Permaculture Classes at Seeds of Change Farm and Gardens
by Kelle Carter

The Seeds of Change Farm and Gardens is becoming more sustainable in all applications of our farming practices and daily operations by incorporating permaculture design principles in every aspect of our work. In addition to recent perennial windbreak and pollinator habitat plantings and incorporating chickens into our system, we have recently set up water catchment tanks off of our warehouse roof, and we are looking into appropriate technology applications including wind and solar power to offset our carbon footprint. 

We are also expanding our popular farm tours, events and educational outreach to the local community. Last season we offered a well-attended permaculture class in the fall, taught by Scott Pittman of the Permaculture Institute, and other local experts. We are excited to announce that, due to the success of that class, we’ll be offering three more classes over the 2008 season. Each will focus on a different range of topics and will include hands-on field work to go along with the lectures. The classes can be attended separately, however attending all three classes will result in a certification in Permaculture Design by the Permaculture Institute.

First Permaculture Class
The first class will be offered in May, so contact us soon as registration is filling up. This class will focus on spring planting, including soil preparation, vegetable and flower transplanting, farm biodiversity, planting for pollinators, and sustainable system design. In addition to Scott Pittman, we will have Toby Hemenway as an instructor. Toby is the author of the first North American book on permaculture, Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture. Toby is currently working to develop urban sustainability resources in his home town of Portland, Oregon.

Second Permaculture Class
Our second class of the season will be offered in July, right in the heart of the summer when water is our most crucial element, and weeds are at their worst. This class will focus on rainwater harvesting, weed management, bees as pollinators for home gardens and farms, as well as gardening for self-sufficiency. Brad Lancaster, author of Rainwater Harvesting in Drylands and Beyond, will be our guest lecturer, along with Scott Pittman. Brad currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, where he works to build community through planting edible landscapes, teaching about the native plants in the nearby Sonoran desert, and helping Tucsonians harvest precious rainwater. He states:

“I help folks make their part of the world a better place. And by doing so, the world as a whole becomes a better place. Since 1993 I’ve run a successful permaculture consulting, design, and education business. I share the fun innovations and daily adventures I live while striving to live more sustainably and comfortably in the Sonoran Desert. I plant air conditioners and turn windows into heaters. By correctly orienting buildings, planning roof overhangs, and planting trees to shelter buildings and yards, homes and yards can heat and cool themselves.” 

Third Permaculture Class
The last permaculture class in the series will focus on sustainable home and community. Offered in August, the hands-on applications of the class will include food processing, seed saving and building with natural materials. We will also look at soil improvement and how we employ our flock of chickens to this end. Scott Pittman will also lead this class, with the assistance of some local teaching guests, still to be determined. This class will celebrate the bounty of the season—we are sure to eat well—and class participants will be able to stock their pantries with food for the winter. 

We hope you will join us in one or all of these unique permaculture class offerings. Come and learn how to make your “part of the world a better place.” Learn from experts in the field of sustainability and expand your network of community. For more information or to register go to www.permacultureinstitue.org.

Kelle Carter
Seeds of Change Farm Field Coordinator

Photo Captions: (1) Tree planting at the permaculture class at the Seeds of Change Farm and Gardens in 2007