Blog

Permaculture Design for Community Garden Project

The folks at Smart Farm in Barrington, IL, invited us to work with them on a permaculture design for a new 10-acre parcel they were gifted with.

The biggest challenge?  This was the low ground in the area and after a good rain, 5 of the 10 acres was under water, including many of their annual gardening beds.

So we designed in some rain gardens and bioswales to move the water in the direction we wanted through the property. Once the deep rooted prairie plants are established we will actually end up holding more water on the land while also keeping their annual beds dryer. Here is the conceptual design. We’ll post the ‘as-built’ design once it’s completed.

Click Here for Full View / Higher Resolution

As of this time, Smart Farm is looking for an exceptional candidate to fill the role of Farm Manager with a strong emphasis on permaculture (regenerative agriculture).  Details here.

 

Permaculture Work-traders Finish EarthShelter

It has been a real boon to have Embry Jansen and Sky Pisarski assisting us over the past couple of weeks as permaculture work-traders.  They are trading their time for one of our upcoming PDC courses. They have been assisting us with a wide variety of unfinished activities related to our CSC 8.7-acre Permaculture Land Project here in Stelle.

The Team
Work-Trade Intern team of Sky and Embry

Our 2019 Permaculture Work-Trade Intern Team: Sky (seated) from Northern Illinois and Embry from Berea, KY.

The Challenge – Mortar in the Patio Limestones

Continue reading “Permaculture Work-traders Finish EarthShelter”

Mowing Swale and Berm

Mowing a Swale and Berm System with a Ditch-Bank Flail Mower

Greetings…
A common question we get is how to maintain the ‘weeds’ or growth on a swale and berm system. I thought this pictoral summary would be helpful to many of you. Let us know what you think and about what you have been doing as well.
Cheers… Bill Wilson

Continue reading “Mowing Swale and Berm”

Bending Oak PDC Course – Picture Summary

Midwest Permaculture PDC Course #78
A Picture Summary
This was our First PDC at Bending Oak Permaculture Farm
Youngstown, OH – In August 2018
A Project Site we are Co-designing with the Owner

“…this course (at Bending Oak) was solid, loaded, useful, fascinating and endlessly helpful in understanding permaculture design.  Everyone came away feeling completely enriched by the training.”
PDC Student Graduate

Next Bending Oak PDC Course: June 15-22, 2019
For information on all Midwest Permaculture PDC courses visit our full schedule HERE. Continue reading “Bending Oak PDC Course – Picture Summary”

Chronicle of a Work-Trade Program

Chronicle of a Work-Trade Program
One scrappy idealist’s venture into the world of permaculture

“This permaculture summer of mine was magical for me in a lot of ways, and beginning my journey with the work-trade program was certainly a beautiful way to get started on that journey.” Coral

Coral Thayer

Perhaps you are an experienced permaculturalist and manage an amazing piece of land or you educate others in the ways of the swale. Or perhaps you have a PDC and are eager to learn more. Or maybe you’ve recently begun this journey and are looking at what Midwest Permaculture has to offer. A Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) is a good investment but it can be kind of expensive. If you’re a young 20-something like myself you may not be able to drop a thousand bucks for a week-long training. Fortunately, Midwest Permaculture provides another option: their work-trade program.

Continue reading “Chronicle of a Work-Trade Program”

PDC Graduate Series – Jodi Trendler and Michelle Hickey

 

Jodi Trendler is a Graduate of:
PDC Course #33 – June 2012
at Midwest Permaculture, Stelle, IL
Michelle Hickey is a Graduate of:
PDC Course #38 – Jan. 2013
at Midwest Permaculture, Stelle, IL

Cofounded The Resiliency Institute
in Naperville, IL, immedialtey following their PDC courses.

Continue reading “PDC Graduate Series – Jodi Trendler and Michelle Hickey”

Plants and Pollinators Workshop

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. includes lunch.
Price – $20
Call or email to let us know you are coming.
Becky@midwestpermaculture.com
815-256-2215

Workshop will be both out in the field to identify plants and pollinators and indoors with a presentation.

For those interested there will be a casual introduction to Stelle during lunch and then a follow-up tour after 3:00. No additional charge. Continue reading “Plants and Pollinators Workshop”

Low-cost, knock-down, outdoor shower house

Here is some information about the progress we are making with our outdoor shower house projects. With campers coming to our Stelle (Il) and Bending Oak (Youngstown, OH) projects this summer we want to have a way that they can take a warm shower using current sunlight (scrap wood) to heat the water. (More on solar vs. wood burning hot shower water systems below.)

The goals for our shower houses are 5-fold;
     1. Non-permanent and portable
     2. Knock-down for winter storage
     3. Inexpensive (easily available or recycled materials)
     4. Easy to assemble/duplicate
     5. Attractive (Has to have a welcoming factor)

Prototype #1

The first concept we came up with that cost the least turned out to be more of a job to construct than first imagined, may not hold up in a hard wind, and frankly, looks a bit tacky (to me). But the price is right at $65.

Low-cost outdoor shower house made with T-posts and a tarp

Prototype #1 – Tarp and T-posts

Continue reading “Low-cost, knock-down, outdoor shower house”