Hi! We’re looking for part-time help in the coming few years at our 4 acre orchard in Saint Charles, MN, i.e. Mueske Family Orchard. The work is mainly physical and includes the following:
Pruning
Planting trees
Helping put out traps for bugs
Picking Apples
Bagging and Boxing Apples
Miscellaneous jobs.
This job is mainly for 3-4 hours at a time. An afternoon of work = 3 – 4 hours on average. Work usually starts at 11 a.m. or noon (this can be slightly earlier or slightly later depending on what you need). You will need a car to get you to the orchard (1/2 mile outside of Saint Charles) and you will need to be able to lift forty pounds. We are mainly looking for someone who can do a 2-3 year commitment, has a flexible schedule, and lives in the Saint Charles area. For example, someone who is retired and likes working outside and wants to make some extra money, or perhaps a stay-at-home spouse who has the time. No prior experience in orcharding is needed. The pay is 15 dollars per hour and does not include benefits.
The following approximate dates are when we will need you:
April 20th – May 30th
2-4 afternoons planting trees and moving grafted trees.
1 afternoon putting up coddling moth pheromone disrupters and filling 60x gallon jugs with jug solution.
1 afternoon putting out jug solution
June 25th – July 1st
1 afternoon putting out jug solution
1-2 afternoons putting out apple maggot trap tanglefoot
July 25th – July 30th
1 afternoon putting out jug solution
August 10th – 25th
1 afternoon picking State Fair
2 afternoons picking Williams Pride
Sept. 7th – 15th
1 afternoon picking Honey Crisp
1 afternoon picking Pixie Crunch and Sweet Sixteen
Sept. 29th – Oct.10th
1 afternoon to pick Cortland (Sept. 30th)
1-2 afternoons to pick4 Liberty (Sept. 31st)
1-2 afternoons to pick Red Regent (Oct. 5th)
1 afternoon to pick Fireside (Oct. 5th)
1 afternoon to pick Enterprise (Oct. 10th)
Oct. 20th
1 afternoon picking Keepsake (Oct. 20th)
Nov. 5th
1 afternoon mowing orchard
Dec. – March
Some random Saturdays to prune.
Total: 22 afternoons x 3-4 hours each x 15 = around $1,320.00 - $1,500.00 per year.
Please message us back if you are interested.
