Breathe deep in a busy world as you escape into your own forest garden
Learn a clear, complete plan that makes it possible to grow your own food forest and experience a deeper connection with nature than ever before.
Live-online COMPREHENSIVE FOOD FOREST DESIGN course begins September 24
✓ Learn from Renowned Instructors
✓ Gain the Expertise You Need
✓ Follow Step-by-Step Guidance
Where should you even begin?
Books and blogs can only take you so far in understanding the complexity and reality of building a food forest. You need a place where you can talk to experts, ask questions, and put all of the pieces together.
- Learn a comprehensive, complete plan that guides you step-by-step through the journey of building your project.
- Understand how the different layers of a food forest work together.
- Make sure you’re planting the right species for your climate.
- Protect your investment of time and money by following a proven process for forest garden design.
All of the knowledge you need to build a life-changing food forest is here.
This comprehensive educational experience gives you the confidence to move forward!
Step-by-Step Instruction
Learn a clear process for designing, building, and caring for your forest that’s based on ancient wisdom and simple truths.
Learn From Experts
Learn from the world’s leading authorities and educators on food forests and mitigate the risks of your project.
Protect Your Investment
Mitigate the risks to your investment of time, money, and heart, and follow proven strategies and techniques for food forest design.
Discover a “regenerative” lifestyle through your forest garden experience.
Regenerative Living is an invitation to deepen your connection with nature and partner with it to create limitless supplies of natural resources, beauty, and inspiration.
- Forage fresh, nutrient-dense food from your backyard or community space.
- Embrace your passion for gardening and the outdoors in a new, powerful way.
- Share the experience with loved ones and build rich memories and traditions.
- Create a powerful community space where people can work and grow together.
- Help build a healthier planet in a way you can manage and maintain.
Follow this path to create a thriving forest garden!
Our instructors help you see how nature partners with you to make the journey simpler, easier, and even more rewarding than you expect.
Take the Course
Learn how to design, build, and care for your future food forest and find the confidence you need to move forward.
Start Your Project
Follow a clear plan that adapts to your specific climate, space limitations, and style as a food forester.
Forage Your Own Forest!
Embrace the simple joys of harvesting delicious, nutrient-dense food in your backyard or community project.
Sign Up for the Course Today!
Comprehensive Food Forest Design Masterclass
6-Weeks Live Online – Sept 24 to Oct 29
(or watch at your own pace with access to the course recordings until June 30th, 2025)
- Create a clear vision and goals for your project.
- Conduct a site analysis for your project.
- Design your food forest.
- Build your food forest.
- Maintain a thriving, healthy forest.
$399CAD
(est. $290 USD)
What’s your “Food Forest Style?”
Take the Quiz and Find Out!
Wait. There are styles of food forests!? Absolutely!
Are you trying to . . .
- Build a food forest in an urban setting?
- Grow your own nutrient-dense food?
- Do your part to build a healthier planet?
- Organize a powerful community project?
- Create a beautiful, peaceful retreat?
This quiz gives you clarity on the kind of forest you need to build and gives you more than a dozen expert strategies for getting started!
Did you know this?
Food forests do involve a lot of work up front, but they get easier to care for as the years go by.
As a food forest increases in beauty and productivity, it decreases in its need for maintenance!
About Verge Permaculture and 5th World
Verge Permaculture is a leading voice in training for permaculture and related subjects like food forest design and water harvesting. Our courses have supported over 15,000 registrants from more than 30 nations.
Verge is part of 5th World. 5th World is dedicated to the growth of regenerative living. It’s a lifestyle where humans, technology, and nature work together in harmony to regenerate Earth and ensure a positive future for humanity.
Course Details
Scroll down for detailed course schedule & content and FAQ’s
Meet Your Instructor!
-
Alain D’Aoust Lead Course Designer | InstructorAlain has spent the last decade working on local food projects, delivering school garden programs and developing community-based permaculture in the Seaway Valley of Eastern Ontario.
He and his family have since settled on a new rural homestead where they have designed and built a simple home and are developing their 10-acre parcel using the Building Your Permaculture Property process.When he isn’t farming or collaborating on projects, he can usually be found in the kitchen preparing nutrient dense meals or paddling down a river somewhere.
