Midwest Permaculture Course & Book Correlation Guide
This guide correlates two complementary takes on the same permaculture curriculum: the Midwest Permaculture Design Certificate Course (11 pre-course webinars plus 18 sessions), and Rosemary Morrow’s Earth Restorer’s Guide to Permaculture (38 chapters, Melliodora Publishing, 3rd ed. 2022). The course delivers conversational, living instruction; the book provides structured reference, depth, and global context. Use the Book Chapters column to find passages that reinforce, expand, or pre-read each session.
How to Use This Guide
Move in either direction — watch a session and read the corresponding book chapter for depth, or read the book first and let the session bring it alive in conversation. Pre-course webinars are listed first; they function as a foundation before the main 18-session course begins.
Green chapter badges (Ch 7) are primary correlations — the chapter most directly covers that topic. Lighter badges (Ch 2) are secondary — useful context. Book chapters are referenced by number and short title so you can locate them quickly in the Table of Contents (pp. iv–v).
PRE-COURSE - Foundations of Permaculture Webinar Series
The Foundations of Permaculture Webinar Series (session #1, 9 webinars, plus 2 design workshops) are the on-ramp to the full course. Students who work through them arrive with vocabulary and a first pass at the core ideas. Morrow’s Part 1 (Chapters 1–6) is the natural reading companion for the entire pre-course section.
Session 1
Origins of Permaculture & Course Framing
Mollison & Holmgren Ethics History Designer’s Manual
Course Coverage
Mollison coins “permaculture” before meeting Holmgren; their collaboration producing Permaculture One (1978)
Holmgren’s vision: organic farming + ecology + landscape architecture combined
Mollison’s insight: model agriculture on the forest — the squirrel that never touches the ground
Fukuoka’s no-till work incorporated into Permaculture Two
The Designer’s Manual (1988) as course backbone; three climate zones: desert, rainforest, temperate
Core definition: “leave the planet in better condition than we found it”; three ethics
Book Chapters
Ch 1 Ethics & Principles — origins of ethics; the three ethics in depth; principles
Introduction Morrow’s history of permaculture’s global spread (pp. viii–ix)
Ch 23 Traditional & Emerging Cultures — indigenous knowledge roots; Fukuoka parallels
Pre-Course · Webinar 1
The Case for Permaculture
What is permaculture? Why now? Overview
Course Coverage
David Suzuki: “What permaculturists are doing is some of the most important work on the planet”
What permaculture is; why it is needed now; what it looks like on the ground
Full 3-hour introductory presentation — the case for permaculture
Overview of Mollison, Holmgren, and the origins of the movement
Book Chapters
Ch 1 Ethics & Principles — origins, the three ethics, why they matter
Ch 3 Global Boundaries — the case for why permaculture is urgent
Introduction Morrow’s own framing of permaculture’s global role (pp. viii–x)
The book’s Foreword by Vandana Shiva is a powerful companion to the “why now” argument made in this webinar.
Pre-Course · Webinar 2
The Story of the One-Straw Revolution
Fukuoka No-till Spiritual roots
Course Coverage
Larry Korn’s story of living on Masanobu Fukuoka’s farm in Japan for two years
How Korn translated and published One Straw Revolution in English
Fukuoka’s rice-growing without tillage — the soil science and the philosophy behind it
The spiritual and cultural dimensions of natural farming
How Fukuoka’s work influenced Mollison and the writing of Permaculture Two
Book Chapters
Ch 12 Soils: Living Organisms — no-till principles, soil biology, organic matter
Ch 20 Zone 3: Farms — perennial and no-till farming systems
Ch 15 Plant & Seed Heritage — seed-saving tradition that Fukuoka embodied
Ch 23 Traditional & Emerging Cultures — indigenous and traditional knowledge roots
Morrow explicitly references Mollison’s integration of Fukuoka’s approach into permaculture farming design.
Pre-Course · Webinar 3
Permaculture Ethics, Principles & Patterns
Ethics Principles Patterns Guilds
Course Coverage
Three ethics: Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share — origins and application
From Permaculture One’s “characteristics” to named ethics and principles
How principles emerge from ethics; applying them in design decisions
Introduction to guilds — people, plants, and systems in relationship
Pattern literacy introduced: seeing patterns before seeing individual elements
Book Chapters
Ch 1 Ethics & Principles — the foundational chapter; directly parallels this webinar
Ch 4 Nature’s Patterns — the seven major forms; pattern literacy
Ch 2 Ecology: Life’s Networks — the ecosystem context for why ethics matter
Ch 1 is the most direct pairing.
