Permaculture Design Certificate +

A "supercharged" version of the PDC - incorporating the standard PDC and adding to it.

Course Code: BHT201

Course Duration: 100 hours (approximation, self paced study, commonly 3 to 6 months, longer if you need)

A permaculture system is a unique landscape where plants and animals live balanced in a self-sustaining ecosystem). It commonly involves developing a garden or farm where the plants and animals are put together in such a way that they support each other's growth and development. The garden or farm may change over years, but always remains productive, requires little input once established, and is environmentally sound.

Expand your permaculture know-how

This is an intensive foundation course. If you are only going to take one permaculture this is the ideal choice. If you take this course, do not do Permaculture I, II, III or IV as well (Permaculture Systems contains parts from the others).

This course provides a sound starting point for setting yourself up as a permaculture or sustainable garden designer.

Course Structure

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted, marked and returned with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading. The course is divided into eight lessons as follows:

• Nature and scope
• Principles of permaculture
• Location
• Functions
• Elements
• Elevation planning
• Biological resources
• Recycling energy
• Diversity
• Natural succession
• Maximising edges
• Other concepts and systems that have been incorporated into permaculture
• Sustainability
• Organics
• No dig gardening
• No till planting
• Crop rotation
• Green manure cropping
• Composting
• Companion planting
• Pest and disease prevention and management

Lesson 2. Natural Systems

• Ecosystems
• Abiotic components of an ecosystem
• Biotic components of an ecosystem
• Ecological concepts and terms
• Biomass
• Understanding climate
• Microclimates
• Degree days
• Water in permaculture systems
• Minimising water needs
• Arid landscapes
• Irrigation
• Using swales
• Reed beds for waste water treatment
• Reed bed plant species
• Hydrological cycle
• Water - Direct fall onto land surface, intercepted fall, fall onto water bodies
• Rainfall, Evaporation, Infiltration
• Effective rainfall
• Soil Environments - micro organisms, organic matter
• Types of soil degradation
• Types of erosion & control
• Salinity and its control
• Soil acidification and management of pH
• Wildlife in a Permaculture system
• Structure of a Permaculture system
• Plants and their function in permaculture
• Guilds and stacking
• Successions

Lesson 3. Zone and Sector Planning

• Scope and nature
• Five standard zones
• Sectors
• Landscape profile
• Site selection
• Pre-planning information; what is needed and how to find it
• Procedure for concept design; step by step
• Recording site and locality details

Lesson 4. Permaculture Techniques

• Forests and trees
• Trees as energy transducers
• Types of forests; fuel, food, forage, shelter, barrier, structural, conservation
• Forest establishment
• Designing fire or wind break
• Fire resistant plants
• Mandala gardens & their construction
• Keyhole beds
• Water bodies in a permaculture system
• Water body design
• Water containment options
• Water plants
• Managing water bodies

Lesson 5. Animals in Permaculture

• Location for animals
• Functions for animals in a permaculture system
• Bees, poultry, pigs, cattle
• Grazing animals
• Types of fencing (post and rail, hedge, wire, barbed wire, electric, banks and rises, gates
• Animal water supply
• Shelter for animals - trees, a valley, purpose built shelter
• Birds
• Earthworms
• Aquaculture scope and nature
• Aquaculture production systems (EP and IP)
• Aquaculture species
• Aquaculture management
• Harvesting fish

Lesson 6. Plants in Permaculture

• Scope and nature of plants for use in permaculture
• Growing vegetables organically
• Physical characteristics of a soil
• How to test and name a soil
• Chemical characteristics of a soil
• Soil, Nutrition, Fertilisers
• Animal manures, Liquid plant feeds, Rock dusts
• Nitrogen fixation, Mycorrhizae
• Identifying plant nutrient deficiencies
• Using mulches
• Types of mulch
• Weed management
• Preventative weed control
• Other methods of weed control
• Culture of selected permaculture plants - asparagus, black locust, cassava, chicory, dandelion, endive, fennel, garlic, ginger, horseradish, leek, mint, okra, pigface, rhubarb, sweet potato, taro, warrigul greens, water cress, water spinich, yams
• Culture of selected fruits - apple, apricot, cherry, citrus, fig, loquat, nasi pear, olive, peach, pear, plum, quince
• Culture of selected tropical fruits - avocado, banana, carambola, coconut, custard apple, guava, mango, paw paw, pepino, pineapple
• Culture of selected vines - grape, passion fruit, kiwifruit
• Culture of selected berries
• Culture of selected nuts
• Culture of rarer nuts
• Crop plants which grow in shade
• Fodder plants
• Plant pest and disease management for permaculture
• Plants with insecticidal properties

Lesson 7. Appropriate Technologies

• Scope and nature of appropriate technology
• Solar energy
• Wind energy
• Methane
• Biofuel power
• Composting toilets
• Energy efficient housing
• Living fences (hedges, hedgerows etc)
• Water recycling
  Domestic needs - climate control, space heating, washing and drying clothes, cooking and cook stoves, refrigeration and cooling, hot water supplies, water conservation, electricity and lighting
• Alternative energy and management
• Waste disposal: kitchen waste, non composting waste, recycling
• Biological filtration system
• Conservation and recycling
• Types of waste water (liquid waste, grey water, black water)
• Energy conservation
• Solar energy
• Solar greenhouses

Lesson 8. Preparing a Plan

• Scope, nature and methods
• Designing for natural disasters
• Drawing a plan
• Developing the final design

This course covers the standard 72 hour permaculture design certificate, then adds on an extra 28 hours of additional learning. It is based on curriculum established in 1995 by our then curriculum advisory committee with input and approval from the permaculture institute in Tyalgum NSW, and industry representatives working with the accreditation authorities in the Victorian education dept.