Berry Picker (Tunnel Farm)

Harvest time on a vegetable farm near Cape Town CBD means early mornings, full crates and paid overtime. Bring a calm head on busy days and you'll be fine.

This post is Cape Town CBD-based, with most of your time spent at a vegetable farm.

• Follow the re-entry times after spraying, as the signs show
• Tie up tomato and pepper plants in tunnels
• Plant seedlings in rows at the spacing shown
• Wash hands and use the field toilets for food safety
• Weed beds by hand or with a hoe

• Careful with fruit, since bruised fruit is rejected
• Willing to start at sunrise
• Available for the full harvest season
• Follows farm hygiene and safety rules
• Able to work outdoors in heat, cold and rain
• Physically fit for bending, lifting and climbing ladders

• Tractor or quad bike experience
• Living on or near the farm

• Seasonal accommodation on some farms
• Chance of a permanent post after good seasons
• Piece-rate bonus on top of daily wage

• Farms hire before the season starts, so apply four to six weeks early. Late arrivals often find the teams already full.
• If you have picked before, say which crop and how many seasons. Farms rehire experienced pickers first.