Market Gardener

Careers home

About

A career as a Market Gardener

Market Gardeners grow vegetables, fruit and flowers on a smaller scale to sell directly to customers. They can do this as their main job or as a way of earning another income using their land.

Market gardens rely more on manual labour and gardening techniques than the equipment used for large-scale agriculture. A market garden is usually around one acre or less, where a diverse variety of crops are grown rather that just one. The use of the space can be efficient and can earn a good amount of money - by selling directly to customers, restaurants and shops, Market Gardeners can grow to their customer’s needs and not have wholesalers or distributors take a cut.

Show more...
Skills/Knowledge

You’ll need:

  • general knowledge of horticulture including soils, nutrition, water management, weed control, pest and disease management, etc.

  • physical skills such as mobility and co-ordination, and a good level of fitness

  • practical skills to operate hand equipment, and apply safe and productive work practices

  • an understanding of harvest and post-harvest handling techniques

  • excellent communication skills to gain new customers and sharing your knowledge

  • business and marketing skills to reach different audiences

Salary
Typical salaries
range from
Typical Hours

Around 20-40 hours per week, depending on the if the activities are in addition to another role or main source of income.

Day to Day
  • Conduct market research on the best crops to grow by visiting farmers markets and local businesses

  • Plan your crops and production, determining the type and quantities to grow and succession planning to ensure new crops available week after week

  • Prepare the land being used, getting rid of weeds in the winter ready for planting in the spring. This may include using equipment to loosen the soil and setting up structures such as polytunnels to extend the growing season

  • Plant crops from seed or seedlings

  • Water and weed crops as they grow, checking for any bugs or diseases

  • Harvest crops using hand and tool methods, wash and packing the harvest

  • Deliver to business customers or sell at farmer’s market stalls

Working Environment

You will spend most of the time working outside in all weathers – investing in waterproof clothing and other PPE is a good idea. Tending to the crops is more manual than other gardening or farming methods, and you may have bend over in the same position for long periods of time.

Training Available

Training is an essential part of any job, giving you the skills and knowledge you need to do your job safely and correctly. It also helps to strengthen your current skill set and prepares you for the next stage in your career.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships help you build the experience and skills that employers want to see. No matter what stage you’re at, they’ll help set you up for a bright future. There are lots of ways to get involved.

Market Gardener opportunities and careers paths

Market Farmers may decide to take on more clients and increase their production, but there is a limit to how much you can grow before moving into more farming or production horticulture operations.

Industries

Market Gardener will usually work in one of the following industries. Click below to find out more about possible career paths.

Agriculture

Diverse, dynamic and rewarding – if you’re practical and love the outdoors, then a career in agriculture could be for you.

Agriculture is diverse, dynamic and rewarding, with a huge range of interesting and varied career options. If you’re practical, hardworking, love the outdoors or have a passion for science and technology then working in agriculture could be for you.

The UK and Ireland's farmers and crofters play a huge part in looking after our natural landscape. While producing food, they can improve biodiversity, plant trees, restore peat, improve water and soil quality, and generate renewable energy. From the latest trends in data science to new methods of animal husbandry, land management and ecology, working in agriculture is a direct way to address the climate emergency, as well as supporting rural life.

If you’re interested in technology, you could work on a farm using the latest equipment and science to produce food sustainably, safely and efficiently. Or if you want to radically change how we produce food and use our land working vertical farming or remote sensing could be for you. More than ever, agriculture needs innovative, enthusiastic people to help make the food we produce both taste good and make good sense for the planet.

  • Utilised agricultural land use stands over 70% of the total area of the United Kingdom and over 82% of the Republic of Ireland

  • Total income from farming in the United Kingdom is estimated to have been £4.1 billion in 2020

  • Economists at Teagasc estimate that in 2021, the average family farm income in the Republic of Ireland increased by 20% from the previous year

  • Principal destinations for UK food, feed and drink exports include the Republic of Ireland, France, the USA, and the Netherlands

Show more... Find out more
Horticulture & Landscaping

The world of horticulture and landscaping is fast-moving, ever-changing and leading the way in combatting climate change.

Growing and harvesting plants for financial, environmental or social benefits not only helps the environment, it can also boost wellbeing – and from lawn mowing to landscaping, greenkeeping to scientific research, horticulture offers a huge range of rewarding careers.

Humans have been been growing plants and maintaining the natural environment since ancient times and horticulture has never stopped changing and adapting. As we learn more about the impact of climate change and weather extremes, horticulturalists are dealing with some of the biggest issues of the day: what will we plant in the future if resources like water and nutrients become limited? How do we make the most of the rapid advances in growing techniques, machinery, and cultivation?

Horticulture and landscaping plays an important part in our economy. It’s a dynamic industry, with continuous research and development and a focus on using technology to make growing more sustainable. That has created a range of exciting job opportunities for people who are passionate about plants, science and growing solutions.

  • The UK horticulture industry is worth over £9 billion each year

  • The industry supports the employment of almost 340,000 people, with landscapers and retailers accounting for 83% of the total

  • Private gardening is an important activity for UK citizens, with households spending £7.5bn on gardening goods, including cut-flowers, a year

  • The Republic of Ireland's horticulture industry is valued at €477m; it is the fourth largest industry after dairy, beef and pigs in terms of gross agricultural commodity output value

  • The industry employs approximately 17,000 people in the Republic of Ireland - an estimated 6,600 people directly employed full-time and another 11,000 indirectly employed in value-added and downstream businesses

Show more... Find out more

Qualifications

Qualifications for a Market Gardener

These courses are perfect if you are starting out on your career but they are also great for people already in jobs who want to improve their skills.

