Past Courses & Events on Permaculture & more
Food Forests Workshop with Richard Walker
was held on November 27 & 28th 2010
This two day food forest /edible forest gardening workshop was hosted for the second year running by Clear Sky Center in the Bull River Valley (near Cranbrook BC). On November 27 & 28, in cosy winter conditions, BC's Richard Walker shared from his 25 years of experience in growing edible, medicinal and other useful plants in an ecologically sustainable manner. The underlying notion is that healthy natural forest systems can be used as a ideal model for growing resilient food gardens or orchards. Food Forest systems are also taught as a core part of permaculture design courses & theory.
It is certainly possible for us in the East Kootenays & cold climates to establish healthy and abundant gardens of medicinal herbs, berries, nuts and fruit trees that will last generations. In an era of increasing global environmental pressures, the more local sustainable food we can grow, the better. Edible Trees, shrubs & other perennial food plants are a highly sustainable form of food production, because unlike annuals, we don't have to cultivate the soil & plant seeds every year, they create their own mulch, they have deep roots to find water and they create their own fertiliser, wind breaks and micro-climates, just as a forest would. We mimic the way forests work in our approach to growing food.
Clear Sky Center is making this timely and innovative workshop an annual event, given the growing interest in local food security and ecologically friendly food production. We hope this annual workshop will not only share new ways of exploring agriculture & gardening, but also empower people to start experimenting with these ideas. Real life examples of ecological perennial food systems are rare in Canada. It will be up to a community of gardeners to discover what plants work best here in both Eastern and Western Canada.
Course Instructor Richard Walker currently lives in Oliver BC, but spent his early years as an organic farmer in Alberta. He later moved to Grand Forks BC where he developed a 3 acre food forest, called Dragons Eye Nursery, over a 20 year period. Having converted a degraded piece of land into an abundant mix of rare, unique nut, fruit and medicinal plants from all over the world, he is one of Canada's most experienced food forest gardeners. We are incredibly lucky to have found Richard: he's a real practical gardener, plant breeder and herbalist who did his own thing quietly in Grand Forks for so many years. What he did was so successful that we can save years of trial and error by learning from him. You will also benefit from the wealth of knowledge brought to the course by other participants, and yourself - this course will be a great opportunity to share, learn & network with other like minded people, permaculturalists and gardeners.
Materials: As part of the course, participants received a copy of a very useful food forest plant varieties list that Richard Walker & Clear Sky has compiled while working together over the past 2 years. It offers tried and true Canada climate plant selections that you know people have tried right here. For broader view on food forests in temperate climates, The Food Forest Textbooks are best purchased directly from the author at http://www.edibleforestgardens.com/.
was held on November 27 & 28th 2010
This two day food forest /edible forest gardening workshop was hosted for the second year running by Clear Sky Center in the Bull River Valley (near Cranbrook BC). On November 27 & 28, in cosy winter conditions, BC's Richard Walker shared from his 25 years of experience in growing edible, medicinal and other useful plants in an ecologically sustainable manner. The underlying notion is that healthy natural forest systems can be used as a ideal model for growing resilient food gardens or orchards. Food Forest systems are also taught as a core part of permaculture design courses & theory.
It is certainly possible for us in the East Kootenays & cold climates to establish healthy and abundant gardens of medicinal herbs, berries, nuts and fruit trees that will last generations. In an era of increasing global environmental pressures, the more local sustainable food we can grow, the better. Edible Trees, shrubs & other perennial food plants are a highly sustainable form of food production, because unlike annuals, we don't have to cultivate the soil & plant seeds every year, they create their own mulch, they have deep roots to find water and they create their own fertiliser, wind breaks and micro-climates, just as a forest would. We mimic the way forests work in our approach to growing food.
Clear Sky Center is making this timely and innovative workshop an annual event, given the growing interest in local food security and ecologically friendly food production. We hope this annual workshop will not only share new ways of exploring agriculture & gardening, but also empower people to start experimenting with these ideas. Real life examples of ecological perennial food systems are rare in Canada. It will be up to a community of gardeners to discover what plants work best here in both Eastern and Western Canada.
Course Instructor Richard Walker currently lives in Oliver BC, but spent his early years as an organic farmer in Alberta. He later moved to Grand Forks BC where he developed a 3 acre food forest, called Dragons Eye Nursery, over a 20 year period. Having converted a degraded piece of land into an abundant mix of rare, unique nut, fruit and medicinal plants from all over the world, he is one of Canada's most experienced food forest gardeners. We are incredibly lucky to have found Richard: he's a real practical gardener, plant breeder and herbalist who did his own thing quietly in Grand Forks for so many years. What he did was so successful that we can save years of trial and error by learning from him. You will also benefit from the wealth of knowledge brought to the course by other participants, and yourself - this course will be a great opportunity to share, learn & network with other like minded people, permaculturalists and gardeners.
Materials: As part of the course, participants received a copy of a very useful food forest plant varieties list that Richard Walker & Clear Sky has compiled while working together over the past 2 years. It offers tried and true Canada climate plant selections that you know people have tried right here. For broader view on food forests in temperate climates, The Food Forest Textbooks are best purchased directly from the author at http://www.edibleforestgardens.com/.
Introduction to Permaculture Workshop: A Fast Growing Movement for Positive Change
February 9th 2011, Cranbrook, bc
Clear Sky was pleased to host a complimentary evening Permaculture workshop in Cranbrook on February 9th 2011. Taught by Rob Avis of Calgary's Verge Permaculture, the workshop was one stop in Rob's two week permaculture road show of Eastern BC. Over 45 locals from Kimberley, Cranbrook, Elko, Jaffray & Fort Steele came out for the event! The workshop discussed the fundamentals of permaculture ethics, principles and design methodology and how it can be applied to:
•improve your home & backyard while saving resources and building a healthy place for family, friends and community;
•build resilient communities patterned after ecological principles; and
•assemble landscapes that clean water, use less energy, provide healthy organic food, save money and contribute to a healthy ecology.
This event was a great introduction to the full 72 hour Permaculture Design Certificate Course offered at Clear Sky in April 2011 with Jesse Lemieux.