Permaculture Design Course

Imagine the San Jacinto Valley stuffed with fruit trees, vine covered walkways, bike paths and pathways designed to absorb rain not direct it away from our valley.

Do you what to see our valley green all year long?   If yes, learn how at a FREE Online Self-Paced Permaculture Design Course: https://www.openpermaculture.com.

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UPDATE as of January 9th, 2015:   I have learned much about Permaculture since I first posted this.   I still plan to take the FREE course mentioned above.   The following are resources that I have found useful in creating a Permaculture design plan that makes sense for my yard and climate here in USDA Zone 9.

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/hemetpermaculture
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/Regrarians
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1rKDXuZ8C0&list=PL7ITBgDrw7bXjGy_zLa0GuaY3WKkkoa3v – My Permaculture playlist
• http://www.pinterest.com/hemetsunshine
• https://archive.org/details/PermacultureDesignCourse – This is only an audio, but Geoff Lawton’s talks are wonderful.
• http://permaculturenews.org/2010/08/03/the-art-and-science-of-making-a-hugelkultur-bed-transforming-woody-debris-into-a-garden-resource
• http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur
• http://www.permies.com/t/37601/sepp-holzer/Hugles-HOT-Drylands
• http://www.permies.com/t/3409/ponds/Gley-technique-sealing-ponds-dams
• http://www.permies.com/forums/f-121/desert
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/623997204362467 – Plant identification and discussion
• http://www.twovisionspermaculture.com/trees-are-awesome-desertification-vs-afforestation
• http://www.twovisionspermaculture.com/replacing-imported-staples-with-perennial-desert-substitutes
• Check back.  I have many more resources to share.  I will add them here when I have time.

The following are lists of resources I found at our local.  There are far more resources than what I am listing.

Resources at the Library – Permaculture Design

• Rainwater harvesting for drylands and beyond. Volume 1, Guiding principles to welcome rain into your life and landscape by Brad Lancaster.  2013
• Sustainable Revolution: Permaculture in ecovillages, urban farms, and communities worldwide by Juliana Birnbaum.  2014
• Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist: How to have your yard and eat it too by Michael Judd.  2013
• Paradise Lot: Two plant geeks, one-tenth of an acre and the making of an edible garden oasis in the city by Eric Toensmeier.  2013
• The Resilient Farm and Homestead: An innovative permaculture and whole systems design approach by Ben Falk.  2013
• The vegetable gardener’s guide to permaculture creating an edible ecosystem by Christopher Shein.  2013
• Edible Cities: Urban permaculture for gardens, yards, balconies, rooftops and beyond by Judith Anger.  2013
• The Mini Farming Guide to Vegetable Gardening: Self-sufficiency from asparagus to zucchini by Brett L. Markham.  2012
• Permaculture Design: A step-by-step guide by Aranya.  2012
• The Ultimate Guide to Permaculture by Nicole Faires.  2012
• The Holistic Orchard: Tree fruits and berries the biological way by Michael Phillips.  2012
• The Transition Companion: Making your community more resilient in uncertain times by Rob Hopkins.  2011
• The Whole Building Handbook: How to design healthy, efficient and sustainable buildings by Varis Bokalders.  2010
• Lifelong Landscape Design by Mary Palmer Dargan.  2012
• Eco-yards: Simple steps to earth-friendly landscapes by Laureen Rama.  2011
• Future Scenarios: How communities can adapt to peak oil and climate change by David Holmgren.  2009
• Gaia’s Garden: A guide to home-scale permaculture by Toby Hemenway.  2009
• The Handbook of Sustainability Literacy Skills for a Changing World by Arran Stibbe.  2009
• Food Not Lawns: How to turn your yard into a garden and your neighborhood into a community by H. C. Flores.  2006
• Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture by Rosemary Morrow & Rob Allsop.  2007
• Getting Started in Permaculture: Over 50 DIY Projects for House and Garden Using Recycled Materials by Ross Mars & Jenny Mars.  2007