Pre-Course · Webinar 4
Your Backyard Farmer
Urban farming Business model Land access
Course Coverage
How Robin and Donna launched Backyard Farmer — farming in other people’s yards in Portland, OR
The land access problem for new farmers; creative solution using residential lots
CSA and truck-farming economics; proximity to customers changes the model
Permaculture livelihood model: turning observation of abundance into a business
Book Chapters
Ch 38 Incomes & Livelihoods — permaculture as career; right livelihood; new business models
Ch 32 Rights & Access to Land — land tenure, access challenges, creative solutions
Ch 17 Zone 1: Kitchen Garden — what a well-managed residential food garden looks like
Ch 37 Designing Workplaces — ethical work environments and permaculture enterprises
Pre-Course · Webinar 5
Reading the Land & Methods of Design
Design methods Site analysis Zones Observation
Course Coverage
Primary objective: harvest available energies; maximize yield; minimize work
Primary design elements: sun, rain, wind, animals, plants, soil — and human creativity
How humans can improve an environment by entering it intentionally
Design methods: observation, analysis, zones and sectors
Zone 5 — leaving wild areas; designing for the whole, not just human needs
Rosemary Morrow’s “reading the landscape” approach explicitly referenced
Book Chapters
Ch 5 Read Your Land & Make Maps — site analysis, observation, mapping
Ch 6 Develop Your Design Methods — the design cycle; from observation to plan
Ch 1 Ethics & Principles — always the starting point before method
Ch 22 Zone 5: Natural Conservation Forests — what to leave undesigned
Pre-Course · Webinar 6
An Organic Rooftop Farm
Urban food Rooftop Certification Community
Course Coverage
Helen Cameron (Uncommon Ground, Chicago) — first certified organic rooftop farm in the US (1/28th acre)
How she navigated MOSA organic certification for a non-traditional space
Impact on the restaurant and surrounding Edgewater neighborhood
Growing herbs and food in an urban context; rooftop as farm, not decoration
Book Chapters
Ch 33 The Urban Age — urban food production; retrofitting cities for food
Ch 17 Zone 1: Kitchen Garden — intensive, small-space food production
Ch 34 Designing Communities, Villages & Suburbs — community food as social infrastructure
Pre-Course · Webinar 7
Climate, Weather & the Hydrological Cycle
Climate Scale of Permanence Hydrology Weather patterns
Course Coverage
Scale of Permanence (Yeomans/Jacke) — climate is the first and most fundamental design consideration
Global weather patterns: equatorial flow, prevailing winds, Midwest Gulf/Canada oscillations
The sun as driver of all climate and plant energy
The hydrological cycle — how water moves through landscape, soil, plant, and atmosphere
Microclimates introduced; wind, water, and circulation as design inputs
Milton’s presentation explicitly organized around Morrow’s climate chapter structure
Book Chapters
Ch 10 Climates: Cycles of Change — seasons, climate types, design for climate
Ch 11 Microclimates: Places Unobserved — microclimate identification and design
Ch 7 The Wonder of Water — the water cycle; water’s ethical role
Ch 5 Read Your Land — climate observation as part of site reading
Pre-Course · Webinar 8
Holding Water on the Urban Landscape
Water harvesting Swales Urban runoff Infiltration
Course Coverage
Marcus de la Fleur’s rental property experiment: 7 tested methods for holding water on-site
Natural landscape: 50% absorbed, 50% lost. Urban hard surfaces shift this to 85% loss
Drain tile in farm fields pulling water off land — losing the organic matter sponge
Freshwater scarcity as a coming crisis; holding water where it falls as the foundational principle
Tens of thousands of gallons fall on a typical lot annually — measurements and calculations
Urban strategies: rain gardens, swales, cisterns, permeable paving, green roofs
Book Chapters
Ch 8 Rural & Environmental Water — contour ripping; holding water high; tree roots and retention
Ch 7 The Wonder of Water — water ethics; the full water cycle; conservation
Ch 33 The Urban Age — urban water management; retrofitting cities for water capture
