This summer P3 Permaculture and Valhalla are collaborating to bring you some practical techniques in permaculture that you can build at home, on your balcony and back yards.
These topics are intermediate level so there is details available that we would not cover in an introduction to these topics. All workshops are taught by Graham Calder, Vivian Kaloxilos and supported by some guests.
Our goal is to materialize permaculture into something tangible that any and all people interested can grasp and apply as they need.
Make sure to sign up and follow the event on Facebook, and share the video on our Facebook Page. We will be picking 2 random people who share the video on Facebook and give them free entrances to a workshop. The first winner gets to choose which workshop he wants to attend, and so on until we gave away 2 free entrances to every workshop. That’s 16 free entrances! So your chances are pretty big!!
Schedule:
You can sign up to individual workshops for 75$ on their respective events page.
August 23rd – Compost Toilet
August 24th – Intro to Permaculture
August 31st – Water Management / Earthworks
September 14th – Ecological Gardening (Fancy Gardening Techniques)
September 21st – Edible Gourmet Mushrooms Cultivation
October 5th – Rocket Stove
October 19th – Edible Forest Gardens
October 26th – Season Extension and Solar Dehydration
We will all be sharing our meals together during lunch Potluck style, so make sure to bring something to share with everyone :)
Passionate about Permaculture?
You can sign up to the entire series for a discounted price: 450$!
That’s 8 workshops for the price of 6.
Only want to attend some of the workshops?
Sign up to four workshops to get one more for free.
August 23rd – Compost Toilet
A basic need for any home is waste management, this is the most fundamental of all. If you have ever wondered how composting toilets work? What are the benefits? And best of all how to build them? Then this workshop is for you.
In this workshop:
We will build 2 models of this toilet system, one super portable and easy to build and one designed for high volume and safe handling. The history and philosophy of composting human waste and the science behind it will also be covered. We will also examine the different types of composting toilets available on the market such as those manufactured by Sun-Mar and Clivus-Multrum, as well as designs that can be constructed by the do-it-yourself.
Upon completion of the course:
The students will be prepared to install and begin using their own composting toilet while avoiding some of the major potential pitfalls involved in composting toilet use.
August 24th – Intro to Permaculture
A practical Examples presentation
What is Permaculture? Sure there are a million and one great definitions! In depth explanations! But what does it look like? and what is the scaleability. From the Backyard to the Broad acre there is something for everyone!
This is a visually stimulating Q&A integrated Permaculture Presentation Focusing on Positive, Inspirational Solutions for every scale.
In this workshop:
We will spend a short time looking at the definition of permaculture and then focus on what are the techniques, methods and concepts. A picture is worth a thousand words so that’s what we’ve got. Pictures and short video clips of great simple and complex permaculture solutions, from across the globe.
This presentations about the inspiration of positive solutions that are shaping our future. Hold on to you hay bales!
We will be following this presentation up by a Hands on Seed-balls workshop for re-establishing Biodiversity and fertility.
Upon completion of the course:
Students will be comfortable to prepare and use Seed-balls
August 31st – Water Management / Earthworks
Lets move the earth! Rethinking the way we shape our landscapes so that they mimic the lost forests of the land. Acting as passive water management features the design of your land can catch water, divert water, soak water or even reduce the saturation of an area.
These techniques are paramount in the regeneration of soil ecosystems, rivers and ground water health. We can prevent floods, wild fires, droughts, and create corridors of fertility and habitat to support our conventional mono-culture systems. Not that we agree with them but we need to transition!
In this workshop:
This class will be an introduction to survey and design of these systems. We will be talking about why and where the systems work and don’t work, as well as design and begin the implementation of these systems on the Valhalla site. Finally, we will finish the day with some real swale building.
Upon completion of the course:
Students will be prepared to build:
- Real swales
- Earth Dams
- Terracing
- Passive Irrigation Gardens
September 14th – Ecological Gardening (Fancy Gardening Techniques)
Ecological Garden Design 101
Auto Fertile gardens, passive irrigation, No-dig & Natural Pest Control what more do you need?
Gardening… if the word means watering and weeding your summer away then this is the workshop for you.
In this workshop:
We will learn the basics of multi-functional and aesthetically delicious garden designs. With passive irrigation, soil generation, and a multitude of colors smells and decadent flavors these gardens will transform the way we experience the garden.
We will cover the natural systems of nutrients and moisture in order to create a low input, low maintenance garden.
Upon completion of the course:
The students will learn the Basic Techniques for Ecological Garden design and planting:
- Self Fertile (no fertilizers)
- Natural Pest Control
- Passive Irrigation
- Companion Planting
- No dig Gardens/ No till agriculture
- Tips & Tricks for planting
September 21st: Edible Gourmet Mushrooms Cultivation
Mushroom Cultivation 101 – From the Balcony to the Backyard
In this workshop:
We will briefly cover some wild medicinals of North America. We will cover the growth habits of mushrooms, how to propagate, harvest and sell Mushroom Products.
NOTE: This workshop may last until 6PM
Upon completion of the course:
The students will be prepared to build and cultivate:
- Mushroom Buckets for the balcony
- Wood Chip Beds for Productive garden Pathways
- Logs for large volume production
- Stumps for Forest cultivation
October 5th – Rocket Stove
Heard the term and want to know what the hype is? Well, it’s not rocket science!
Rocket stoves are cooking stoves that use very little wood fuel very efficiently.
In this workshop:
We will look at how rocket stoves work, how to use them safely and find out the burn efficiency of rocket stoves compared to other wood burning heating or cooking devices.
Upon completion of the course:
The students will be prepared to build their own 2 burner Rocket stove for cooking at home, for only 20$ of materials.
October 19th – Edible Forest Gardens
Dreaming of walking around in an Eden full of delicious natural food? This workshop is a great stepping stone for you to get there.
Learn to Revitalize orchards & plant auto-fertile, passively irrigated Food Forests.
In this workshop:
We will cover the growth habits of trees, how to plant, and maintain orchards to bring them into a natural abundance.
NOTE: This workshop may last until 6PM
Upon completion of the course:
The students will learn the Basic techniques for Food Forest design and planting:
- Modifying old orchards
- Design of Food Forests
- Integrating natural fertility & Irrigation
- Integrating Natural Pest Control
- Techniques for planting
October 26th – Season Extension and Solar Dehydration
This special workshop covers 2 topics to get a longer season for your food and how you can preserve it for it to last longer.
Part 1 – Season Extension:
Want to grow more food? Is your summer just not long enough? Do you want more from the garden? How about a second planting?
In this workshop:
You will learn about the basic techniques to grow more for longer, how to plant in succession and what you can plant in the fall and winter to get more food out of your space.
Part 2 – Solar Dehydration
Does your fruit tree produce more than you can handle? Want to have access to local fruits in the winter?
In this workshop:
We will cover the basics of solar dehydration, of herbs and fruits. We will also look at different models of Solar Dehydrators, as well as build one that can sit on your table or balcony.
Upon completion of the course:
You will be prepared to build and use:
- Solar Dehydrators for their home
- Cold Frames
- Hoop Tunnels
- Mulch
- Thermal mass
- And other techniques for Season Extension
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