Need help with your farm, garden, or homestead?
Contact us at (828) 214-7833 or Home-grow@organicgrowersschool.org. We offer a wide variety of consulting services—with hourly follow-up support and reduced fees available—including:
- Assessment of land that you own or want to purchase.
- Assessment of your farm, garden, or homestead.
- Guidance for your land-based project.
We are your partner on the journey towards self-reliance: We provide on-site coaching and consulting in Western North Carolina and beyond. We’re also available by video or audio call with clients outside of our practical reach. We recommend that you start with our Comprehensive Assessment, which will help us get a deeper understanding of your needs and goals. From there we can help you design something more in-depth and customized to support the realization of those goals.
Enhanced Comprehensive Assessment
Like our Comprehensive Assessment, the Enhanced Assessment helps us gather vital information about your dreams, resources, core life values, timeline, and desired process. As we learn about you, and your vision and intention become more clear and more accessible, you will also learn more about yourself.
The Enhanced Assessment package has the added benefit of an on-site follow-up visit in which we work on a project together. The additional follow-up time allows us to go into greater depth on a particular recommendation from your consultation with the option for hands-on learning.
Details
The Enhanced Comprehensive Assessment is comprised of the following parts:
- Comprehensive Intake Survey (You complete the survey with support from us)
- Site Visit (1.5 to 2.5 hours) with OGS Sustainability Consultant
- Followup:
- MP3 Recording of the Visit
- A summary of next steps/Recommendations
- Referral if appropriate/possible
- Information Transfer to a Service Provider (Up to 30-minute conversation with a provider of your choice)
- Follow-up Phone Call
- On-site Educational Follow up (1-1.5 hours)
This hands-on component will be a collaborative endeavor between the OGS consultant and the land/farm/homestead owner for the purpose of learning while doing. Some examples of how this time could be used include:- Flagging contour lines
- Constructing an A-frame level
- Solar site mapping
- Soil testing
- Meeting with a contractor or service provider
- Hands-on demonstration of a garden, farm, or homestead task
- Deeper explanation of a previous recommendation
- Support with a recommended DIY project
Investment: $475.
Can’t afford $475? We don’t want limited funds to stand in your way of support. See our options for reduced fee services.
Comprehensive Assessment
This in depth assessment helps us gather vital information about your dreams, resources, core life values, timeline, and desired process. As we learn about you, and your vision and intention becomes more clear and more accessible, you will also learn more about yourself.
Details
The Comprehensive Assessment is comprised of the following parts:
- Comprehensive Intake Survey (You complete the survey with support from us)
- Site Visit (1.5 to 2.5 hours) with OGS Sustainability Consultant
- Followup:
- MP3 Recording of the Visit
- A summary of next steps/Recommendations
- Referral if appropriate/possible
- Information Transfer to a Service Provider (Up to 30 minute conversation with a provider of your choice)
- Follow-up Phone Call
Investment: $350.
Can’t afford $350? We don’t want limited funds to stand in your way of support. See our options for reduced fee services.
Area-Specific Assessment
If you’re already clear about where you want to focus our time together, we can dive right in.
- New Farmer Focus
- Looking for Land (pre or post purchase focus)
- Renewable Energy Focus
- Water in the Landscape Focus
- Garden Installation Focus
Details
The Area Specific Assessment comprised of the following parts:
- Intake Survey (You complete the survey with support from us)
- Site Visit (1 to 1.5 hours) with OGS Sustainability Consultant (includes verbal summary of next steps/Recommendations)
- Followup:
- MP3 Recording of the Visit
- Referral if appropriate/possible
- Follow-up Email
Investment: $225.
Can’t afford $225? We don’t want limited funds to stand in your way of support. See our options for reduced fee services.
New Farmer Package
There are lots of considerations to starting a farm business including whether to lease or own land, what kinds of enterprise models to use, and where to get further support, education, and networking. There is a whole lot to learn in a short amount of time. Our Sustainability Consultant can help you think through the stages and phases from strategic and site planning, land-use analysis, and holistic management, to best practices in production systems and on-the-ground infrastructure design and development such as buildings, fences, equipment, and systems (water, power, compost, and grazing)
Looking for Land (Pre or Post Purchase Assessment)
Ideal for those who are looking for land or just bought land. Learn, on the actual ground, about Western NC region and specifically what to track on your land: contour, cardinal directions, water, altitude, climate, wind, slope, flora, fauna, insects, roads, access, structures, fences, soil, and human activity. Hone your observations skills, plan out your land-based systems, map your zones and stages, and begin the site assessment process. Our Coach can join you on a land visit with your realtor.
Renewable Energy Package
Considering off-grid living? Adding solar, wind, or hydro power to your home or farm? Our Sustainability Consultant has over 20 years experience with renewable energy technologies and can help you evaluate, strategize, and plan a system that’s best for your needs. This package will help assess the project, provide a financial overview, analyze technical options, site selection, system sizing, and provide options for suppliers.
Water in the Landscape Package
Whether urban or rural, understanding and working with water in your landscape is part of sustainability and self-reliance. Discover how water flows through your landscape, how to move and/or catch water (low-tech and high-tech earthworks), your water storage potential (greywater, catchment systems, ponds, rainwater harvesting), water re-use systems, and ultimately how to retain water in your soil for lush gardens, pastures, and edible landscapes. This package offers support with system design, consulting, and education about water on your specific property for your specific needs.
Install a Garden or Orchard Package
If you’re struggling with the how, where, when, and what aspects of installing a garden or orchard, we can help. We’ll walk you through the process, step-by-step including choosing and flagging a location, specifics (including equipment, tools, process) for digging up the grass, next steps and timeline for soil building or acquisition, options for amendments, protection systems, water systems, and crop selection. Whether it’s 12 square feet or 1200, the goal is to get you resourced enough to do it yourself.
Remote Assessment
For clients outside of our practical reach and those who want to start their exploration remotely, this assessment takes place on video call or over the phone for ease of scheduling. This assessment offers the same comprehensive intake to gather information and allows for one-on-one time with our consultant for low-cost investment.
Details
The Remote Assessment is comprised of the following parts:
- Comprehensive Intake Survey (You complete the survey with support from us)
- Phone or Skype Consult (1 hour) with OGS Sustainability Consultant (including a verbal summary of next steps/Recommendations)
- Followup:
- MP3 Recording of the Visit
- Referral if appropriate/possible
- Follow-up Email
Investment: $125.
Can’t afford $125? We don’t want limited funds to stand in your way of support. See our options for reduced fee services.
Hourly Consulting Services
This option is available for clients who have already been through one of the Assessment packages. Consider this to support your action plan, follow-through on implementation, get ongoing one-on-one education, or further support with your service providers.
Details
The Hourly Consulting is comprised of the following parts:
- On-Site Consulting, minimum of 1 hour, and maximum to be determined at the time of scheduling.
- Followup:
- MP3 Recording of the Visit
- Referral if appropriate/possible
- Follow-up Email
Investment: $75/hour.
Can’t afford $75/hour? We don’t want limited funds to stand in your way of support. See our options for reduced fee services.
Additional Time & Travel Details
- For all assessment packages, either on-site or Video chat/phone, additional time may be added as needed at $75 per hour as time permits.
- Travel in both directions is charged at $50/hr starting from our offices in Enka, NC
