Perma-Curious Beginner's Group

I started the main Perma-Curious group last week, after being possessed of an inescapable desire to delve into something very deep, with company. Although lots of folks signed up for my rigorous independant study outline, it quickly became apparent that the text I wanted to use-- the seminal Permaculture: A Designer's Manual by originator Bill Mollison-- was not going to be appropriate for some of the participants. If you are just getting into permaculture, 560 pages of technical ecology and complex design principles is just plain obnoxious. You want to know how to get out there in the dirt and get into it! And although the 'why' is important eventually, I think the 'how' is a better place to start. 

Toby Hemenway's book Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture is a great place to start. It doesn't really include the basics of gardening (seed starting, propogation) but it does explore the basics of permaculture in a very readable way, it is a how-to guide with just enough of the 'why' to keep it interesting.

Participants in this group will probably be looking at a more reasonable 1-2 hours/week time commitment and a book price of about $20 (the original Perma-Curious group asks 3-4 hours/week, and $85-100 for the manual). Participants in both Perma-Curious groups will be working on an actual permaculture design as an end project, either a real plan for your own yard or a theoretical design for some other piece of land you have good access to, such as a nearby park or friend's yard. Practice makes perfect! Initial site surveys are "due" by November 20th.

Anyone willing to devote the time is welcome to join! If you have already read Gaia's Garden but would like to participate in the discussions, projects planning and group brainstorming, you are also welcome!