Permaculture Design Certificate Course

Juliette | December 29th, 2010

This is a reminder… exactly one month until the PDC, register NOW to join us at the Phipps Garden Center!

6 WEEKENDS (January to April 2011):
Jan 29-30; Feb 12-13, 26-27; Mar 12-13, 26-27; Apr 2, 9:00am to 4:30pm

– Earn your internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certification!
– Share 6 weekends immersed in a fun, supportive learning environment!
– Increase your understanding of local ecosystems and your confidence in ecological design
– Experience a thorough, on-site, permaculture design from start to finish for a historic landmark
located in an urban setting
– Learn practical skills to nourish your landscape, home, community
– Visit rural and urban examples of permaculture systems
– Empower yourself to create positive, regenerative changes in your life, your landscape, and your
community

Course Topics:
Permaculture Ethics & Principles
Observation & Ecological Design
Site Analysis & Assessment
Edible Forest Gardens
Water Harvesting
Natural Building
Compost & Soil Building
Greenhouse & Bioshelter Design
Mapping, Surveying, & Presentation
Group Design Projects & Design Charettes
Transition Town Movement

Fee:$770 members, $850 non-members

Lead Instructors:
Darrell Frey of Three Sisters Farm and Bioshelter
Elizabeth Lynch of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Juliette Jones of Pittsburgh Permaculture

For more information or to register, call the Garden Center at (412) 441-4442 ext. 3925. Or visit the Phipps website to download a registration form.

Be your own landscape designer! This intensive weekend course will teach you the secrets of ecological design; learn how to garden like nature! Capture and store water on your site, reducing irrigation costs; build soil and use plants that mulch, reducing your need for artificial fertilizers; and design more sustainable garden systems, reducing your maintenance and maximizing the yield and aesthetics of your property. Visit local examples of permaculture design, use mapping and site analysis tools and complete a guided design project. This course will challenge both beginning designers and experienced gardeners alike.
Permaculture design is rooted in agriculture and horticulture, yet is far reaching and interdisciplinary in nature, making connections to city planning, ecology, architecture, and appropriate technology. This course covers the foundations of ecological design and addresses how these concepts can be applied to both urban and rural settings in order to create regenerative landscapes.

EDIBLE LANDSCAPE-GARDEN UPDATE

Michele | September 15th, 2010

WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO??? I for one, CANNOT believe it is almost over! Yes, I harvested crops of delicious, wholesome, fresh fruits and veggies all summer long, but never really got to sit back and truly enjoy my precious gifts from nature as I usually do! I spent most of the summer with our precious children – enjoying what little time we had left with our son before he moved away to college and getting my daughter ready for her first year in highschool! I am truly blessed…and poor!!!

I did however manage to take some pictures of my backyard, and would love to share them with you! Continue reading EDIBLE LANDSCAPE-MICHELE’S GARDEN UPDATE

UPDATE 2: Indoor Lighting System

Michele | April 26th, 2010

Click Here For My Original Blog “Indoor Lighting System”

Click Here For My 1st Update

Here is another quick update on my NEW Indoor Lighting System. Its getting really close to planting time for our summer annuals, and I am running out of space and shelving to store my huge plants - thanks to my new indoor lighting system I put together this year!

My TOMATO plants are beautiful, thick, and bursting with yellow blossoms! These tomatoes were started by seed on March 14th. That is a little less than a month and a half ago! Some plants are over 12 inches tall! I will need to start my tomato plants later next year, probably the end of March instead! These plants are getting so big I had to transplant them into a bigger pot a second time! The goal is to transplant only ONCE…then out they go straight into the ground!

Look how thick the stalk is at the bottom! That is what you want. These plants will get off to a great start in the garden.

Tomato Plant - grown indoors 12 inches tall

Tomato Flowers - ready to start producing

Here are my CABBAGE plants now, I really need to plant them outside! Look at how huge these leaves have become! Plants are still short and stalky and they are extremely healthy! I have already acclimated them to the outdoors as they have been on my back porch with no cover for a couple weeks now just waiting for me to put them in their permanent spot!

These plants were started the end of February. They are almost two months old! TIME TO PLANT!

Cabbage Plants- ready to plant

My PEPPER plants are LOVING the warmth these lights have provided. Look how gorgeous they are! They don’t like to be over watered under the lights though. In fact, if they dry out just a LITTLE they don’t mind it! I keep my pepper plants in their own flat so that when I water, I usually wait an extra day longer than I would for all the other plants, especially the tomatoes (tomatoes need alot of water growing under these lights). Peppers seem to do much better with just a little bit less water than everything else!

These pepper plants also have blossoms on them just waiting to start producing yummy peppers! They were started on March 7th, so they are now about a month and three weeks old. Look how lush and compact they are! They should really perform well outdoors.

Pepper Plants - blossoms ready to go

Last, here are some of my EGGPLANT plants. This was a wonderful surprise, due to the fact that I have NEVER been able to start eggplant indoors ever! They really have taken to this indoor lighting system and have flourished!

These eggplants were started the same time as my peppers on March 7th. They are also about a month and three weeks old. They look better and are much healthier than store bought! I bet the aphids are going to LOVE these eggplants…

OH BUT NOT IF I CAN HELP IT…

Eggplant - gorgeous thriving plants

I NEVER use any chemicals to force growth on any of my plants! I use all organic fertilizers such as fish and bone meal, alfalfa meal, soft rock phosphate, and seaweeds – all creating a unique blend of superior organic-based ingredients that actually invigorates and improves the biological life in my soil.

I can’t wait to get all these plants in the ground and see how well they produce!

Click Here For My Original Blog “Indoor Lighting System”

Click Here For My 1st Update

HAPPY GARDENING!

Michele

Pittsburgh Permaculture