Ch 12 Soils — organic matter as the sponge; humus loss and its water consequences
Pre-Course · Webinar 9
Suburban & Urban Applications
60–70 techniques Vertical space Community Aesthetics
Course Coverage
60–70 practical suburban/urban permaculture techniques in one session
Growing applications; vertical space; permanence; aesthetics and beauty
Mollison’s definition: wastes become resources; yields increasing; work minimizing; environment restored
Permaculture design principles applied visually across many example projects
Building people and community alongside building infrastructure
Indigenous wisdom as the source of permaculture’s common-sense approach
Book Chapters
Ch 34 Designing Communities, Villages & Suburbs — the suburb as a design canvas
Ch 33 The Urban Age — urban opportunities; city-scale thinking
Ch 16 Zone 0: How & Where We Live — lifestyle design; living differently and well
Ch 17 Zone 1: Kitchen Garden — intensive small-space growing
Ch 35 Working on the Edges — engaging diverse communities and crowded spaces
Pre-Course · Webinar 10
Gathering Online Site Data
Google Earth
Site data
Design prep
Course Coverage
Bill demonstrates freely available online tools to gather site data before visiting a property
How Midwest Permaculture’s design deliverables look — digital, layered, PowerPoint-based
Example: $9,000 client project resulting in 9–10 layered digital designs
Setting up a design practice using accessible tools
Book Chapters
Ch 5 Read Your Land & Make Maps — map-making; inventory and site analysis
Ch 6 Develop Your Design Methods — the design cycle; data gathering as step one
Pre-Course · Webinar 11
Digital Site Design Creation
PowerPoint
Google Slides
Design drawing
Course Coverage
Bill and Megan Christian demonstrate creating site designs using PowerPoint and Google Slides
Simple layering: base map → analysis overlays → design elements
Live demonstration designing Bill’s father’s adjacent yard
Making design accessible — no expensive software required
Book Chapters
Ch 6 Develop Your Design Methods — design process from data to drawing; design outputs
Ch 5 Read Your Land & Make Maps — map types and what they reveal
Session 2
Course Orientation & How We Learn
Pedagogy Adult learning Overview
Course Coverage
Midwest Permaculture’s founding story; 93 courses delivered; image-driven teaching philosophy
Adult learning strategies — review process, retention rates, how to use recorded material
Introduction of the teaching team: Bill, Milton, Will, Megan
Book Chapters
Introduction How to use the book; the book’s structure and design exercises (pp. ix–x)
This orientation session is course logistics. The book’s Introduction is the closest structural equivalent — both frame what comes next.
Session 3
Mollison’s Legacy & Permaculture Across Climates
Climate zones Urban farms Community healing
Course Coverage
Earth Dance Farm (Ferguson, MO) — organic farm school and community healing force
Mollison’s Australian PBS series — visiting students in desert, rainforest, and temperate zones
How permaculture principles translate across all three climates; Midwest temperate focus
Transition from “what is permaculture” to applying Mollison’s three-climate framework
Book Chapters
Ch 10 Climates: Cycles of Change — temperate, tropical, and arid climate design
Ch 23 Traditional & Emerging Cultures — permaculture adapting across cultures and climates
Ch 2 Ecology: Life’s Networks — why ecosystems differ by climate; the biosphere as organism
Session 4
Reading the Land: Water, Topography & Tools
Swales Topography A-frame level Contour
Course Coverage
Principles in everyday life: chalk driveway activity — edges, community, observe & interact
Saturday review structure introduced — retention rates with and without review
Slowing and catching water; swales; rain gardens; water as a resource, not a problem
Reading topographic lines; water moves perpendicular to contour
A-frame level as a practical tool; carpenter’s level as backup
Google Earth for preliminary site reading
Hold water and fertility as high on the landscape as possible
Book Chapters
Ch 8 Rural & Environmental Water — contour ripping; water high on the landscape; swales
Ch 5 Read Your Land & Make Maps — topographic reading; observation; site inventory
