Permaculture courses

[Morph]

Has anyone here done a permaculture certificate course? If so where, when, what was it like? Do you practice permaculture design?

I have been dwelling on doing this for a while now, but due to child committments, haven't as yet moved on it. I am dreaming of unjobbing & being a picky, choosy permaculture designer & earning some money here & there when we need it or when it takes my fancy. Does anyone else here do this? Can you tell me about it please?

[jodiemiller]

I would love to, but never have. But I have hired a permie to come to my property and give me advice, and I have watched numerous DVDs and youtube videos on permculture design, swaling, and other intriguing aspects of the philosophy. I have read several permaculture books, including Bill Mollison's original Permaculture and Permaculture 2. All this just to educate myself, not to have a qualification to advise others though.

I happen to know there are several correspondence courses you can do that will eventually give you a qualification. Even better though is to do the courses on the land with other people. I don't believe there is much money to be made in advising people on permaculture and designing for them. You either get it, or you don't. But hey, I've hired someone to advise me, even if I didn't get him to design the garden outright, so I guess there are people who will do similar.

Landscape architecture, otoh, is something you can consult about. The jobs would be BIG jobs on the whole and you could still apply permaculture principles to the land (as they would also have to do - all landscape design comes down to water flow and minimising human input and maximising gains).

Where do you live, Morph? Do you have permaculture courses in your neighbourhood, or would correspondence have to be your mode of study?

[Morph]

Thanks Jodie. I was hoping you'd answer - you answered a fruit tree watering question of mine elsewhere yesterday! ;) We're in the Adelaide hills. The Food Forest at Gawler is a primary place to do permaculture courses. Their certificate course is initially 10 days. It's a long drive out there (1½ hours away) & long days. Not sure my children would handle me being away that much at this age, so correspondence courses would work for me. Can you recommend any you've heard about?

I also have a few permie books & read them to get my own knowledge up. I lack the practical experience - apart from what we've done here already. Can I ask what your permaculture advisor charged? I saw a garden designer at an eco expo & looking at the stuff she was doing, I think I can do that too, with a bit more education. The jobs she was working on were about 100k! Mind you, that included all landscaping & the plantation of mature plants & huge rocks, a pond, etc.

Our own place is perfect for a practice property. Maybe I should just read the books from cover to cover, rather than flicking through to what's relevant at the time & try to do it on my own. I'm already doing that, really, just haven't done a plan on paper. It's always been the goal, but I've muddled through without doing it.

[jodiemiller]

Ah, so you visit ALS? There was a correspondence course query just a few days ago. Maybe go search for threads started by Redhen (?) as I think it was her discussing her correspondence course and her struggles with it.

I paid $300 to have a guy walk me around my property and explain the principles he thought we could apply here. I didn't agree with everything he said, and already knew a lot of what he shared, but it reassured me that I knew enough to apply my knowledge to achieve my own master design. :) Best thing was he didn't try to impose his ideas on me, just tried to augment the ideas I already had for great productivity. Best advice he gave me was about guild planting, and swaling, which we we have undertaken to a certain extent (and may never really be finished with as it's an ongoing concern).

If I was to do the course I go up the coast to Sonya's garden, which she bought from Linda Woodrow, I believe. Or some other famous integration-gardener whose name I don't recall.

[Savannah]

Permaculture Vision, the Permaculture Insitute, PAA, etc. There are heaps who offer online courses. Just google. I did mine through Permaculture Visions and they were great. The workbooks weren't flash once printed out and all the info is online but that suited me. The info was thorough.

[Morph]

Thanks Savannah. I know there are heaps online, but a recommendation counts for so much. Did you do the course to be able to set up your own property or to work on other peoples as well? If you work on others, can you tell me a bit more about it please?

[Savannah]

I have used it on my own place, but also through referals. I have been working with our local community garden as well and that has provided some contacts. I am in the middle of something at the moment but I'll come back on sometime over the weekend and detail the process more.