Online Frequently Asked Questions

Because you won't just be learning about permaculture. You'll be putting it into practice.

The online course includes the same practical exercises used in our in-person course. You'll work through the design process step by step, applying what you learn to a site of your choice. That might be your backyard, a farm, a community space, or another place you'd like to improve.

You'll have opportunities to share your work and receive feedback from experienced designers. The goal is to help you develop practical skills you can use in the real world, not just answers you can recall on a test.

We only release online courses after we figured out how we can teach you effectively learn online.

That's exactly why we created the online course!

The course is self-paced, so you can work through the lessons when it suits you. You can study a little at a time or set aside longer blocks when you have the opportunity.

Most students spend around 72–100+ hours on the course in total. At a relaxed pace, that can look like about 2½ hours per week over a year, while students who have more time available can complete it much faster.

We also hold live Zoom sessions twice a month. They're recorded, so you can catch up later if you can't attend live.

You don't need to rearrange your whole life to learn permaculture. You need a schedule that works for you.

There's a lot to love about learning in person: seeing systems firsthand, working alongside other students, and having conversations as you go.

Our online course is designed to preserve much of that practical learning while giving you more flexibility. Instead of completing exercises at a shared teaching site, you'll apply the same practical steps to your own site. You'll also have access to instructor Q&A, mentoring, and opportunities to share your work and learn from others.

The online course includes additional resources and material you can revisit whenever you need them, even after graduating. 

If you learn best by doing, you will still do that online. The difference is that you'll be working on your own land, on your own schedule.

You don't have to figure everything out on your own, and you don't have to learn at someone else's pace.

The course includes mentoring and guidance from experienced permaculture designers, along with opportunities to ask questions during our Zoom sessions or by email. You can also revisit the lessons and supporting materials whenever you need to.

If something doesn't click the first time, you can go back, spend more time with it, and ask for help. Permaculture is about understanding how systems work, and that understanding develops with practice.

Our goal isn't to rush you through the material. Our job is only done when you have learned how to apply it.

You don't have to figure everything out on your own, and you don't have to learn at someone else's pace.

The course includes mentoring and guidance from experienced permaculture designers, along with opportunities to ask questions during our Zoom sessions or by email. You can also revisit the lessons and supporting materials whenever you need to.

If something doesn't click the first time, you can go back, spend more time with it, and ask for help. Permaculture is about understanding how systems work, and that understanding develops with practice.

Our goal isn't to rush you through the material. Our job is only done when you have learned how to apply it.

We believe learning permaculture should be about more than watching lessons and collecting information. It should help you develop the skills to make thoughtful, practical changes in the world around you.

Our course combines in-depth learning with practical assignments, personal mentoring, instructor Q&A, and a step-by-step design project. You'll apply what you learn to a real site rather than working only with hypothetical examples.

You'll also learn to think in terms of whole systems: how soil, water, plants, animals, people, buildings, and resources interact. That way of thinking can be applied far beyond gardening.

The course draws on the experience of our instructors and includes material relevant to different climates, with additional content focused on Florida and subtropical conditions.

Upon successfully completing the course requirements, you'll receive an internationally recognized Permaculture Design Course certificate.

No. Videos and written materials are part of the course, but they're only one part of the learning experience.

You'll find practical exercises, step-by-step instructions, knowledge checks, additional resources, and opportunities to discuss your questions with instructors. You'll also work toward creating a permaculture design for a site of your choice, applying what you've learned as you go.

You'll see examples of real systems and learn how to observe, assess, and design systems yourself.

The aim is to help you connect the ideas to the real world, whether you're improving a small garden, planning a food forest, or thinking about a larger property or community project.

Life happens, and learning doesn't always follow a perfect schedule.

The course is designed to be flexible. You can move at your own pace, finish early, or take additional time if needed. The course materials remain available to you indefinitely, so you can continue referring to them after the course.

If you think you'll need more time to complete the assignments or receive mentoring, please contact us so we can discuss your situation and the options available.

We want you to get the most out of the course, not feel pressured to rush through it.

We understand that investing in education isn't always easy, and we want people to have options.

Payment plans are available through Klarna at our checkout. And if that option doesn’t work for you, let us know and we will work something out to get you through the course..

We also offer a Monitor version of the course at a lower price. It includes access to the course materials but does not include personal mentoring or a certificate, so it's a different option for people who primarily want to study the material independently.

If cost is the main thing holding you back, please reach out to us. 

Completing the course is a beginning, not an ending. You'll have a foundation you can keep building on as you put permaculture into practice.

Your course materials remain available indefinitely, so you can revisit lessons, instructions, and resources as questions come up in your own projects.

You'll also be introduced to further learning opportunities and permaculture networks that can help you continue developing your skills and connecting with other people doing this work.

If you're interested in further study, advanced training, or additional in-person learning, there are opportunities to explore beyond the PDC.

Mentoring is an important part of the online course. You're not simply left to watch lessons and hope you've understood everything correctly.

We push you to ask questions by email and during our optional Zoom Q&A sessions. You can share your work through photos, videos, or written assignments, and receive feedback as you develop your design

For your final design, you'll submit your work for mentor feedback. You'll then have the opportunity to revise it and resubmit it as needed before your certificate is approved.

This gives you a chance to work through the design process with guidance from an experienced designer, even if you're studying from home and don't live near our teaching sites.

Your final design should demonstrate that you know and can apply all the permaculture principles in your design. This might sound as hard to do, but the whole idea with the PDC is to get you to be able to demonstrate competence. In the end nobody fails the final design.

Permaculture gives you a way to understand the world around you and design systems that work better for people and the environment.

You might want to grow more of your own food, improve your soil, manage water more effectively, reduce ongoing garden maintenance, create a more resilient property, or contribute to a healthier community. Permaculture offers tools and principles you can use to work toward those goals.

But it's about more than gardening. The same design approach can be applied to homes, farms, businesses, communities, energy use, economics, and the ways we organize our lives. See the permaculture flower and all its petals.

Rather than treating every problem separately, you learn to look at how things connect and how one thoughtful change can benefit an entire system.

You don't need to own a large property or have years of gardening experience to begin. You need curiosity, a willingness to observe, and an interest in making things work better. And if you know nothing then there's no bad habits or ideas to unlearn. 

Permaculture helps you move from simply reacting to problems toward designing systems that are more productive, resilient, and regenerative.

You don't have to figure everything out on your own, and you don't have to learn at someone else's pace.

The course includes mentoring and guidance from experienced permaculture designers, along with opportunities to ask questions during our Zoom sessions or by email. You can also revisit the lessons and supporting materials whenever you need to.

If something doesn't click the first time, you can go back, spend more time with it, and ask for help. Permaculture is about understanding how systems work, and that understanding develops with practice.

Our goal isn't to rush you through the material. Our job is only done when you have learned how to apply it.

The Permaculture Institute of North America (PINA), the professional organization that monitors quality and accuracy of courses and instructors for North America, has examined and endorses this course. The main instructor, Koreen Brennan holds Diplomas from PINA in education and design.

Sign up for one of our courses and start on your path, you can reach out with any and all questions related to learning permaculture, see phone number, email and contact form below.