Cultivate Abundant Food & Ecological Health
May – October, 2025
How we produce food matters.
The relationship between the health of the land and the health of our bodies is deeply intertwined. When we directly engage ourselves in the growing process–working to improve the quality of the food we grow and the health of the soil it comes from–the benefits can ripple out in many different ways.
In the Regenerative Grower Training Program, we encourage growers to think less like a gardener, and more like an ecosystem.
This is a part-time, hands-on training program for people interested in building a deeper relationship with the land and learning to grow nutrient-dense food in ways that support a healthy ecosystem and foodshed.
Emphasis will be placed on both annuals and perennial food crops grown in annual production beds, mixed species companion planting, and agroforestry systems.
Low-tech, human scale growing methods will be practiced in ways appropriate for small-scale, home garden plots as well as small market garden production systems. Program participants will also partake in the design and implementation of a perennial forest garden system and get to know the world of perennial vegetables, herbs, fruits, and roots.
Why Join?
This program will be valuable and suitable for anyone interested in exploring a future in small-scale vegetable production as well as anyone interested in learning growing skills for the purpose of homesteading, gardening, and feeding themselves and their community. Through this work, we can provide ourselves with healthy, free, and reciprocal food and medicine while connecting on a deeper level to the landscape in which we live.
What to Expect:
On-Farm Field Training
Learning by doing and incorporating the knowledge into our physical bodies is essential to understanding food production. Program participants will assist with all aspects of working a small-scale growing operation, from greenhouse to field, from harvest to market. This includes the management and maintenance of several different perennial systems as well as the wild harvest of abundant foraging crops.
Classes
Classroom modules to cover key foundational topics will be spaced throughout the program as well. Examples of this include basic botany, plant propagation, soil health and management, and introduction to ecological design.
Farm Visits
Occasional farm tours will be planned to visit successful, diverse types of growing operations. These opportunities are an important part of the training, further connecting you to a network of innovative producers and letting you see their wonderful farms.
CSA Share
Food production wouldn’t be complete without sampling the fruits of our labor. Participants, through the course of our work, will learn the basics of how to grow and harvest to fulfill weekly shares of produce throughout the season. In turn, each trainee will take home a share of the harvest.
Life Long Skills
Through in-field instruction, experiential hands-on practice, and classroom based education, this training program is designed to help you understand how soil, plants, climate, and people interact to create regenerative systems with environmental, economic, and social well-being as their core values.
Program Schedule
This training program takes place Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:00AM to 12:00PM starting May 20th and running through October 14th.
This is a total of 22 weeks to encompass the majority of the growing season. See a more detailed breakdown of the program schedule below:
Note: information in this course is cumulative from week to week. We ask that anyone registering for this course plan to attend all or most of the sessions. Classes cannot be joined or audited individually, and discounts are not provided for missed classes.
Program Cost: $2400
$200 non-refundable deposit to enroll.
Cost includes program tuition and weekly CSA. Broken down, this comes out to about $57 per session for 22 weeks of classroom and field education at a 1:6 instructor-to-student ratio. The CSA arrangement guarantees a weekly box of fresh produce grown as part of the program.
Limited sliding scale options are available to lower the program cost for eligible participants. See the FAQ (coming soon!) for more details on sliding sale eligibility:
- Standard Cost: $2400
- Reduced Cost: $2040
- At 85% of the standard rate, reduced cost is reserved for folks with financial constraints who need assistance to join the program. A limited number of spaces are available for registering at a reduced rate.
- Pay-it-forward : $2760
- At 115% of the standard rate, pay-it-forward helps us offset the cost of supporting reduced rate registrations. This option is encouraged for folks with financial means who would like to support access for other trainess.
All students are able to pay through a four-installment payment plan after submitting the $200 non-refundable deposit and enrolling in the course. Payments in the amount of $550 each will be due monthly in June, July, August, and September. Customized payment plans are also available for eligible students who prefer to pay in a different arrangement, as long as all payments are received by the conclusion of the program on October 14th.
Make sure to read the Horn Farm Center’s Cancellation and Refund Policy before deciding to register.
Other Considerations
Outdoor Learning: Barring severely inclement weather, most classes will take place primarily outdoors. Please check the weather in advance and come prepared for rain, humidity, and other conditions of the season.
Wild Ecosystems: The Horn Farm supports dynamic, living ecosystems in and around spaces for cultivation. This means that students should be prepared for exposure to environmental hazards including poison ivy, ticks, mosquitos, and stinging insects. Recommendations for safeguarding against these elements of the ecosystem will be covered and encouraged.
Physical Activity: Hands-on engagement is core to this program. Students can expect to spend most, if not all, of the 22 weeks down in the dirt. We ask that students be capable of physical tasks and exertions typical of gardening, including bending, stooping, pulling, digging, carrying, and spending time outdoors in hot conditions. Students will not be asked to work beyond their means, but a moderate amount of physical stamina is expected. Proper and ergonomic tool use will be covered.
Punctuality: Plan to arrive ~10 minutes early to each session so the group can get started on time.
Fun!: Spending time tending, harvesting, and learning from the land is as joyous as it is empowering. Expect to have plenty of fun along this journey!
About the Instructors:
Jonathan Darby
Jonathan is a wild foods enthusiast and educator, avid gardener, former farmer and has served the Horn Farm Center in varying capacities for over 15 years. He currently serves as Land Manager & Educator. Jonathan received his Permaculture Design Certification in 2011 from Susquehanna Permaculture and in 2014 completed his Permaculture Teacher Training through Dynamic Ecological Design. He is married with 2 kids and 3 cats
Tamara Shertzer
Growing up and continuing to reside in Lancaster County, Tam began fostering her attunement to the natural world from a young age; A flourishing garden was always present at her childhood home, and both parents instilled in her a profound appreciation for the natural world. After traveling, volunteering abroad, and earning a Pastry Arts Certificate from the PA School of Culinary Arts, Tam got in touch with her roots, and got her hands back in the soil.
Beginning with a year-long internship in 2016, Tam has spent the past 8 years of her career at Lancaster Farmacy, an organic medicinal herb and flower farm located in Millersville, PA. Here, she discovered her love of sharing land-based skills, the healing properties of plants, and the importance of regenerative agriculture practices. Tam is now the Production and Marketing Coordinator at the Horn Farm Center.