Assistant Head Grower

Opened in 1988, our Marysville location is the largest site of the Smith Gardens family consisting of 60 acres, with 500,000 square feet of greenhouse space. Marysville is the primary site for perennial production, but also grows mums, hanging baskets and annuals.

The Assistant Head Grower is a collaborative, hands-on leader responsible for supporting the Growing Team in overseeing crop production, environmental control, and cultural practices across multiple growing areas (greenhouse, field, and propagation). This role directly supervises and empowers Section Growers and Irrigation Staff, ensuring that daily irrigation, fertilization, misting, scouting, and chemical applications are executed safely, consistently, and to a high standard.

They coordinate with the Head Grower and other supervisors and managers to produce high quality crops. This requires prioritizing crop cultural needs, maintaining environmental and irrigation systems, assisting with pest and disease management, upholding sanitation standards, communicating timely plant maintenance, and optimizing crop layout. They model best practices, train and coach others, and create an environment where team members can learn, grow, and succeed.

Area & Crop Management

• Support the Head Grower in managing multiple production areas (e.g., 5+ acres of greenhouse, 15+ acres of field, and/or more than 25,000 square feet of plugs and liners), ensuring crop health, timing, and quality across all assigned sections.
• Ensure that daily irrigation, fertilization, and misting routines/rotations for specific crops are executed properly by Section Growers and Irrigation Staff; step in and perform these tasks directly as needed.
• Guide and review watering decisions made on a case-by-case, moment-to-moment basis, using the “Language of Watering” to set standards and promote consistent communication.
• Oversee the adjustment, maintenance, and logging of misting and fertilizing schedules in propagation areas; assist in troubleshooting issues and refining strategies.
• Monitor and support greenhouse venting, heating, and environmental adjustments (including manual vents and thermostats) to achieve climate targets.
• Work with Section Growers and other departments to coordinate crop layout within and across areas to optimize space use, workflow efficiency, environmental conditions, and plant health.
• Monitor the health and quality of incoming liners; provide guidance and final decisions on trimming, growth regulation, holding, or planting schedules based on crop readiness and space availability.

Team Leadership, Coaching & Support

• Lead, support, and coach Section Growers and Irrigation Staff (generally teams of 5–12), providing daily direction, clear priorities, and regular feedback.
• Train and develop staff in irrigation, fertilization, scouting, safe pesticide/fungicide/growth regulator use, and environmental control, encouraging questions and continuous learning.
• Use and standardize the “Language of Watering” and similar shared tools across the team, helping build a common understanding of crop status, water needs, and decision-making.
• Provide and/or coordinate Worker Protection Standards (WPS) training, including support for Spanish-speaking employees, ensuring clear understanding of labels, safety rules, and procedures.
• Prepare and post weekly work schedules for Section Growers and Irrigation Staff.
• Support the Head Grower in conducting annual performance evaluations for Section Growers, focusing on strengths, development needs, and career progression.
• Assist in recruitment, selection, onboarding, and—when necessary—termination of Section Growers and Irrigation Staff in alignment with company values and team culture.
• Support and enforce company policies and rules with an emphasis on respect, safety, teamwork, and a positive, solution-focused work environment.
• Model a strong work ethic, customer service attitude, and problem-solving mindset, setting expectations for professionalism and collaboration.

Irrigation, Fertility & Technical Monitoring

• Oversee and coach Section Growers in understanding EC levels, PPMs, and related metrics; perform or review EC…