Learn to select and use plants in a Permaculture style planting design

• Expand your knowledge and understanding of how plants are used in permaculture landscapes.
• Learn about establishing permaculture gardens.
• Learn about the principles of permaculture design.
• Learn and understand about zoning in permaculture systems.
• Develop your knowledge of natural methods of pest, disease, and weed control.

This course can be taken as part of the learning journey towards the Permaculture Design Certificate, OR it can be taken after completion of the PDC to increase your knowledge of the use of plants in permaculture systems. There is more information on obtaining the PDC lower down this page.

COURSE AIM

To develop the student’s understanding of how to plan and develop a self-sustaining, environmentally stable productive garden based upon the patterns which occur in nature.

COURSE STRUCTURE AND LESSON CONTENT

There are 10 lessons in this course:

Lesson 1. Permaculture Gardens – Different Garden Systems

• Function
• Aesthetics
• Ways of Growing Plants
• Environmental Conditions
• Plant Establishment
• Growing in Spirals
• No Dig Beds or Composting Mounds
• Organic Growing
• Helping Plant Establishment
• Trickle or Drip Irrigation
• Mulching
• Common Types of Organic Mulch
• Rules for How to Mulch
• Problems with Mulching
• Living Mulch
• Tree Guards
• Reduced Cultivation
• Crop Rotation
• Establishing Plants on Slopes –Pocket Planting, Slope Serration, Wattling
• Planting on Arid Sites
• Direct Seeding
• Spray Seeding
• No Till Planting in Lawns
• Raised Beds
• Growing in Pots
• Biodynamics Introduction
• Biodynamic Principles
• Developing A Biodynamic Property
• Biodynamic Preparations and Sprays
• Soil Degradation
• Understanding and Managing Erosion
• Salinity
• Soil Acidification
• Soil Compaction
• Chemical Residues in Soils
• Improving Damaged Soils

Lesson 2. Design – Planning Techniques and Skills

• The Design Process
• Gathering Information and Pre-Planning
• Planning and Design
• Drawing the Permaculture Plan
• Design Procedure – Thirteen Steps
• How to Represent Different Components on A Drawn Plan
• Criteria for Choosing the Plants
• Maintaining Biodiversity in Permaculture
• Designing for Low Maintenance
• Plants for Small Places
• Lime Loving Plants
• Useful Conifers
• Nut Producing Conifers
• Other Edible Parts of Conifers
• Conifers as A Source of Oils, Resins, Building Timber
• Cypress and Pines

Lesson 3. Sector Planning

• Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• Sectors
• Designing and Planting A Firebreak
• Fire Prone Areas
• How to Arrange A Firebreak
• Considerations
• Fire Resistant Plants
• Windbreaks, Hedges and Screens
• Hedges for Different Conditions
• Plants for Windbreaks
• Long Narrow Spaces
• Growing Plants in Shade
• Plants Suited to Full Shade
• Frost Hardy Plants
• Coastal Planting
• Strategies for Dealing with Salt and Wind
• Hardy Plants for Inner City Gardens
• Pollution Resistant Plants
• Nuts to Grow in Permaculture - Aleurites, Argan, Athertonia, Barringtonia, Fagus, Brabejum, Castanospermum, Gevuina, Coconut, Couepia, Quercus And Many
• Others

Lesson 4. Design for Natural Pest, Disease and Weed Control

• Understanding Natural Pest Control
• Bio Control
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Bio Control
• Natural Pest Controls with Herb Extracts
• Other Techniques for Natural Insect Control
• Understanding Insecticidal Properties of Different Plants
• Natural Weed Control
• Weed Control with Cultivation, Mulch Biological Controls, Grazing, Etc.
• Growing Grain Crops on A Small Scale
• Hull Less Oats
• Amaranth and Quinoa
• Corn
• Flours

Lesson 5. Complimentary Planting - Companion Planting

• How Reliable Is Companion Planting
• Repellent Plants
• Attractant Plants
• Plants That Impact on The Soil Conditions
• Planting Combinations That May Be Mutually Beneficial
• Combinations Sometimes Considered Undesirable
• Plants That Can Improve Soil – Alfalfa, Borage, Caraway and Others Explained
• Green Manure Crops
• Decoy Plants
• Nitrogen Fixation
• Legumes in Permaculture
• Cover Crops
• Grain Crops
• Plants for Pets – Dogs, Cats, Poultry

