Ecological Garden Design
This course will take you through the entire process of landscape transformation. You will learn the overarching philosophy to keep in mind, the pieces of a sustainable (and edible!) garden, and how to bring everything together. The course focus is permaculture design principle applied to smaller spaces, generally a quarter-acre or less, and includes practical steps that are immediately actionable.
From the get go you will map out a garden, adding to the design with each subsequent module. The main form of instruction is weekly lectures. Also, the course includes a wealth of useful sources for map creation, sector drawings, companion planting, additional reading, etc. The course will start towards the end of winter 2021 and will extend to the middle of spring. Following along with the course, by summer 2021 you will have built the foundations of a thriving ecological garden that produces food from year one. You will enjoy seeing your garden mature and you will be well equipped to nudge the landscape to wherever you may envision. Last, but certainly not least, the course gives access to a discussion board, where you will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with peers.
Course Outline

Start Date: February 2021
End Date: June 2021
Each module is covered in 2 weeks:
Module 1 – The Philosophy: An Introduction
Module 2 – The Philosophy: Applied Design
Module 3 – The Pieces: Soil
Module 4 – The Pieces: Water
Module 5 – The Pieces: Plants
Module 6 – The Pieces: Animals
Module 7 – The Connection: Garden Communities
Module 8 – The Connection: City Gardens
Course Details
Module 1 – The Philosophy: An Introduction
- Garden types
- Systems and principles
- The garden as a mature ecosystem
- Succession
Module 2 – The Philosophy: Applied Design
- Patterns
- Edges
- The design process
- The sector map
- Map making
- Bringing it all together: the herb spiral
Module 3 – The Pieces: Soil
- Some numbers
- The story of a leaf
- To till or not?
- To fertilize or not?
- Theory to practise: composting and sheer mulching
Module 4 – The Pieces: Water
- The five water conservation methods
- Water harvesting
- Irrigation systems
Module 5 – The Pieces: Plants
- Roles to fulfill
- Weeds as pioneers
- Trees
- Complementarity
- Example plants
Module 6 – The Pieces: Animals
- Roles to fulfill
- Pests
- Attracting insects
- Attracting birds
Module 7 – The Connection: Garden Communities
- Diversity and microclimates
- Designing your polyculture
- Garden guilds – functions and examples
- The seven layer food forest
Module 8 – The Connection: City Gardens
- The advantage of numbers
- Sectors in the urban context
- Tempering harshness
- Space saving techniques