Resources at the Library – Buildings and Fences

• The Fence Bible: How to plan, install, and build fences and gates to meet every home style and property need, no matter what size your yard by Jeff Beneke.  2005
• Bricklaying by Peter Cartwright.  2002
• The Complete Guide to Greenhouses & Garden Projects: Greenhouses, cold frames, compost bins, trellises, planting beds, potting benches & more by Philip Schmidt.  2011
• The Vegetable Gardener’s Book of Building Projects / Raised Beds-Cold Frames-Compost Bins-Planters-Plant Supports-Trellises-Harvesting and Storage Aids by editors of Storey Publishing.  2010
• 50 green projects for the evil genius by Jami Shariff.  2008

Resources at the Library – Critters and Compost

• Backyard Chickens for Beginners: Getting the best chickens, choosing coops, feeding and care, and beating city chicken laws by R.J. Ruppenthal.  2012
• City Chicks: Keeping micro-flocks of laying hens as garden helpers, compost creators, bio-recyclers and local food suppliers by Patricia L. Foreman.  2010
• The Worm Book for Beginners: A vermiculture starter or How to be a backyard worm farmer and make the best natural compost by Frank Randall.  2013
• The Complete Guide to Working with Worms: Using the Gardener’s Best Friend for Organic Gardening and Composting by Wendy Vincent.  2012
• Compost Critters by Bianca Lavies.  1993
• Minibeasts in The Compost Heap by Sarah Ridley.  2010
• The Zero Waste Solution: Untrashing the planet one community at a time by P. H. Connett.  2013
• The Complete Compost Gardening Guide: Banner batches, grow heaps, comforter compost, and other amazing techniques for saving time and money, and producing the most flavorful, nutritious vegetables ever by Barbara Pleasant.  2008
• The Mini Farming Guide to Composting by Brett L. Markham.  2013
• Re-cycles by Michael Elsohn Ross.  2002.  Describes the cycle of soil decomposition, the water cycle and composting.

Resources at the Library – Plants

• Temalpakh (from the earth); Cahuilla Indian Knowledge and Usage of Plants by Lowell John Bean.  1972
• Backyard Foraging: 65 familiar plants you didn’t know you could eat by Ellen Zachos.  2013.
• Extreme Simplicity: A guide to urban homesteading by Christopher Nyerges.  2013.
• The Everything Backyard Farming Book: A guide to self-sufficient living through growing, harvesting, raising, and preserving your own food by Neil Shelton.  2013
• How to Grow More Vegetables (and fruits, nuts, berries, grains, and other crops) than you ever thought possible on less land than you can imagine) by John Jeavons.  2012
• The Mini Farming Guide to Vegetable Gardening Self-Sufficiency From Asparagus to Zucchini by Brett L. Markham.  2012
• Wild Edible Mushrooms Tips and Recipes for Every Mushroom Hunter by Hope Miller.  2012
• Backyard Farming on an Acre (more or less) by Angela England.  2012
• The Feast Nearby: How I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on $40 a week) by Robin Mather.  2011
• The Heirloom Life Gardener: The Baker Creek way of growing your own food easily and naturally by Jere Gettle.  2011
• Small-Plot, High-Yield Gardening: Grow like a pro, save money, and eat well from your front (or back or side) yard 100% organic produce garden by Sal Gilbertie.  2010
• Mini Farming: Self Sufficiency on a 1/4 Acre by Brett L. Markham.  2010
• Eat Your Yard!: Edible trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and flowers for your landscape by Nan K. Chase.  2010
• The Beginner’s Guide to Edible Herbs: 26 herbs everyone should grow & enjoy by Charles W. G. Smith.  2010
• Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West: Cultural and scientific basis for their use by Cecilia Garcia.  2009
• Don’t Throw It, Grow It! 68 windowsill plants from kitchen scraps by Deborah Peterson.  2008
• Fresh Food From Small Spaces: The square-inch gardener’s guide to year-round growing, fermenting, and sprouting by R.J. Ruppenthal.  2008
• Stalking the Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons.  1962