Building Resilience with Permaculture

“...All life depends upon the soil … There can be no life without soil and no soil without life - they have evolved together.” - Charles E. Kellogg

Permaculture is the art and science of helping become more environmentally sustainable and collectively resilient, helping you grow well across life, work and land. Permaculture is about earth care, people care and fair shares for all.

In this one day course, you’ll learn how to interact with and observe the landscape to find health, and where it is lacking, as well as practical steps you can take to improve these conditions. We'll begin with the complex and all-encompassing world of soil and what we can do to benefit structure, nutrient flows and organic life living in it. 

With plenty of outdoor learning, we'll explore the web-of-life around us and ways to benefit from these support systems as we ‘design’ our own spaces and behaviours. We'll venture around the farm to see natural patterns and permaculture principles in action, interacting with wild and cultivated areas, tuning into the language of the landscape, noticing tracks and signs, birdsong and indicator plants.

Throughout the day, you’ll learn about:

- Healthy ground, soil structure and organisms - Noticing and growing from strong foundations, the unseen under our feet. 

- Cycling energy - compost and nutrient flows, enablers and inhibitors.

- Companion and complementary plants

- Plant identification - particularly those in wild edges, such as fields and hedgerows.

- Reflections of self and our place in the ecosystem - ‘the best fertiliser is the footsteps of the farmer.’

- Gathering the harvest and going forth - gratitude for bounty we have in our lives and garnering support as we step into regenerative action beyond the course.  

This course is led by Emily Howgate and Shila Brown of Muck & Magic. Both are permaculture practitioners and attentive facilitators, with experience working in national conservation groups and local community organisations. They run engaging, inclusive and warm courses for like-minded groups of people looking to make a difference in the way they interact with the world.

This course works well alongside the certified Introduction to Permaculture course in May for those who would like a deeper dive into these topics and more insight into their practical applications in your own growing.

Places are limited to 14 participants, so make sure you book early to avoid disappointment.

Tickets include a farm-to-fork seasonal light lunch and refreshments from our Cafe.

Arrival & Timing Information

Please arrive at 9:45am for tea and coffee, aiming for a 10am start. Refreshments will be served throughout the day and lunch will be served around 1pm. Please bring a notepad and pen along for all important information. Some of the day will be spent outside on the farm, so please bring appropriate outdoor clothing and shoes - as well as gardening gloves if possible.

Cancellation Policy

We understand that there may be times where you need to cancel your booking. Our cancellation policy is outlined here.

We like to take photos and occasionally videos of our events to use on our website and social media, please let us know if you do not want to be photographed.