Lesson 6. Appropriate Technology in Permaculture Design

• Energy Conservation Technology
• Building Biology
• Environmental Impact on Buildings
• Climate
• Building Location
• Radon
• Air Quality and Allergies
• Temperature and Humidity
• Light
• EMR And Creation of Electric Fields
• Solar Energy
• Greenhouses: Design and Function
• Passive Solar Energy Collection and Active Systems
• Conservation and Recycling
• Kitchen Waste Management
• Water Saving Measures
• Environmentally Friendly Gardening
• Growing Berries
• Strawberry Growing
• Raspberry Cultivation
• Bramble Berry Growing
• Other Berries –Gooseberries, Mulberry, Etc

Lesson 7. Water Gardens

• Planting in Wet Places
• Understanding Wet Areas
• Overcoming Problems
• Plants Suited to Bog Gardens
• Why Have Water in A Permaculture Garden
• Designing for Wet Places
• Managing Water in Sun or Shade
• Water Life
• Construction
• Waterproofing
• Managing A Healthy Pond
• Plants That Can Damage Ponds
• Plants Suitable for Water – Submerged, Floating and Bog Plants
• Growing Water Chestnut
• Establishing A Water Garden
• Creating A Pond with A Liner
• Constructing A Small Dam or Pond
• Waste Water Treatment with Reed Beds

Lesson 8. Knowing Plants –Tree Crops

• What Zone to Grow In
• Orchard Species Suited to Permaculture
• Understory Plants
• Leguminous Companions
• Actinorhizal Companions
• Orchards
• Planning for Intercrop Species
• Tropical Orchards
• Dry Land Orchards
• Fukuoka System
• Nut Trees
• Almond
• Cashew
• Chestnut
• Filbert
• American Hazelnut
• Macadamia
• Peanut
• Pecan
• Pistachio
• Walnut
• Harvest, Storage and Processing of Nuts
• Nut Toxins
• Fruit Trees
• Apples
• Apricots
• Peaches and Nectarines
• Citrus
• Feijoa
• Pomegranate
• Olive
• Plum

Lesson 9. Knowing Plants – Vegetables and Herbs

• Introduction
• Choosing the Right Spot
• Considering the Soil
• Feeding Plants
• Plant When Conditions Are Favourable
• Cultivation Necessities – Mulching, Rotating Crops, Watering, Pest Control
• Planting to Maximize Harvest
• Planting Vegetables
• Disease Resistance in Vegetables – Beans, Corn, Peas, Lettuce, Tomatoes.
• Vegetables to Grow in A Permaculture System
• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Beans
• Beetroot
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Capsicum Eggplant
• Onions
• Rhubarb
• Silver Beet Sweet Potato
• Tomato
• Zucchini
• Herbs
• Allium –Chives, Garlic, Shallots Etc
• Angelica
• Artemisia
• Balm
• Basil
• Calendula
• Cardamom
• Chamomile
• Coriander
• Lavender
• Mint
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme
• Other Herbs

Lesson 10. Giving the Garden A Central Focus

• The Mandala Garden Concept
• Surfaces
• Keyhole Beds
• Herb Spirals
• Step by Step Construction of a Mandala Garden
• Centre Pond
• Weed Barrier
• Outside the Mandala
• Planting Out
• Organic Materials – Ashes, Feathers, Hay, Leaves, Sawdust, Pruning’s, Etc.
• Mulching Vegetables and Herbs

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

COURSE AIMS

• Discuss the nature and scope of permaculture.
• Apply an understanding of environmental systems to considerations given to how a permaculture system is designed.
• Describe soils and the impact their characteristics have upon natural and man made environments.
• Explain the application of this knowledge to permaculture.
• Describe characteristics of climate and water, and the impact their characteristics have upon natural and man made environments.
• Explain the application of this knowledge to permaculture.
• Describe forest systems and their relevance to permaculture design.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Develop a good understanding of the scientific system of naming plants.
• Discuss some of the aspects which play a part in permaculture.
• Describe how permaculture is different to other forms of horticulture and agriculture.
• Visit an outdoor environment area determine what relationships the living and non-living things might have with each other.
• Explain how a permaculture system operates. Considering: Relative location -Multiple functions - Multiple elements - Elevational planning - Biological resources - Energy recycling - Natural succession - Maximise edges - Diversity.
• Determine some of the characteristics of soil samples collected by you.
• Explain contour maps and how this information can be used to estimate potential effects on plant growth.
• Explain the relationship between soils and plant growth.
• Research different ecosystems such as arid deserts, savannas, mangroves, etc.
• Explain weather patterns in your local area. Determine why this knowledge may be important to the permaculture practitionist.
• Explain water within an ecosystem or permaculture garden and its application.
• Describing the microclimate of arid classification.
• Describe the differences between the three main types of climate zones such as Tropical, Temperate and Desert and briefly give your views on what major differences would need to be taken in establishing a permaculture system in each climate zone, compared with the other two.
• Consider the impact of plant communities on each other and to the rest of the ecosystem.
• Determine the effects of light, rainfall, wind, leaf litter, etc, on the growth of the plants you observed.
• Explain the importance of trees in a permaculture system.

