When does Grower’s School begin and what is the schedule?

The 2024 program begins on Monday, June 24th and runs through Sunday June 30th.

Morning Option:

Monday, 9am-11:30am / Tuesday, 9am-11:30am / Wednesday, virtual/coursework/ Thursday, virtual/coursework, Friday, 9am-11:30am, Saturday 10am-1pm (both groups), Sunday 4-7pm (both groups)

Night Option:

Monday, 5-7:30pm/ Tuesday, 5-7:30pm/ Wednesday, virtual/coursework/ Thursday, virtual/coursework, Friday 5-7:30pm, Saturday 10am-1pm, Sunday 4-7pm

Who is this program for?

Past students in Grower’s School programs have come from many different paths - we have taught lawyers, herbalism students, registered nurses, carpenters, farmers, computer programmers — to name a few. This program is for the individual who aspires to dive deep into both the study, design, and the hands-on education behind medicinal plant production and ecological farming at a small-scale in order to: increase self-sufficiency and self-reliance at the homestead level; elevate one’s own plant based business (whether a current farmer or landscaper); start one’s own medicinal herb farm or garden; design community based programming centered around ecology; elevate one’s own professional holistic health practice;

What is the cost of this program and what does the investment include?

The program cost is $600 and includes the following:

• 20 hours of direct instruction, coaching, and mentorship in soil health, medicinal plant growing, and restoration agriculture

• Learning tools, materials, and supplies

• Guest teachers

• A full week of of fresh, medicinal herbs for personal use (equivalent to a weekly herbal CSA share or more)

• Learning sites at irrigated student garden plots for individual use and experimentation, hoophouse, and professional-grade herbal drying facilities

• Lifetime access to learning materials and videos

Where will programming take place?

Grower’s School utilizes our Fort Collins, Colorado indoor classroom, our propagation greenhouse and drying shed at 505 N. Impala Dr. — and runs on-farm programming at our West Vine field and our North Shields field and hoophouse.

Who are my teachers?

Amy Kousch is the lead teacher and director of programming and is lucky to be joined by guest teachers with expertise in herbalism, botany, functional nutrition, soil science, and more.

How long have you (Amy Kousch) been teaching agroecology? What does your community of professional peers and support look like?

I have been teaching restoration agriculture and designing curriculum (university level, on-farm, workshops/conferences/seminars, online) for ten years. I have been farming for almost twenty years. I hold a B.S. in natural resources management, an M.S. in agricultural sciences, and currently study as a PhD student in plant sciences. I work in collaboration with a wide network of growers and researchers, both locally and nationwide, in the fields of soil science, botany, medicinal herbs, agronomy, crop production, and ecology and invite students into this ever-widening circle of community.

How do I register?

See below.