Dates (8x weekends)
March - 1st / 2nd > 15th / 16th > 29th / 30th
April - 12th / 13th > 26th / 27th,
May - 10th / 11th > 24th / 25th,
June - 7th / 8th
Time: 9am to 4pm
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3x Lead teachers:
Brett Cooper (Limestone Permaculture)
Will & Anthea Powers (Maplewood Permaculture)
Plus
8x Specialist Guest Teachers
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2x offsite Permaculture Farm Visits
Loads of Demonstration
Hands on Learning
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(Please refer to our Refund Policy)
16 day Protracted PDCHC
Permaculture Design Your Property & Life
whilst gaining
Micro-farming & Homesteading Skills!
With Us!
A Limestone Permaculture Design Certificate & Homesteading Course offers real time examples of a successful design process,
transitioning sustainable living systems & Resilient Homesteading on a thriving, Permaculture Principled Homestead!
This is the backdrop for your PDCHC learning experience...!
We apply the wisdom of Mollison / Morrow & Holmgren to the Ethics, Principles & Design as the core of our design course curriculum, supported by our own experiences of over 23years
in both Suburban & Rural settings.
Specialising in Warm Temperate / Sub-tropical climates,
the course also covers cool temperate & tropical climates.
We demonstrate the application of Permaculture Principles to food production, water management, animal management, project management, passive home design,
multi-functional construction, natural energy generation, income from homestead
along with practical strategies from tried & tested Permaculture Solutions.
It is an expectation that you will finish the course with a property 'Concept' design of
your very own to get you started on your Permaculture Journey!!
The PDCHC
(Permaculture Design Certificate & Homesteading Course)
Specific topics include:
PDCHC Intro
Course Schedule / What is Permaculture / Ecology 101 / Ethics & Principles
Task 1 – Vision
Task 2 – ‘Have Needs Want’ list
Design Process Introduction
Scale of Permanence / Climate & Topography / Patterns / SSA Intro / Zones 0-5 Intro / Assessing Vegetation & Wildlife / Online Tools
Task 3 – Base Map
Water is Life > Domestic & In the Landscape, Freshwater Aquaculture (Pond & Dam).
Demo = Tank Plumbing (tank installation, 1st flush systems, insect management, Re-direction)
Task 4 – Water Analysis
Task 5 - Site Sector Analysis
Importance of Trees & Forests
Tree Benefits / Forest / Shelterbelts
Permaculture Farming (Field day)
Farm Layout & SSA / Water Management / Fodder Station / Market Gardening / Sheep & Turkeys
Soil Biology / Roots Assessment / Diverse Pasture Species / Biocast applications
Infrastructure, Access & Earthworks
Homestead Buildings / Access / Spatial Management / Passive Systems + Solar
Earthworks Intro
Design Fundamentals
Drawing Techniques / Regen Farming
Designing with Zones / Regen Farming Techniques /
Task 6 – Bubble Concept
Healthy Soils & Composting
Creating Living Soil / Protecting Soils / Thermophilic Compost / Manure tea / Sheet Mulching 101
Protection & Stability
Designing for Disaster / Drought Resilience / Exclusion Systems / Security
Permaculture Homestead (Field Day)
Passive Building / Resource Management / Dam Refurbishment & Ecology / Swale set-out
Plants in Permaculture
Horticulture / Botany / Propagation / Seedling mixes
Living with Weeds / Integrated Pest Management / Seed Saving
Homestead Harvest
Harvesting Methods / Fruit & Veg Prep Techniques / Harvest & Storage techniques
Outdoor Pantry & Cellar designs / Storing Produce & Seeds
Homestead Shed & Tool Management
Shed Management / Spacial considerations / Tool selection
Task 7 - Project Concept Homework
The Edible & Medicinal Gardens
Enhanced Gardening Techniques / Garden Bed Construction / Veg, Herb, Flower & Medicinal Gardens
Seasonal Planting & Maintenance / Guild Planting / Extending the Season & using Micro-climates.
