processing, cleaning, and bunching flowers for storage and distribution
Maintaining farm infrastructure, tools, and workspaces
Following established production schedules and crop plans
Helping with pest and disease monitoring under guidance
Supporting delivery preparation and occasional market/event prep
Upholding safety, cleanliness, and organization across all farm areas
Qualifications
Ability to perform physically demanding outdoor work in all weather conditions
Comfort with repetitive tasks, lifting (up to ~40 lbs), and standing for long periods
Reliability, punctuality, and strong work ethic
Willingness to learn and follow detailed instructions
Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
Experience in farming, horticulture, landscaping, or greenhouse work
Familiarity with cut flower production or small-scale agriculture
Interest in sustainable agriculture, food systems, or community development
This role is primarily outdoors and in greenhouse environments. Conditions may include heat, cold, mud, rain, and fast-paced seasonal workloads. Work is hands-on and requires attention to detail, especially during harvest and post-harvest handling.
Training in flower farming and sustainable agriculture practices
Opportunity to grow within a mission-driven organization
Exposure to urban agriculture, distribution systems, and floral design workflows
Potential for advancement into lead farm or production roles
Southside Blooms is committed to inclusive hiring practices and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. We value lived experience, community connection, and a willingness to learn alongside formal agricultural experience.
Southside Blooms, a project of the 501c3 nonprofit Chicago Eco House, was started as a love story by its founders Quilen and Hannah Blackwell. Quilen and Hannah were moved by their Christian faith to relocate to the inner city of Chicago to bring hope and healing to places that are plagued by violence and poverty. This passion for the inner city is what brought them together as a couple and laid the foundation for the work that we do today: creating jobs for vulnerable youth in the floral industry by growing and arranging sustainable flowers! Our blooms signify more than mere aesthetics – they symbolize a commitment to social impact, economic development, and environmental stewardship. Join us in this journey where every petal purchased contributes to a brighter, more sustainable future for our communities.
