Calendar for Renaissance Farms Permaculture
Courses and Events at Renaissance Farms Permaculture
300 acres of farmland located in central Massachusetts. Fields, hills, woodlands and streams with beautiful views in all directions. We have a 1.5 acre market garden, high tunnel, and greenhouse. There is a newly started food forest and a 2 year-old hedgerow. The whole site is an open-air classroom with accommodation for campers, tents, and yurts.
This Permaculture Design Course is ideal for folks who aren’t able to get to our Summer Intensive. This is the perfect opportunity for farmers to take this Permaculture Design Course. It’s designed as a night course for one full month. Classes meet Monday-Friday evenings from 6pm to 9pm. There will be a two-day on-farm practicum, and[…]
Bluebirds are making a comeback in Massachusetts. About forty years ago, it was rare to see one. In fact, some of your parents and grandparents probably never saw one until they were adults. In the 1980s there was an effort to conserve these beautiful little birds. We’ll talk about bluebirds, their wild habitat and diet,[…]
This is an opportunity for PDC program graduates to put their education to use. During these two weeks we will work on various projects that incorporate what you learned at your PDC. These may include large or small scale building projects, terraforming projects, planting, rainwater collection and storage, and a variety of projects that demonstrate[…]
Come spend two weeks in the rolling hills of central Massachusetts this summer for a Permaculture Design course offered in the traditional two-week intensive format. 72 hours of theory, further enhanced with hands-on practicum on our 300 acre permaculture farm site. Optional two week intensive add-on. We will use a variety of texts, including Bill Mollison’s Permaculture[…]
Summer kitchens - outdoor kitchens - appear in many cultures around the globe. In some places, outdoors was (and still IS) the only place for a kitchen. Here in North America, they are considered luxury amenities. We all know that food cooked outside over a wood or charcoal fire just tastes better, right? We will[…]
We're going to be working together to build a mobile barn from an old hay wagon frame and materials taken from the waste stream and purchased locally. The barn will be used to house our Saanen does and will allow us to move them around, along with their fencing, to new areas of pasture and[…]
Who hasn't seen some funny quip or internet meme about the cost of eggs at the grocery store? Chicken meat prices are also rising. Maybe you're considering raising your own backyard flock and want to know more about how to house and care for your birds. Raising your own birds may not cost less in[…]
There is nothing quite as nice as laundry dried in the sun and fresh air. It's also a whole lot more environmentally friendly and economical given the steep rise in electricity. Come and help us put up a large solar dryer (aka washing line) on our farm. I mean, it's YUGE. We're going to make[…]
This is an opportunity for PDC program graduates to put their education to use. During these two weeks we will work on various projects that incorporate what you learned at your PDC. These may include large or small scale building projects, terraforming projects, planting, rainwater collection and storage, and a variety of projects that demonstrate[…]
Covid really hit our farm business hard. Lost our customers, lost our workforce. We're rebuilding this year and need some help getting on top of the abysmal condition of our market garden so that we can prepare to use it again this season for quick-growing crops (or cover crops) and plan more permanent crops for[…]
In this hands-on workshop, we will be talking about sunburn prevention and treatment. Students will be making a natural sunscreen with an SPF of 30 and a soothing salve to use on not only mild sunburn, but also on other mild burns and hot rashes (like diaper rash). Each student will leave class with a[…]
You read that right - Barn Razing. The 1980s cattle barn here on the farm has been dying by inches since before we bought the place in 2011. It has finally come to a point where it must come down for safety. We'll be hiring a man lift for the weekend to dismantle the front[…]