Homestead Orchard
Espalier & Free-Range Orchards / Pruning Techniques / Maintenance Strategies
Homestead Animal Management
Ethical Animal Systems / Nutrition / Support Plants / Protection / Rotational Breeding Systems.
The Homestead Kitchen
Preserving / Fermenting / Canning / Mushrooms / Tonics
Waste management / Energy Efficient Nutrient Dense Meals (recipes)
Kitchen & Pantry management / Natural cleaning & Skin products
Homestead Project Management
Permaculture Project Management / Basic Project Scope of Works + Order of Works + Resourcing
Income from Homestead
Considerations & Opportunities / What worked for Limestone.
Social Permaculture > Beyond the Landscape
Forms of Social Capital / Community Development
Zones of Social Permaculture / Principles Beyond the Landscape
Design presentation discussion
PDC Dinner (Last Saturday Night)
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Design Presentation Day
Student Design Presentations + Where to Now + Certificates + Class Farewell
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Undertaking a Permaculture Design Certificate with Limestone Permaculture has many benefits:
1/ Economical - generally a full design (snapshot in time) that is customised for you, including site consultation, site sector analysis, bubble diagram, project concept design, animal management information, plant index, etc can set you back at least double the cost of a PDC and this is basically 'Giving you a Fish', however undertaking a Limestone Permaculture 16 day
PDCHC over the protracted 8x Fortnightly weekends, empowers you with the necessary tools to connect with your property, make informed decisions & evolve with your changing landscape.
This is teaching you 'How to Fish'!
This is backed by the support of our Limestone Permaculture educators, your student course package, your student group and the PDCHC group Facebook page we create for each class, even after the course has finished!
2/ Slowed & absorbed Learning - Our protracted PDC offers more time to immerse, absorb and test what you have learnt each fortnight on your own farm & garden. It provides the necessary time for you to observe seasonal changes & experience weather events to then understand how permaculture can be integrated to harness or protect from these changes & events.
3/ Experience & Knowledge - our PDC course provide 'hands on' experience with demonstrations, workshops & farm tours at Limestone Permaculture Farm & other Permaculture Demonstration Farms along with our supporting guest teachers!
Many of these demonstrations have been innovated or evolved by Limestone Permaculture!
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Our protracted PDCHC provides awareness, demonstration & understanding of:
- permaculture as a concept, integrating permaculture ethics and principles into your daily life.
- base mapping of any site
- site assessment, using information obtained from observations, local weather sites, bio-regional information, land form maps, access, local government, local ecology information and soil testing.
- site sector analysis, taking into account the energies that enter & exit the property like wind, sun, shade, water, frost, wildlife, views , noise, micro-climates & aesthetics.
- property assessment, its strength & weakness, its potential resources, boundaries and its limiting factors.
- creating functional connections between elements of your design to reduce labour and eliminate waste.
- mimicking natural patterns in nature to achieve harmony, prosperity & beauty within your property.
- designing for different climatic conditions and adapt to future climate change.
- designing abundant systems with natural solutions.
- designing water capture, retention & dispersal into your landscape for seasonal resilience.
- learning about living healthy soils & the soil food web
- harnessing the power of trees to modify climate, create habitat and produce food
- the strengths and weakness of various food producing systems
- the benefits of integrating perennial & annual gardens for resilient food production
- designing stable, abundant food forests
- designing animal systems into your property.
- how to use aquaculture to further enhance your designs
- Utilise appropriate technology for thermal comfort, power generation, energy efficiency, food preservation and much more.
- Implement the permaculture design process on your property with smart project management.
- Helping your local community (schools, events etc) through your understanding of permaculture design
Please note:
80% attendance & submission of all design assignments are required to complete this PDC.
Course Reference Book
The course curriculum is a combination of years of permaculture education & experience, as well as many acknowledged Permaculture design books including:
Permaculture: A Designers’ Manual by Bill Mollison”
Earth Restorer's Guide to Permaculture (2022 edition) by Rosemary Morrow > supplied with course!
Retrosuburbia by David Holmgren
"All of which are recommended reading."
Certification
On completion of the course, students will be presented with a PDC graduate certificate
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