Course Schedule
Course runs live Tuesday’s 4:00-6:00pm MT, September 24 – October 29
(convert to your time zone here).
| Module | Dates | Live Session Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Module 1 | Tuesday, September 24 | What is a Forest Garden? |
| Module 2 | Tuesday, October 1 |
Conducting a Site Assessment |
| Module 3 | Tuesday, October 8 |
Designing with Nature in Mind |
| Module 4 | Tuesday, October 15 |
Creating the Right Conditions |
| Module 5 | Tuesday, October 22 |
Planting and Establishment |
| Module 6 | Tuesday, October 29 |
Short and Long Term Stewardship |
Classes may go shorter or longer depending on the number of student questions each week. All classes are recorded and posted to the student dashboard where you can watch or (re-watch) at your own pace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! We understand that schedules can be busy, and it might not always be possible to attend every live session. To accommodate this, we ensure that all our live lectures are recorded and made available to you.
- Timely Availability: Our goal is to have the full recordings of each session available within 8 hours of the live event. This quick turnaround ensures that you can catch up on what you missed without significant delays, keeping you in sync with the class.
- Accessing Recordings: You can find these recordings on the course page, specifically designed for our Passive Solar Greenhouse Design course. The direct link to access the course recordings, as well as all course materials is: https://portal.vergepermaculture.ca/courses/passive-solar-greenhouse-design-course-live
- Convenient Learning: By providing these recordings, we aim to offer flexibility in your learning journey. You can watch the lectures at your convenience, pause, and revisit complex topics as needed, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the course material.
- Long-Term Access: Once posted, these recordings will be available for you to view throughout the duration of the course and forever after, allowing you to refer back to them as often as needed for review and reinforcement of concepts.
We’re committed to making your educational experience as accessible and accommodating as possible. With these lecture recordings, you have the freedom to learn at your own pace and on your own schedule.
To ensure a smooth and engaging experience in our live online sessions via Zoom, there are several technical requirements that you should be prepared to meet:
- Stable Internet Connection: A reliable, high-speed internet connection is crucial for streaming live video and audio without interruption. This ensures that you can participate actively without any connectivity issues.
- Compatible Device: You’ll need a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone that is capable of running Zoom. Most modern devices are well-equipped for this purpose.
- Zoom Software: If you’re using a computer or laptop, it’s recommended to download the Zoom desktop client for the best experience. For tablets and smartphones, the Zoom app is available in the respective app stores. You can also join sessions directly through your web browser if you prefer.
- Webcam and Microphone: As we encourage students to turn on their cameras and participate in verbal conversations, make sure your device has a working webcam and microphone. This not only fosters accountability but also enhances the collaborative learning experience with your peers.
- Headphones/Earbuds (Recommended): Using headphones or earbuds can improve your ability to hear the session clearly, especially in noisy environments, and also helps to minimize feedback during verbal interactions.
- Adequate Lighting and Quiet Space: To be seen clearly when your camera is on, participate in a well-lit room. Also, try to be in a quiet space to minimize background noise during the session.
- Basic Zoom Proficiency: Familiarize yourself with basic Zoom functions such as muting/unmuting your microphone, turning your video on/off, and using the chat feature. This will help you participate more effectively in the sessions.
By meeting these technical requirements, you will be well-prepared to engage fully in our live online sessions, ensuring an enriching and interactive learning experience with both instructors and fellow students.
Our live lectures are designed to be highly interactive, providing ample opportunities for you to actively participate, ask questions, and engage with others. Here’s how interactivity is integrated into our live sessions:
- Real-Time Interaction: During the live lectures, you’ll be able to communicate in real time not only with the instructor but also with fellow students and moderators. This immediate interaction makes the learning experience dynamic and engaging.
- Using the Chat Feature: The Zoom platform includes a chat feature, which you can use to type questions or comments during the lecture. This is a great way to participate if you prefer not to speak out loud or if your question arises while someone else is speaking.