Ch 7 The Wonder of Water — water ethics and the water cycle
Ch 6 Design Methods — applying observations to design decisions
Session 5
Water Systems, Percolation & Real Site Design
Percolation test Gabions Swales Site design
Course Coverage
Student review highlights: swales, A-frame level, clay model water demonstration
Percolation test: 3–5 inches/hour as target; implications for water capture vs. loss
Gabion structures; real student design walkthroughs from observation to plan
Swales used to move water away from foundations — not only for harvesting
McIntyre Family Farms story: rediscovering what grandparents knew about soil and animals
Book Chapters
Ch 8 Rural & Environmental Water — swales, contour, percolation, water in the soil
Ch 12 Soils — the relationship between soil health and water retention
Ch 5 Read Your Land — site inventory; using observation before designing
Session 6
Soils, Social Capital & the Suburban Edge
Soil Community 43M acres of lawn Edge effect
Course Coverage
Thunder Valley CDC (Pine Ridge): Nick Tilson stays rooted — “Mitákuye Oyásʼiŋ — all are related”
Social capital: staying embedded in one’s community as the permaculture strategy
Suburbs as edge zone — 3–7x more biologically active; opportunity in plain sight
43 million acres of cultivated turf in the US — the single biggest opportunity
Soils unit begins: building soil over time vs. depleting it
Book Chapters
Ch 12 Soils: Living Organisms — soil biology, building fertility, organic matter
Ch 34 Designing Communities, Villages & Suburbs — suburbs as design opportunity
Ch 30 Bioregions: Belonging — staying rooted in place; local self-reliance
Ch 35 Working on the Edges — edge communities; crowded margins
Ch 4 Nature’s Patterns — the edge effect in ecological and social systems
Session 7
Plants: Annuals, Perennials, Biennials & Seed Saving
Annuals & perennials Seed saving Plant lifecycle Trees
Course Coverage
Trees as the primary unit: “as above, so below” — canopy mirrors root system
Annual, biennial, and perennial lifecycles; why perennials are the backbone
Three seed-saving processes: dry (wheat/chaff), wet (squash/float), fermentation (tomato gel)
Seed storage and growing for next year
The tree as creating life out of air — carbon dioxide to solid wood
Book Chapters
Ch 15 Our Plant & Seed Heritage — annuals vs. perennials; seed saving; land race varieties
Ch 13 Forests & Trees — trees as the primary element; what forests do for water and climate
Ch 18 Zone 2: The Food Forest — perennial plant systems; trees as the foundation
Ch 21 Zone 4: Harvest Forests — trees as long-term resource
Session 8
Plant Guilds, Grafting, Soil Nutrition & Microclimates
Guilds Grafting Foliar sprays Microclimates
Course Coverage
Espalier — growing fruit trees flat against walls; history, benefits, extended lifespan
Plant guilds — mini-ecosystems; every element giving and receiving
Grafting: multi-variety trees; apples onto ornamental flowering rootstock
Foliar sprays (Sea Crop, Sea Shield) to enhance nutrition and genetic potential
Plants reach only 15% of genetic potential; at 40–60% they resist pests autonomously
Cover crop management timing; when to cut for maximum benefit
Microclimates: rocks absorb heat; Austrian mountain farmer example
Land race varieties — selecting seed for the specific place over time
Book Chapters
Ch 18 Zone 2: Food Forest — guilds; multi-layer planting; espalier and training trees
Ch 11 Microclimates — rocks, walls, and aspect; creating favourable microclimates
Ch 12 Soils — soil nutrition; organic inputs; cover crops
Ch 15 Plant & Seed Heritage — land race varieties; selecting for place
Ch 24 Managing Pests: IPM — healthy plants resist pests; nutrition as the first defence
Session 9
Hügelkultur, Deep Roots, Greenhouses & Season Extension
Hügelkultur Deep roots Greenhouses Season extension
Course Coverage
Ann Arbor food forest — community volunteer model growing from 15 to 100+ people
Deep-rooted plants pull moisture to the surface at night for neighbouring plants
Hügelkultur: buried wood creates raised beds with excellent long-term moisture and fertility
43 million acres of lawn — “what is the greatest good for the total landscape?”
