Practical permaculture gardening
A two-day look at applying permaculture in the garden
Saturday 2 - Sunday 3 October 2010, 10.00am -5pm both days
This course explores how permaculture design can be used to create beautiful, productive and wildlife-friendly gardens.
Venue
The first day we will be based at the Earthship in Stanmer Park, Brighton and on the Brighton Permaculture Trust plot close by. Click here for directions to our meeting point at Stanmer Park.
The second day we will begin at the garden of Pippa Johns, which is close to Southease station and is located between Newhaven and Lewes. Click here for Southease location and directions. The afternoon will be held in a nearby hall. Details about this venue will be sent with pre-course information.
Click here for details of local accommodation and to find out about Brighton Permaculture Trust supporters who can provide accommodation in their homes.
Course tutor
Tuition will be provided by Pippa Johns an experienced tutor who has designed and created gardens using Permaculture Design for over 10 years.
Who is the course for?
The course is open to anybody interested in applying Permaculture ideas in their home garden, community garden or allotment. It is suitable for complete beginner gardeners as well as those with some experience who wish to increase the sustainability and productiveness of their plots. You may have some prior knowledge about or qualifications in Permaculture but this is not a necessity as we will cover some basic theory.
Please note that unfortunately this course is not suitable for wheelchair users.
What will the course cover?
By the end of the course you will have the skills to carry out a Permaculture Design for your plot and to start a garden from scratch without digging. Other topics we will cover include annual and perennial food crops, encouraging beneficial wildlife, composting, pest-control without chemicals, rainwater harvesting and maintaining soil fertility. There will be the opportunity to carry out at least one practical activity each day and there will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions.
Please note that attending this course does not qualify you to use the term 'permaculture' as part of your work as a professional or with the public, such as being a gardener, a teacher, a designer, giving talks about permaculture, etc. In order to do this you need to complete a permaculture design course such as our Building sustainable communities course.
What you will need to bring
• Sun hat & sun screen
• Warm/waterproof clothing & sturdy outdoor footwear
• Warm socks or slippers for indoors
• Gardening gloves
• Gardening tools if you have them & can transport them easily
• Pens, pencils and a notepad
• Packed lunch
• Water bottle
Learning methods and outcomes
A discussion about what participants want from the course will be followed by short theory sessions and practical demonstrations. Weather permitting a large part of the course will be outdoors including practical hands-on experience with guidance from the tutor. We will visit an established Permaculture garden and look at some of the projects at Stanmer Park. By the end of the course participants will have learned several practical techniques and design tools, which they will then be able to apply to their own gardens and allotments.
What does this course lead on to?
This short course is not accredited. It does not lead directly on to any other courses but will provide a taster for those progressing to work or courses in horticulture, sustainable garden design and market gardening. Those interested in the ideas of Permaculture Design could follow it with one of Brighton Permaculture Trust's Permaculture courses, held regularly in Brighton.
Fees
Fees include tuition, refreshments, handouts and information sheets.
£165 - Sponsored/organisation rate
£165 - Individual income more than 25k/yr
£130 - Individual income 18-25k/yr
£95 - Individual waged less than 18k/yr
£60 - Individual, concessionary rate
Concessionary rates are available to people in receipt of means-tested benefits (including housing benefit, council tax benefit and working tax credit), also full-time students and OAP s.
We endeavour to make our courses/events affordable to all. Unfortunately we do not receive any external funding and as such rely on large amounts of voluntary input to run courses/events.
See the cancellations and refunds policy.
Booking
Booking is essential as most of our courses/events are fully booked weeks in advance. However if places are still available then reservations can be made until midday the day before the course/event.
You can pay now using a credit/debit card or paypal. This is our preferred option as it saves us administration time. It is usually also possible to pay by cheque/postal order, however this option will not be available on the form in the 2 weeks leading up to the course/event, or if it is nearly fully booked. A place is not secured until we have received the requested payment and reservations will only be valid for 3 working days.
Please read the information on this page then
register here for Practical permaculture gardening, 2-3 October 2010
If places are available you will automatically be taken to the booking form.
You will receive email confirmation of your registration; please check your spam or junk email folder (especially Hotmail account holders).