Lean Market Growing Masterclass
Starting a farm? Start here.
25% off through March 31
Annual spring sale! This is our largest discount offered - get ready for the growing season
with 25% off the Lean Market Growing Masterclass.
No code needed; discount applied at checkout
Totally Unique
The most comprehensive online course in market growing, combining the lean management system and Ben Hartman's cutting edge growing methods.
Smaller and Smarter Farming
A focus on efficient techniques and microfarm management so that you are profitable in year one.
Practical
More than 100 video lessons, shot on the farm during the growing season, showing you all the details of our 1/2-acre farm. Great for urban and rural growers alike.
What's included
- NEW in 2021-'22: Over a dozen new lessons, including a greenhouse construction series, updated information on tomato trellising techniques, packaging options for wholesale accounts, and more.
- More than 150 video lessons (40+ hours of instruction) showing how to earn a comfortable living on a 1/2 acre farm
- Specifics on everything: site selection, low-till soil building, compost-making, weed-free farming, harvesting, and lean selling strategies
- Direct access to Ben: he answers all questions posed through the course platform on a weekly basis
- Invitation to exclusive live online training and Q&A events with Ben for Masterclass students
- Lean methods for growing tomatoes, salad greens, kale, peppers, ginger, carrots, and a whole lot more
- Downloadable content like chef contact sheets, production cheat sheets, and building plans for Ben's barn-house
- Condensed quick-review summary slides of the course content for convenient learning
- Cutting-edge information: Clay Bottom Farm is one of the most respected small farms in the nation and the course is updated every season
- Ad-free: no distractions or promotions, just the lean growing information you want
- Lifetime access: you get access to all of the lessons for as long as the course is online
A small farm can be sustainable and highly productive
This course shows how.
Farming for everyone
While fewer than 2% of people in the US farm for a living, across the globe one in three people is engaged in agriculture to earn at least a portion of their income. Many others farm for subsistence. Most farms across the world are less than 3 acres in size. When you set up a smart, small, and locally-focused farm, you join a giant movement.
What's in the course
Take a dive into the course. Here's a preview.
What You'll Learn in the Masterclass
Click below for a list of all the topics covered in Masterclass lessons
No-waste Inspirations
Here are just a few people that have shaped our farming and methods, and that inspire us:
- Industrial engineer Taicchi Ohno (b. 1912, Japan), transformed Toyota and codified seven types of waste--we use his system on our farm
- Biologist George Washington Carver's work (more on our homepage) continues to inspire market growers
- Rose Avenue refugee incubation farm (Ft. Wayne, Indiana) is an example of farmers connecting with their roots and farming lean (farmers pictured here)
- The creation stories from the Potawatomi people, pre-settlement and current inhabitants of the Great Lakes region where our farm is located, show nature and humans in sustainable relationship. An excellent resource is Robin Wall Kimmerer's book Braiding Sweetgrass.
- Mennonite immigrants and refugees (like our ancestors) brought seeds in their trunks as they traveled from Russia and Europe, and many Mennonites continue to practice simpler living
Jackson H.
Phoenix Farm
McLeansville, North Carolina
Ben's lean farming course has been of tremendous value and influence on my farm and my life. On the surface, "lean" may sound boring and unromantic, detracting from the heart of farming, but it does just the opposite. It makes farming manageable and fun, allowing me to do the bulk of my farming in just 3 days a week so I can spend the rest of my time being a good husband and father, vacationing, and enjoying other pursuits for a well-rounded lifestyle!
Peter H.
Sweet Pete's Market Garden
Bedfordshire, UK
Ben's Masterclass is my one stop shop for definitive knowledge on all aspects of modern market gardening. It is extremely clear and I heartily recommend it to all my fellow growers.
Jim and Katie H.
Wild Canary Farm
Duvall, Washington
We raise pastured livestock, we grow cut flowers, not veg, and the lean philosophy I’ve studied in Ben’s books and through the Masterclass has universal value. We manage our business with an eye to lean thinking. The approach to systems and people resonates throughout our farm. It’s been a very fulfilling journey and gives our farm the ability, with only 3 employees, to punch well above our weight class.
Join Masterclass students from all over the world
Is there a time limit on the course?
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What type of farms is the course geared toward?
Do I have to own a tractor?
Is the course for explorers, beginners, or experienced growers?
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