To find out more about qualification levels in the Republic of Ireland, please visit National Framework of Qualifications for Ireland (NFQIE)

To find out more about qualification levels in Scotland please visit Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).

Select level
Title Level
Training for a Market Gardener

These courses are perfect if you are starting out on your career but they are also great for people already in jobs who want to improve their skills.

About Apprenticeships

Work, earn and learn

Whether you’re just starting out in the workplace, want to upskill or are considering changing direction, Apprenticeships are a fantastic way to build your career. Apprenticeships combine work with on-the-job training, so if you want to earn as you learn, there’s an apprenticeship out there for you – you can even start an apprenticeship if you already have a degree.

Apprenticeships for a career as an Market Gardener

All about Apprenticeships

Work, earn and learn – no matter where you are in your career, an apprenticeship can set you up for a bright future.

Let’s get started!

Want to take on an apprentice? Employers start here.

What is an Apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is a unique blend of work experience and study to help build the skills and knowledge you need for your career. Apprentices are employees – they have a contract, are paid and get the same benefits as everyone else. But the difference between an apprenticeship and a normal job is that apprentices are regularly released from work for training. Sometimes that’s a day a week, sometimes it’s for a longer block – it all depends on the job and the apprenticeship.

Apprentices work for all kinds of people at all kinds of stages in their lives. Most apprentices fall into one of three categories:

  • someone who is just starting their career
  • someone who already has a job and wants to move forward in their company
  • someone who already has a job and wants to retrain to make a career change.

Previously restricted to school leavers and young people, apprenticeships are now a dynamic way of retraining people of all ages - there’s no upper age limit. The minimum age to become an apprentice is 16 and candidates can’t be in full-time education.

Benefits of an Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships offer a unique combination of paid work and study. They’re an exciting option for anyone who wants to gain experience, upskill or change career while working.

They offer a chance to work, learn and earn:

  • workplace experience and skills development
  • a nationally recognised qualification
  • employee benefits and a wage
  • no student loans or tuition fees
  • contact with industry professionals.

Vacancies

Interested in becoming an apprentice? Search for current opportunities and apply here.

Find your apprenticeship

You can also check vacancies on employer websites or get in touch with your local careers service.

Apprenticeship Stories

What’s it like to work, earn and learn? Find out what apprentice life is really like.

Explore apprenticeship stories

Alternatives to Apprenticeships

Useful Information

Useful Links

Discover Green Jobs for Nature (CIEEM)
Find out more

National Farmers Union (NFU)
Find out more

Ulster Farmers Union (UFU)
Find out more

National Farmers Union Scotland (NFU Scotland)
Find out more

Farmers' Union of Wales
Find out more

NFU Cymru
Find out more

National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs (NFYFC)
Find out more

Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU)
Find out more

Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC)
Find out more

Wales Young Farmers’ Clubs (Wales YFC)
Find out more

Horticulture Wales
Find out more

Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society (The Caley)
Find out more

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
Find out more

Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIH)
Find out more

Horticulture Forum NI
Find out more

Horticultural Trades Association (HTA)
Find out more

Funding Options

Thinking about your finances is important when you're looking at courses and training - different types of funding support is available depending on what type of course you're interested in and where you are located. We recommend you contact the training provider for more information on course costs and financing, but here are some links to connect you to support available:

Skills Hub Scotland

Skills Hub Scotland is an online skill sharing marketplace creating new opportunities to learn and share skills. Wherever you are located - if you have a skill to share, or a skill to learn, Skills Hub Scotland can help.

Initially founded as a response to the Scottish Government’s CivTech 5 programme in 2020 and aiming to offer a platform for those in rural or remote locations, Skills Hub Scotland has been developed into an important sectoral resource. If you have a skill to share with others or are a training provider, list your workshop or course (all skills from all sectors are welcome). If you are a learner, use Skills Hub Scotland to search for and book a course!

STEM

STEM is an approach to learning and development that incorporates the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Learning in STEM connects to Education for Sustainable Development/Learning for Sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals – this helps learners to understand that STEM plays a vital role in finding solutions to real world issues or challenges such as protecting biodiversity and tackling climate change. There are multiple pathways into a land-based STEM career including apprenticeships, further and higher education. This means that a career in STEM is open to everyone!

STEM Learning is the largest provider of STEM education and careers support in the UK. Their STEM Ambassadors programme sees volunteers representing a vast range of STEM-related jobs work with young people to bring STEM subjects alive through real life experiences. They help to open the doors to a world of opportunities and possibilities which come from pursuing STEM subjects and careers. To become a STEM Ambassador, you can register via the STEM Learning website: https://www.stem.org.uk/stem-ambassadors/join-stem-ambassador-programme

Lantra have worked in collaboration with STEM Ambassadors in Scotland to create two specific UK-wide Ambassadors schemes - Forestry and Aquaculture. Through these schemes, we want to make sure that those working in forestry and aquaculture have the support materials they need to take part in STEM activities. To find out more and register for the schemes, please follow the links below:

Smart Futures helps young people in Ireland discover the STEM subjects and careers that might be right for them. Co-ordinated and managed by Science Foundation Ireland, their programme allows young people to connect with people that are working in STEM, the organisations they’re working in and what their interests and skills are.

Not sure what you want to do?

Why not take a look at the Industries Explorer as an introduction to the different areas you could work in.

If we can support you with any specific information, please click the button below to get in touch.