Happenings

Horn Farm Happenings – November 29, 2019

We are excited about the new classes and workshops we will be offering in 2020! New topics and new instructors will join all of your favorites. Here are three that we already have open for registration; we’ll be sharing more soon.

Design your garden with winter aesthetics and wildlife in mind! On February 29, join us for a workshop about using Native Plants for Winter Interest and Wildlife. Our home gardens are often designed for the warm growing season, overlooking the potential of a stunning winter garden with snow-capped seed heads and hints of green. In this workshop, participants will learn about 20 native plants that are best as a winter highlight in the home garden and get information on how these plants support nesting wild bees, overwintering butterflies, and songbirds throughout the cold winter months.


On March 14, we’ll be exploring how to use Native Plants as Groundcovers. In this interactive workshop, learn how to integrate native groundcovers into your perennial beds to reduce the time and energy spent removing unwanted plants. By mimicking natural landscapes in your home garden, it is possible to reduce the time and money it takes maintain a garden leaving more time to spend enjoying the garden you created! Participants will practice a hands-on plant layering technique that they can use for future planning of their home landscape.


On March 28, join us for Stormwater Management 101 for Homeowners. With increasing storm intensity, do you find that you have more water on your home property than you are able to currently manage? In this interactive workshop, participants will learn how to calculate the rain runoff volume of impervious surfaces (roof, driveway, etc.) and how to best design their landscape to capture that stormwater to create a beautiful garden.

All three classes are being taught by Elyse Jurgen. Elyse is a certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional and Ecological/Permaculture Designer, holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Education, and participated in Cornell University’s Civic Ecology certification program. She studied ecological gardening at Mt. Cuba Center and has trained under Claudia West. Elyse works alongside homeowners in a participatory approach to their gardening for wildlife needs, infusing educational opportunities during the design, install, and management process. She invites homeowners to deeply engage with their land to maximize its potential in supporting dwindling bee, butterfly, and bird populations.


Upcoming events:

December 7 – The Living Landscape 
December 14 – Foraging: Winter Offerings
Custom Classes & Workshops
2020 Regenerative Farming Training Program
February 29 – Native Plants for Winter Interest and Wildlife
March 14 – Green Mulch: Native Plants as Groundcovers
March 28 – Stormwater Management 101 for Homeowners

See you at the farm!

Horn Farm Happenings – November 22, 2019

We’ve entered the season of rest and repair. The irrigation hoses are rolled up and tucked away on shelves in the barn, the garlic is planted and mulched with a thick layer of straw, and the trees have shed their leaves and stored their energy in their roots. In the coming weeks we will finish cleaning the barns, replace the plastic roof of the greenhouse, and plant the last of the trees for this year. There’s still plenty to see, and there are two more opportunities to join us on the farm.

the living landscape

Our monthly class, The Living Landscape, takes place on Saturday, December 7. This ecological adventure walk through the woods and the meadows of the Horn Farm Center will spark your sense of wonder! We’ll focus on broad patterns of landscape as well as diving deeply into the details of the worlds under rocks, inside dead trees, beneath the soil, and beyond.  This is an all-ages class. All are welcome!

On Saturday, December 14, we’ll be hunting for wild foods. Many of the summer and fall offerings have died back, but there is still plenty for the adventurous forager to add to the dinner table. Come see what we can find and utilize as the months proceed into winter! Find out more and register here: December Foraging.


Upcoming events:

December 7 – The Living Landscape 
December 14 – Foraging: Winter Offerings
Custom Classes & Workshops
2020 Regenerative Farming Training Program
February 29 – Native Plants for Winter Interest and Wildlife
March 14 – Green Mulch: Native Plants as Groundcovers
March 28 – Stormwater Management 101 for Homeowners

See you at the farm!

Horn Farm Happenings – November 15, 2019

Program participants in the Regenerative Farming Training ProgramApplications are open for the Regenerative Farming Training Program for 2020!
At the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education we are educating skilled land stewards who, by restoring ecological balance to our place on the earth, are better able to feed our community. We are teaching farming practices that restore damaged ecosystems while producing food for our community. Emphasis is placed on learning to see the farm as a whole, highly integrated agricultural ecosystem.

This is a part-time, hands-on training program for people with any amount of farm or gardening experience. The program provides foundational knowledge and practical skills for those interested in small-scale, regenerative farming and permaculture-based production methods. This program will be valuable and suitable for anyone interested in exploring a future in small-scale agricultural production as well as anyone interested in learning growing skills for the purpose of homesteading, gardening, and feeding themselves and their community. For more information, visit our website, or email: educationdirector@hornfarmcenter.org.


Upcoming Events:
November 19 – Bread Baking
December 7 – The Living Landscape
December 14 – Foraging: Winter Offerings
Custom Classes & Workshops
2020 Regenerative Farming Training Program

See you at the farm!