Double-wall bubble insulation greenhouses: equivalent to 250 miles further south
Season extension in northern climates; Earth boxes; self-watering containers
Deer fencing: “just freaky enough” strategy — CD reflectors and layers
Book Chapters
Ch 12 Soils — hügelkultur principles; organic matter building; buried wood
Ch 7 The Wonder of Water — deep roots and hydraulic lift; plants managing water
Ch 11 Microclimates — season extension; glass/plastic structures as microclimate tools
Ch 17 Zone 1: Kitchen Garden — intensive production; protected growing; containers
Ch 25 Living with Wildlife — managing deer and wildlife in food-producing gardens
Session 10
Heart of Permaculture: Community & Inner Work
Invisible structures Four Agreements Community action
Course Coverage
Judge Avera and veteran Joe Cerna story — empathy and accountability together
Ron Finley (South Central LA) — gangster gardening; “the Calvary isn’t coming, fix it from the inside”
Heart of Permaculture: Four Agreements / Four Fires of Group Work
Invisible structures as a prerequisite for outer design
Permaculture as a cultural and community healing tool
Book Chapters
Ch 31 Working Together in Organisations — group work; social structures; collaboration
Ch 33 The Urban Age — urban food production as community action
Ch 36 A Just Economy for All — ethical economics; moving money toward community
Ch 1 Ethics & Principles — the ethical foundation that underlies all inner work
Ch 34 Designing Communities — community as the scale where permaculture heals culture
Session 11
Alternative Energy, Businesses & Livelihoods
Energy BTUs Permaculture careers
Course Coverage
Appalachian Botanical Co. — lavender on a retired coal mine; soil remediation + livelihoods
British Thermal Unit (BTU): measuring energy; energy conservation before generation
Alternative and creative energy approaches beyond standard solar/wind
ARES gravity-based energy storage
Permaculture business models: Backyard Farmers, Portland Edible Gardens, Brambleberry Farms
Professional design, installation, and maintenance as a permaculture career path
Book Chapters
Ch 38 Incomes & Livelihoods — permaculture enterprises; right livelihood; income pathways
Ch 37 Designing Workplaces — ethical work environments; permaculture business design
Ch 36 A Just Economy — appropriate technology; moving beyond fossil fuel dependence
Ch 3 Global Boundaries — energy limits; why conservation matters at a planetary scale
Session 12
Nature as Medicine, Inner Patterns & Livestock
Nature connection Livestock Inner patterns
Course Coverage
“Nature as prescription” — antidote to modern life; side effects include spontaneous euphoria
Toaster video — energy awareness and simplicity
Inner patterns we carry — habits function like design patterns
Social permaculture and Four Fires of group work revisited
Livestock: guinea pigs; cultural diversity in animal relationships; what animals supply and do
Food preservation (apple storage); 43 million acres of lawn revisited
Book Chapters
Ch 19 Small Animals in Food Forests — animal selection; what an animal eats, supplies, does
Ch 31 Working Together — group dynamics; the social patterns we carry
Ch 16 Zone 0: How & Where We Live — nature connection; the inner life of permaculture
Ch 1 Ethics & Principles — animal ethics; People Care and Earth Care in relationship
Session 13
Natural Building, Salvage & Composting Systems
Natural building Salvage Affordable housing
Course Coverage
Dan Phillips — “Dr. Seuss of home building”; 85% salvaged materials; affordable housing
Stacking functions: teaching skills + housing + community + using waste streams
Review of built environment unit: composting toilets; natural building materials
“You don’t finish unless you start” — Dan’s model of changing one life at a time
Design principle: waste streams become resources; every town needs affordable housing
Book Chapters
Ch 16 Zone 0: How & Where We Live — home design; natural building; passive solar
Ch 28 Manage Waste — waste as resource; nothing is waste in a permaculture system
Ch 33 The Urban Age — affordable housing; retrofitting cities
Ch 32 Rights & Access to Land — housing access; land equity and the working poor
Session 14
Tree Crops: Chestnuts, Agroforestry & Soil Health
Chestnuts Agroforestry Soil health Resilience
Course Coverage
Soil Health Academy — “mimic, nurture, understand” vs. “control, force, fight”
Redfern Farm (Wapello, Iowa) — chestnuts replacing corn & soybeans on 6 acres
Student Jan’s chestnut project; tree tubes protecting trees while managing microclimate
Variety resilience: one tree of 1,000 that survived terrible conditions — breeding for place
Flexible fiberglass stakes that exercise trunk vs. rigid rebar; vented tree tubes
Cover crop mixes for orchard understories; timing for cutting
