Permaculture Skills Course
At The Santa Cruz Permaculture Farm
Gain skills and learn best practices to be able to successfully and confidently implement sustainable living projects! Our 6-weekend permaculture skills course focuses on developing practical skills through hands-on learning. Topics covered include:
- Construction & Carpentry
- Forestry & Wood heat: fire mimicry, rocket stoves, ovens, harvesting timber and non-timber forest products
- Energy: electrical, solar, biogas, bicycles
- Agriculture: composting, orchards and animals, no-till techniques, brush clearing, gopher trapping
- Landscape Construction: stonework, masonry, fencing
- Water: plumbing (especially for greywater systems), drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting
We meet 1 weekend a month for 6-months on our farm to develop practical skills needed to build and maintain common components of permaculture designs. Participants are welcome to camp onsite. The majority of our time is spent doing hands-on activities with experts to guide each project. Each weekend is centered around a group project we work on together, and a “make and take” project you build individually to take home. The overall goal is for you to learn the tools and best practices you need for building permaculture solutions in your context. Join our experienced team of instructors while we use our hands, hearts, and minds to build real-life projects.
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course you will …
- Be comfortable selecting, using, and maintaining common power and hand tools
- Gain confidence building and maintaining projects essential to many permaculture designs & projects
- Have a sense of how to use onsite resources creatively and productively to achieve your goals
- Know how to troubleshoot common problems in permaculture installations
- Have gained a deeper understanding of the time, effort, and resources required to install and maintain common permaculture elements.
Check out our learning objectives and sessions below. If it sounds like a good fit, come join a professional team on a stunningly beautiful site for several weekends of in-depth skill development!
Full Series: 6 Weekends over 6 Months
Full series registration is available up until the day before the first session. Late registration is available and you can make up any missed weekends with the next session. Email info.santacruzpermaculture@gmail.com with questions.
Pricing
- Full Tuition: $1395
- Early Bird Discount: $1295 (Register by March 25, 2025)
- Super Early Bird Discount: $1195 (Register by March 11, 2025)
- Partner / Spouse Tuition: $1095 (When one partner registers for the full course, the second gets a discount)
- Teachers: $1095 (Special price for For K-12, College and University Teachers)
- Youth: $1095 (Special price for ages 13-18)
Spring – Summer 2025
- Session 1: April 12-13, 2025
- Session 2: May 10-11, 2025
- Session 3: June 14-15, 2025
- Session 4: July 12-13, 2025
- Session 5: August 9-10, 2025
- Session 6: September 13-14, 2025
Session Times: Saturday 10am to 5pm both days
Fall 2025 – Winter 2026
- Session 1: October 18-19, 2025
- Session 2: November 15-16, 2025
- Session 3: December 20-21, 2025
- Session 4: January 17-18, 2026
- Session 5: February 21-22, 2026
- Session 6: March 21-22, 2026
Session Times: Saturday 10am to 5pm both days
Individual Sessions
If you don’t want to sign up for the full course but would like to sign up for an individual weekend, you’re welcome to do so! The tuition is $295 per weekend.
Construction & Carpentry – May 10-11, 2025
Energy – Electric, Solar, & Biogas – June 14-15, 2025
Forestry, Fire Mimicry, & Wood Heat – July 12-13, 2025
Landscape Construction – August 9-10, 2025
Agriculture – September 13-14, 2025
Water – April 12-13, 2025
Session Descriptions
All sessions include hands-on, project-based activities. Classes run from 10am-5pm each day.Construction & Carpentry
Learn how to use carpentry tools and work with wood to create infrastructure and beautification. During this weekend, participants will learn best practices using hand and power tools such as hammers, drills, saws, sanders, stains & paints, and more. We’ll work on projects such as worm bins, benches, garden structures with decks, walls and doors.
Forestry, Fire Mimicry, & Wood Heat
During this weekend, participants will learn safety, chainsaw use and maintenance, forest stewardship through fire mimicry, wood splitting/stacking, fire-making and efficiency for home heating, and hearth cooking. We do things such as felling and bucking trees, firewood splitting, brush clearing, and a burn pile.
Energy – Electrical, solar, biogas
Learn how to assess energy needs and appropriate sources. Participants will learn to run electrical wiring for simple projects, how to hook up a solar panel, and best practices for biogas waste-to-energy. We’ll work on projects such as building a solar shower, building a small off-grid solar setup, and building a biogas reactor.
Landscape Construction
Participants will learn a broad spectrum of practical hardscaping installation methods, including fencing, retaining walls, and building methods and practices. We’ll work on projects such as building decks and awnings, installing appropriate fencing, laying out paths and roads, and building simple farm/garden buildings.
Agriculture
Let’s grow some food! Participants will learn agricultural techniques applicable at both farm- and home- scales including composting, orchard maintenance, garden perennialization, no-till growing methods, brush clearing, and gopher trapping. We’ll work on projects such as making compost piles and worm bins, compost teas, orchard establishment and pruning, soil-building, and fertility maintenance.
Water
Water resilience is essential in a permaculture system. During this weekend, participants learn plumbing skills and best practices, drip irrigation installation, rainwater harvesting setup, installation, and maintenance, and system troubleshooting skills. We’ll work on projects such as rainwater tank integration, infiltration basins and trenches, setting up drip irrigation, and gutter installation and adjustment for design needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make up material you missed during the next session.
Please use the registration button above.
Cancellations up to two weeks before the course begins will be refunded, excluding a $150 processing fee. No refunds are given after that date.
Participants are welcome to defer their enrollment to the next session of the course.
Class meets Saturday and Sunday 10am-5pm with a lunch break. We typically have potluck lunches both days. On rare occasions the group may decide to end earlier. We never end after 5:30pm.
Full Series: 6 Weekends over 6 Months
Full series registration is available up until the day before the first session. Late registration is available and you can make up any missed weekends with the next session. Use the next cohort registration and select the class you’d like to join on our registration form. Email info.santacruzpermaculture@gmail.com with questions.
Pricing
- Full Tuition: $1395
- Early Bird Discount: $1295 (Register more than 30 days in advance)
- Super Early Bird Discount: $1195 (Register more than 60 days in advance)
- Partner / Spouse Tuition: $1095 (When one partner registers for the full course, the second gets a discount)
- Teachers: $1095 (Special price for For K-12, College and University Teachers)
- Youth: $1095 (Special price for ages 13-18)
Fall 2024-Winter 2025
- Session 1: October 19-20, 2024
- Session 2: November 16-17, 2024
- Session 3: December 14-15, 2024
- Session 4: January 18-19, 2025
- Session 5: February 15-16, 2025
- Session 6: March 15-16, 2025
Session Times: 10am to 5pm both days
Fall 2024-Winter 2025
- Session 1: April 12-13, 2025
- Session 2: May 10-11, 2025
- Session 3: June 14-15, 2025
- Session 4: July 12-13, 2025
- Session 5: August 9-10, 2025
- Session 6: September 13-14, 2025
Session Times: 10am to 5pm both days
Your Guides For This Course
David Shaw
Farmer and teacher with Santa Cruz Permaculture
Miles Taylor
Carpenter and natural builder with MuddBums
Leo Lauchere
Renewable energy & fire mimicry specialist with EcoCamp Coyote
Ben Lacy
Landscape Construction
John Vandemoer
Farmer and teacher with Santa Cruz Permaculture
Lydia Neilson
Greywater and rainwater harvesting specialist with Rehydrate the Earth
Leah Stern
Permaculture Instructor
Peter Sorlie
Permaculture instructor