FIELD SCHOOL is Crooked Farmz’ annual pedagogical program blending theory, practical, hands-on worker bee, mutual aid, shared food, and community. All workshops will take place at the Crooked Farmz plot at the Many Hands Urban Farm in Downsview Park.
There is a nominal pwyc fee to join a Crooked Farmz Field School event as a full Participant. If you enjoy the topic but cannot make the event or you would like to otherwise support our pedagogical program, you can also choose to become a Sponsor so that we can continue to offer pwyc flexibility for our events to other interested growers.
AI Usage for Small-Scale Farm Businesses
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
10:00–11:30am (via Zoom)
$20
This 90-minute workshop explores some potential applications of AI tools for small farm operations, from agronomic planning to business management. Drawing from practical examples and hands-on farming experience, we’ll suggest how AI can expand capacity beyond what a sole proprietor or small-scale farmer could accomplish alone. The session covers real-world use cases including farm planning, crop management advice, marketing content creation, contract drafting, and creative problem-solving. We will also explore the environmental costs of AI usage for small farm businesses and discuss ways to minimize impacts.
Participants will learn how to strategically deploy AI to address resource constraints — especially time and outsourcing costs — that typically limit small-scale operations. Whether you’re seeking competitive advantages or simply trying to handle essential tasks yourself, this workshop offers practical strategies for integrating AI into your farming business without requiring technical expertise.
This workshop will be of particular interest to independent farmers, market gardeners, and small-scale agricultural entrepreneurs looking to maximize their operational capacity. No prior experience with AI is required.
Soil Health and Microbial Life
Sunday, March 22, 2026
10:00am–12:00pm (via Zoom)
$25
This two-hour workshop transforms how you think about the living world beneath your plants. We’ll start with the fundamentals of soil composition and chemistry, then venture into the hidden universe thriving just below the surface: the microbiome, that vast network of microbial life that turns simple substrate into living soil.
The session covers essential soil science and the key microbial players working underground, decomposition processes, and practical composting techniques for every context — from small urban plots to sprawling market gardens. You’ll also learn probiotic strategies to support soil health that you can implement immediately. Participants will leave with practical knowledge to nurture the life beneath their plants and understand how to become a more mindful steward of the earth.
This workshop will be of particular interest to gardeners and growers of all experience levels who are curious about soil science and want to build healthier, more productive growing spaces.
Fermented Plant Juice
Sunday, April 19, 2026
6:00–8:00am
$10/pwyc
One of the most important things we can do for young plants is to support the biochemical signals that drive early growth. Freshly germinated seedlings are primed to respond to plant growth regulators — the natural hormones that govern root development, cell division, stem elongation, and immune resilience. Getting these compounds into the plant’s environment early, before the stresses of the season accumulate, sets the foundation for everything that follows.
Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ) is a Korean Natural Farming preparation made from young plant tissues — grasses, weeds, early-season growth — chopped, mixed with brown sugar, and left to ferment for 7–14 days. The result is a naturally concentrated extract rich in plant growth regulators: auxins for root development and cell elongation, gibberellins for stem growth and seed germination, and cytokinins for cell division, leaf expansion, and delayed senescence.
In this Spring Field School session, we will work through the theory and practice of FPJ — including KNF principles, optimization strategies, and application techniques — before harvesting in-season plants to make a collective ferment together. Participants will take home a small batch of FPJ to ferment at home for a week, ready to apply as a spring foliar. This “Sunday Breakfast Club” hands-on workshop will be followed by coffee and light refreshments.
Three-Bin Composting
Sunday, April 26, 2026
9:00–11:00am
$10/pwyc
The three-bin system of composting offers a humble but powerful technology and series of techniques for efficiently producing high-quality compost in an urban setting. It is designed for composting using aerobic processes; that is, they are defined by the microbial breakdown of organic matter in the presence of oxygen. The trio of adjacent bins represents three stages of decomposition — building, aerating, curing — which are engaged in a cyclical process through the system to ensure a constant supply of compost.
In this Spring Field School offering, we will work through the theory and practice of thermophilic composting, with specific reference to the three-bin system. We’ll build a pile with particular focus on feedstocks, ratios, bulking agents, and monitoring strategies that can be used for thermophilic composting at any scale. This “Sunday Breakfast Club” hands-on workshop will be followed by coffee and light refreshments.
Bokashi
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
11:00am–1:00pm
$10/pwyc
Most composting methods rely on aerobic processes — microbial breakdown of organic matter in the presence of oxygen. Bokashi works differently. Closer to fermentation than decomposition, it breaks down organic matter anaerobically using an inoculated bran medium and effective micro-organisms (EM-1). It retains more nutrients in plant-accessible form than traditional aerobic methods, and is particularly well-suited to indoor composting.
In this Spring Field School session — offered during International Compost Awareness Week — we will work through the theory and practice of bokashi technique, build bins at various scales, and tap fermented leachate (“bokashi tea”) for participants to take home as a spring soil amendment. This hands-on workshop will be followed by coffee and light refreshments.
Johnson-Su Composting
Thursday, May 7, 2026
11:00am–2:00pm
$10/pwyc
Most composting systems work quickly, breaking organic matter down through heat and bacterial activity in a matter of weeks. The Johnson-Su bioreactor works differently — slowly, fungally, and without turning. Developed by David Johnson and Hui-Chun Su at New Mexico State University, the bioreactor is a passively aerated, no-turn method designed to cultivate fungal-dominant microbial communities over twelve months or more. The result is a compost rich in fungal hyphae, glomalin, and the biological complexity of mature forest soils — the same foundation that drives the Crooked Farmz compost tea program.
In this Spring Field School session — offered during International Compost Awareness Week — we will tour the Johnson-Su bioreactors at the CRAY@Downsview site and work through the theory and practice of building and maintaining a bioreactor — from construction to feedstock layering, moisture management, and fungal succession. Participants will leave with a free jar of freshly-brewed Crooked Farmz compost tea, inoculated with Johnson-Su extract, to apply directly to their growing spaces.
Elderberry Harvesting
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
11:00am–1:00pm
$20/pwyc
Sambucus canadensis — the native North American elderberry — is one of the most medicinally significant plants in the temperate world. Its berries, flowers, and bark have been used for centuries across Indigenous and folk traditions to support immune function, respiratory health, and seasonal resilience. Knowing when and how to harvest, and how to store what you’ve gathered, is foundational to working with this plant well.
In this Fall Field School session, guest facilitator Maria Solakofski of Wild By Nature Botanicals will lead participants through elderberry care and cultivation, the medicinal properties of the plant, proper harvesting technique, and tips for drying, freezing, and storing the harvest. The workshop takes place in the newly planted orchard teaching space at Crooked Farmz.
Crooked Farmz 