Young producers outpacing 25-year veterans by applying principles correctly
Book Chapters
Ch 21 Zone 4: Harvest Forests — tree crops; chestnut and nut/timber trees; long-term planning
Ch 20 Zone 3: Farms — agroforestry; integrating trees with cropping systems
Ch 12 Soils — soil health principles; the “mimic nature” approach
Ch 15 Plant & Seed Heritage — resilience-based variety selection; land race principles
Ch 14 Windbreaks & Special Forests — shelter belts; tree protection strategies
Session 15
Ponds, Aquaculture & Invisible Structures
Ponds Aquaponics 3D ocean farming Invisible structures
Course Coverage
Pond benefits: pest management, microclimate, noise buffer, aquaculture, “alive water” irrigation
Open-source 3D ocean farming (kelp, mussels, oysters, clams) — restorative; no feed needed
90% of ocean fisheries fished out; “by farming we become the revival of ecosystems”
Aquaponics: fish + plants in integrated loop; pond water flood-irrigating food forest
Percolation test revisited; slow vs. fast and implications for design
Introduction of invisible structures — legal, financial, social design
Book Chapters
Ch 27 Aquaculture: Water Permaculture — ponds, fish, aquaponics; siting water features
Ch 9 Care of the Oceans — ocean permaculture; marine restoration; 3D ocean farming
Ch 11 Microclimates — ponds as microclimate moderators
Ch 32 Rights & Access to Land — invisible structures; legal and financial frameworks
Ch 7 The Wonder of Water — water as a living system; ethical use
Session 16
Live Student Design: Suburban Iowa Site
Design consultation Site analysis Water problems Sun & shade
Course Coverage
Robin Emmons story — 9 acres feeding a food-desert community at half grocery prices
Live student design session: suburban Marshalltown, Iowa property
Derecho damage planning — designing for resilience after 110 mph winds
Water pooling problems in front yard; poor percolation; sinkhole; drainage design
Sun mapping — working around mature shade trees; east-side garden placement
Steep slopes and retaining walls as design constraints to work with
Book Chapters
Ch 6 Develop Your Design Methods — design cycle applied; working with constraints
Ch 5 Read Your Land & Make Maps — sun, shade, water, slope observation
Ch 8 Rural & Environmental Water — water problems on slopes; drainage and capture
Ch 29 Disaster Preparation — designing for resilience after storm events like the derecho
Ch 11 Microclimates — shade from mature trees as a microclimate consideration
Session 17
Intentional Community, Transition & Sustainable Living
Intentional community Collective land Transition Values
Course Coverage
Family leaving corporate life to build a sustainable community: “this should be your life”
Collective/community land — land as shared space, not private property
Children, goats, chickens, and people all moving through a shared landscape
“The irresistible revolution — everyone giving, everyone receiving”
Technology, land, and money are available — what’s needed is harmonious human organization
Transition design: moving from where you are to where you want to be
Book Chapters
Ch 34 Designing Communities, Villages & Suburbs — intentional community; community-building
Ch 32 Rights & Access to Land — collective land tenure; land ethics and access
Ch 30 Bioregions: Belonging — bioregional belonging; local self-reliance
Ch 36 A Just Economy for All — cooperative models; ethical money; doughnut economics
Ch 16 Zone 0: How & Where We Live — home and lifestyle as a design element
Session 18
Final Design Review & Course Synthesis
Design synthesis Student projects Whole-site integration
Course Coverage
Final student design: Iowa property — integrating all elements from across the course
Applying zones, sectors, water, sun, slope, soil, plants, and structures together
Derecho recovery and resilience as a design principle
Working with what you have; constraints as opportunities
Course synthesis: all the pieces working as a designed whole
Book Chapters
Ch 6 Develop Your Design Methods — the full design cycle; synthesis and integration
Ch 5 Read Your Land — bringing all observations together into a coherent plan
Chs 16–22 Zone 0 through Zone 5 — the zones framework as the organising whole
Ch 29 Disaster Preparation — resilient design in a changing climate
The book equivalent of this synthesis session is working through Morrow’s design exercises at the end of each chapter.
This page was organized with the assistance of AI to help map and structure the relationships between materials. We used AI here the same way we’d use any good tool: for the job it’s suited to. It helped sort and connect a large body of content quickly, while we focused on making sure it all makes sense in practice and reflects how we actually teach and work.