Horn Farm Happenings – April 20
It’s time to get growing! To ensure a productive and efficient harvest season from our gardens, we must start with an understanding of the site and what our observations and assessment can tell us. Hone your skills and plan your 2018 garden by joining our Garden Planning workshop on Saturday, April 28. Participants will learn about indicator plants and what existing vegetation can tell us about soil quality. Learn about rotations and planting in succession for extended harvest as well as companion planting to create beneficial relationships in the garden. This class will begin in the classroom and conclude outside.
The 2018 Community Garden season has begun! We still have some plots left, so reserve your space today and start gardening tomorrow!
Plan to get your seedlings at our sixth annual Heirloom Plant Sale on Saturday, May 5th from 9 to 3. More than 10,000 plants in over 300 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers will be available. Most plants are priced at $3.00. Heirloom varieties are cultivars preserved by gardeners and farmers who hand-select seed for a special trait displayed in the parent plant. Heirlooms were commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but are rarely used in modern, large-scale agriculture. All plants grow from non-GMO, non-treated seed using organic methods. Plants are grown by Horn Farm Center Incubator Farm Project and Farm Internship Program participants. Come early for the best selection!
Collagen-rich and nourishing, bone broth is revered for it’s many uses. And it’s easier and less expensive to make than you may think. Learn about the how and the why of pressure cookers, instant pots and slow cookers. Sip your way to a whole new world of goodness. Making Bone Broth takes place Wednesday, May 9. Space is limited, register today!
For those of you who are following our regenerative agriculture journey, check out this 9 minute video: Regenerative Agriculture: A Solution to Climate Change. Ben Dobson is Farm Manager at Stone House Farm in the Hudson River Valley of New York State. He lead the transition form conventional corn and soy production to diversified organic production.
Upcoming events:
April 21 – Wilderness Skills: Fire
April 21 – Monthly Foraging
April 28 – Garden Planning
April 29 – Low-tech Mushroom Cultivation
May 4 – Give Local York
May 4 – Horn Farm Pizza Night at John Wright Restaurant
May 5 – Heirloom Plant Sale
May 5 – Wilderness Skills: Foraging, Hunting, Trapping
May 9 – Making Bone Broth
May 12 – Raising Insects for Food and Farm
May 12 – Wilderness Skills: Advanced Primitive Hunting Techniques
May 13 – MAEscapes Native Plant Sale
May 15 – Tuesday Evening Work Crew (begins)
May 17 – Monthly Foraging
May 19 – Insect Identification and Management
June 2 – Introduction to Permaculture
June 16 – Monthly Farm Tour – Third Saturday
June 16 – Introduction to Plant Communication
June 23 – Cycle the Solstice
See you at the farm!
Woodland Steward Wilson Alvarez shared information about forest ecology and the progress being made clearing and building trails. The bulk of the work is being done by students from Columbia High School who are part of a vocational training program. In the fall, when the students first started coming to the Horn Farm they acted withdrawn and unenthusiastic and were reluctant to participate. As they learned about the ecology of the forest and how to restore it with proper use of simple hand tools, both they and the woodland were transformed. For example, one student named Jerry now reads the landscape and decides where the next stretch of trail should go. His confidence in his own abilities has soared and he eagerly welcomes and trains new volunteers. We recently learned that school attendance rates have gone up since these students began volunteering at the Horn Farm each week.
This project is good for the woods, good for the farm, and good for the people who reconnect to the land!
We’ve been as busy as bees! There’s so much work to do that we’re excited to announce that we are hiring! The Horn Farm is growing and we are looking to hire our first ever Executive Assistant. This is a part-time position. We seek applicants who share our passion for regenerative agricultural practices. Preference is for applicants interested in transitioning to full-time employment as the organization grows. 
We are looking for volunteers to represent the Horn Farm Center at these upcoming events:
The Community Garden season kicks off tomorrow! Orientation for new gardeners takes place at 10 am. We still have some plots left, so 
There are still more crops to seed.
And plants to ‘pot up’ into larger containers.