This blog was contributed by current PDC student, Vanessa Hanel.
Weekend #1: Getting Started & Compost Piles
After waiting for what seems like forever, attending various courses and talks, partaking in a couple of permablitz’s, and even going as far as Cuba to participate in a permaculture internship this summer, I have finally started my Permaculture Design Course with Verge Permaculture! To say the least – I am thrilled! I can’t think of a better way to capture and share my experience than by photos – Enjoy 🙂
We couldn’t have picked a better weekend to get started; it was sunny and hot which allowed for lots of time to be spent outside.
Exploring the surrounding area looking for ‘edge’ with fellow classmates.
Our first group photo! We had the opportunity to visit the site that we will eventually be designing as a part of the course where we built the largest compost pile that I have ever seen. ‘He’ was aptly named cousin **it for his resemblance to a certain Adam’s family member, and also his composition, in part, of manure 🙂
Our class getting our first tour of the site.
Weekend #2: Permablitz!
We could have used a little of that sunshine the morning of our second weekend, but we powered through the rain to transform two sites with the power of permablitz.
Site #1: Rob and Michelle’s food forest may not look like it needs much help, but we added water harvesting swales throughout to increase the water holding capacity of the soil and installed a simple grey water filtration system out back.
We also planted cherries and harvested a LOT of potatoes!
We were rewarded for our efforts with hot cob-oven pizza. Yum!
Site #2: The afternoon was spent at another site finishing up the sheet mulch (or lasagna garden) for a future food forest, and planting more edible trees and shrubs, like saskatoons, cherries and even gooseberries!
We covered a lot of ground over the first 24 hours , and I am looking forward to sharing more of this journey with you as it unfolds.
-Vanessa