OBTAINING A PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATE

If you are interested in obtaining a Permaculture Design Certificate, then Permaculture II can form part of your studies towards this. For further details on how to achieve a PDC, and the different study options which we have available to you, please read the Permaculture Design Certificate article.

Learning about Plants is Core to Permaculture

There are tens of thousands of different plants that can be used in permaculture designs. No one ever learns everything about them all, but to be a good permaculture designer, it is important to become familiar with at least a thousand or more. This course sets you well on the path to doing that.

A big part of permaculture design is concerned with selecting appropriate plants, and arranging them in a way which will create a naturally self-sustaining ecosystem. This course focuses on expanding your knowledge of plants you might use in permaculture; and how to best use them.

Objectives in any landscape are concerned with both function and aesthetics. In some gardens the aesthetics can be paramount; but for the permaculture system, function is more important than anything else.

1. Function

Functional design criteria are concerned with the purpose which the design is intended to serve. The designer attempts to make the site serve very practical purposes such as:

• Provide accessibility throughout the site.
• Provide a safe and comfortable place (e.g. protection from extreme weather, security, etc.).
• Provide a supply of produce (e.g. fruit, vegetables, wood, eggs, etc.).
• Provide an appropriate place to do certain things (e.g. work, play, relax, entertain, etc.).

2. Aesthetics

Aesthetic criteria are concerned with the ‘beauty’ ‘mood’ or ‘feeling’ it creates.

Permaculture design is an area of landscape development which is all about functional criteria, and usually much less about aesthetics.

Two main principles:

• Natural growing is paramount to permaculture. The system depends upon nature to create a balance and sustain that balance with minimal input from man.
• Function is of prime importance; aesthetics is of little importance. The system must function in accordance with the aims of the design.

There are many different systems of natural gardening and farming which have been, and are practiced throughout the world, with varying degrees of success. Permaculture can borrow and adapt concepts and techniques from these different systems, and for that reason if no other these systems are valuable to study and be aware of.

Ways of Growing Plants

There are many different methods and techniques for cultivation of plants. Just because a method works well for one type of plant in a particular locality, does not mean it will necessarily work well for other types of plants; or in different localities.

Learning to grow plants is an immensely complicated business.

Anyone can have a degree of success with very little knowledge - but more success requires three things:

• An intimate knowledge of the possible techniques that might be used to grow plants.
• An in-depth knowledge of the plant cultivars you want to grow.
• An ability to match the plant you want to grow, with an appropriate technique, in the context of the situational conditions you are trying to grow it under.

Environmental Conditions

Situational conditions vary from place to place and time to time. These are the all of the things that have an impact upon the performance of a plant where it is growing, such as:

• Temperature range (day and night, throughout the year)
• Wind
• Sunlight/shade
• Humidity
• Soil fertility
• Soil structure
• Soil water
• Animals that interact with the plants, soil
• Adjacent plants (causing shade, root competition, wind protection, etc.)

A permaculture system is continually changing. Every plant you introduce or remove will change it further. If a system is to be developed and sustained properly; you do need to build a strong plant knowledge.

WHO CAN THIS COURSE BENEFIT?

• Anyone designing or developing landscapes to be more sustainable and productive.
• Graduates or students from Permaculture, Horticulture, Agriculture or Urban Planning.
• Land owners, home gardeners, farmers, community activists.
• Anyone else with a passion for self-sufficiency and sustainability.

STUDY FOR THE FUTURE

Study to learn more about sustainability and naturally balanced systems. Learn about growing plants within a permaculture design. You can enrol on the Permaculture II (Plants and Permaculture) course at any time. The course is studied by distance learning, and includes practical research elements to provide a greater depth to your learning.

Students are supported in their studies by our highly knowledgeable tutors. At the end of each lesson in the course there is an assignment which is to be completed and submitted to your tutor for assessment. This will be marked by your tutor and returned to you with observations and suggestions for any additional reading or study that may be required.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about studying permaculture with ACS, then please get in touch with our specialist Permaculture tutors today. They will be happy to answer your questions and discuss the different aspects of the courses we have available.