- Direct Question and Answer Opportunities: In addition to the chat, there will be specific times allocated for Q&A, where you can ask your questions directly to the instructor and receive immediate feedback. This is a key part of ensuring that the lectures are as interactive and informative as possible.
- Engagement with Other Participants: Interaction isn’t limited to just the instructors. You are encouraged to engage with your fellow students during the live sessions, fostering a collaborative learning environment.
- 24/7 Access to the Course Community Group: Beyond the live lectures, you can continue conversations, discussions, and interactions in the course community group on our Portal. This platform is available around the clock, allowing you to connect with the course community at any time.
- Encouraged Active Participation: We encourage all students to be active participants. By turning on your cameras and joining in verbal conversations, you contribute to a lively, collaborative atmosphere that enhances the learning experience for everyone involved.
In summary, our live lectures are structured to be as interactive as possible, with multiple channels for engagement, both during the lectures and continuously through our course community group. This interactive format is central to our teaching approach, ensuring that you can fully immerse yourself in the learning process and benefit from the collective knowledge and experience of the course community.
A forest garden, also known as a food forest, is a low-maintenance, regenerative food production system modeled after natural woodland ecosystems. It integrates diverse plant and animal species to create a resilient and productive environment that provides food, medicine, and other resources.
This course is designed for beginners and experienced gardeners alike who are interested in creating their own forest garden. It is suitable for those with varied motivations, including maximizing production in small urban spaces, producing natural food with minimal maintenance on rural homesteads, starting community projects, engaging in ecological restoration, or creating aesthetically pleasing natural garden spaces.
You will learn how to design, implement, and steward a forest garden. Key topics include:
• Conducting a site assessment
• Understanding and applying design principles (layering, plant guilds, water management)
• Planning for ecological succession
• Practical steps for planting and maintaining your new forest garden
• Early and long-term stewardship strategies
The course consists of approximately 12 hours of content, spread over 6 modules. These modules cover the entire process from site assessment to long-term stewardship. Additional time will be set aside for live Q&A sessions to address participants’ questions and provide further guidance.
The course is delivered live on Zoom. The live sessions are interactive, and participants will have opportunities to ask questions and engage with the instructor.
No prior experience is required. This course is designed to be accessible to beginners, while also offering valuable insights for experienced gardeners looking to expand their knowledge into forest gardening.
You will need basic gardening tools and materials, such as:
• Measuring tape
• Notebook and pen
• Camera or smartphone
• Sunlight tracker app
Students should ideally have access to the site of their future forest garden. If not, they should be able to use Google Earth Pro to analyze their site.
The course consists of 12 hours of live content, with additional time set aside for live Q&A sessions. Additionally, you will need to set aside at least an hour or two per week to spend time on your forest garden site performing diagnostic and implementation tasks.
Yes, during the live delivery of the course, you will have opportunities to ask questions and interact with the instructor. For the recorded version, there will be additional resources and potentially an online community for support.
There will be designated Q&A sessions during the live course, and you can also reach out via email or through the course platform for additional support. The recorded version will include supplementary materials to address common questions and challenges.
No, we do not offer a certificate upon completion. The focus of this course is on practical knowledge and skills that you can apply directly to your forest garden project.
The live sessions will be conducted via a video conferencing platform called Zoom. Participants will receive a link to join the sessions before the start of the course. You will also have access to our online learning portal and course community at portal.vergepermaculture.ca.
Course materials will be provided through our online platform. Participants will receive login details upon registration, allowing access to all course content, recordings, and supplementary resources.
Yes, the course includes practical exercises that you can perform at your own site. These activities are designed to help you apply the concepts learned in the course and gain hands-on experience.
Technical support will be available through our online platform. You can also reach out to our support team via email for assistance with any technical issues.
Sign Up for the Course Today!
Comprehensive Food Forest Design Masterclass
6-Weeks Live Online – Sept 24 to Oct 29
(or watch at your own pace with access to the course recordings until June 30th, 2025)
- Create a clear vision and goals for your project.
- Conduct a site analysis for your project.
- Design your food forest.
- Build your food forest.
- Maintain a thriving, healthy forest.
