Education Programs & Services
What We Offer
Farm to School: Gardens as a Classroom
Sierra Harvest Garden Educators provide high-quality, science-based instruction at a fraction of the cost of a full-time staffer per school. School sites receive:Grade-Level Lessons: Hands-on science (NGSS aligned) and nutrition education.
Seasonal Maintenance: The educator ensures the garden doesn't go to seed over breaks or summer.
The "Garden Box": A mobile kit the educator brings in their vehicle, containing all seeds, gloves, and curriculum materials (reducing school-side storage needs).
Volunteer Training: Hosting one "Community Work Day" per semester to engage parents (if desired).
Core Benefits for Participating Schools
Academic Achievement: Research indicates that students in garden programs often see improved grades and test scores.
The garden serves as a "living laboratory" for NGSS-aligned science, math, and literacy lessons that are difficult to replicate in a traditional classroom.
“I was talking with the teacher and she said that one of the students was putting the spinach in their pocket and she told the student to put it in the garbage and the student replied “I am going to take it home so I can show my mommy what to buy at the store!”
Food Love Farm After School & Summer Camp
The Food Love Farm Summer Camp & After School Program, hosted by Sierra Harvest in Nevada City, California, is an immersive educational experience designed to connect children with the Earth and the food they eat. Known as "the tastiest camp in town," it fosters community and wellness through hands-on farm life.
Camp Description: The camp provides a "seed-to-table" experience where children engage with daily themes related to food, farming, and the environment. It is kept small to ensure a community-like atmosphere and high involvement for every child.
Activities: Campers participate in daily farm chores, harvesting seasonal produce, nature-inspired crafts, and games.
Atmosphere: Focused on exploration and nature-play, encouraging kids to try new fresh vegetables and develop healthy habits.
Curriculum: Includes learning about the local food system, environmental stewardship, and even specific skills like grinding corn with a molcajete.
Camp operates from 9:00 to 3:00 pm, M-F, with 4 sessions per summer. Ages 6-11 are welcome.
NJUHSD x Sierra Harvest
Nevada Joint Union High School District (NJUHSD) Ranch is an 86-acre ranch donated by James Phelan to the school district to benefit agricultural education. The District Ranch provides a unique outdoor classroom where students can engage in real-world hands-on agricultural training. Through the career technical education (CTE) program, the NJUHSD Ranch provides pathways such as animal science, ag business, ag mechanics, and ornamental horticulture.
Sierra Harvest helps facilitate the crop management portion of the property, including the orchard, market garden, and a pilot farm incubator featuring local farmers. High school students will serve as summer interns on the working farms.
Coming Soon: Homesteading 101
Six week Immersive Workshop Series
Setting Up Your Homestead
Learn the key elements to designing and setting up your homestead. What kind of infrastructure you will need, water access, and soil preparations to ensure a bountiful harvest year after year.
Orchard Management
Orchards are a great way to have peaches, pears, cherries, nuts, olives and so much more all at your fingertips. Learn about the kind of trees that grow well in this region, the pests to watch out for, watering needs, and amendments.
Garden Infrastructure & Design
Discover the pros and cons to different garden designs, proper irrigation planning for your crops, greenhouse designs, all based on your specific needs.
Propogation Basics
Now that you have a working garden and orchard, how can you begin to build out more trees and plants or increase production? Learn how to propogate your favorite varieties and which rootstock is best. Find out how to begin a wholesale nursery or sell starts.
“Endless great information. Classes like these have really improved all levels of farming and efficiency. Thank you for all that you do for the community.”
– Ag Skills Participant