The Horn Farm Center, 4945 Horn Road, York, will offer two special workshops in April. There is a fee to attend each program. For details and registration, visit https://hornfarmcenter.org or contact 717-757-6441 or education@hornfarmcenter.org.

Food Forests for Landscape Restoration will take place on Sunday, April 16, from 1 to 3 p.m. Using trees as the foundational element of the garden encourages a sustainable landscape that is low-maintenance and easy to execute regardless of acreage or terrain. There is a wide variety of trees to choose from, each with unique benefits and functions such as edibility of fruits, nuts, berries, flowers, and roots; sourcing for herbal medicine; soil building through nitrogen fixing and erosion control; insectary protection from pests; increased pollination; and habitat creation for wildlife. A project to develop a food forest-inspired edible restoration landscape at Horn Farm is underway, and some of the featured species in this edible restoration landscape may include chestnut, hickory, American plum, apple, pear, pecan, serviceberry, black cherry, hackberry, and mulberry.

To begin, the class will focus on the design aspect of a food forest, highlighting the various types of trees and shrubs that can be used, as well as their heights, shapes, spacing and light requirements, all of which should be taken into consideration when organizing the forest garden layout. Once participants master configuration, the class will take a hands-on approach to learning by participating in a tree planting using some of the aforementioned species to practice agroforestry skills and help to expand the food forest at the Horn Farm.

In partnership with the York County Solid Waste Authority, Backyard Composting, a comprehensive, skill-building workshop that emphasizes affordability and simplicity, will be offered on Thursday, April 20, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. This is a hands-on workshop and will include plenty of time during the process to ask questions.

The class will first choose a site for a new compost pile and construct a bin using welded wire fencing that creates a cylinder. Participants will add appropriate materials and work with an existing compost pile. Ways to utilize finished compost, vermicomposting, mulching methods, and ways to reduce yard waste will be discussed.

Each participant will leave with a 12-foot roll of welded wire that can be set up and utilized immediately and a composting brochure that highlights details that were covered in the class.