Cosmic Bob’s educational plan
From Bullock Brothers farm in Washington state:
This is one person’s viewpoint about a path you can take toward mastery of permaculture growing techniques. We would do things in a different order and have a different time frame on some of these points, but decided to publish this because there is useful info here. Note that when and how long you do things would vary a lot depending on the person and circumstance. We would advise people to start by planting a small food forest personally, as you can observe that while planting a kitchen garden later. A food forest takes less upkeep and work than an annual garden (which takes the most work of anything he lists and can have the most failures too) so is a great place to start. His four year plan could really be done in any order (we’ve seen that happen successfully many times).
As you know, there are a lot of people these days wanting to make a positive change here on earth, you are probably one of them yourself, the big question is... What to do?
Are you thinking about a green eco-ag program at one of those liberal arts Universities? Are you planning on designing your own degree or do you want University credit for independent study?
Do you think/believe that your professors and/or counselors are telling you the truth? Does someone living in a 3000sq.ft. golden medallion home (total electric), and driving a S.U.V. to work to teach about sustainability, seem a little far-fetched?
Are you ready to blow school off all together or are you finishing it and are a bit disillusioned about what to do next? If you can identify with any of these, then Cosmic Bob's Plan may be what you're looking for!
Cosmic Bob's plan will help you develop your own ideas about sustainable agriculture and right livelihood and gain a better understanding of whole systems, biology and life's process.
Be a first choice valuable intern on the farm you want! Make better decisions, be prepared if you plan to get your own land or join a community. O.K. take a deep breath, here is the plan...
These years may be accelerated and or condensed and certainly more shrubs and trees should be planted if at all possible. If planted early they will be fruiting in the last two years.
Year one
Start and maintain your own vegetable garden (small) annuals and biennials, veggies, flowers and fruit. This can be in your own back yard or at an established community garden area or where ever. (Just make sure to do it your self! No hard responsibility or decision). Be sure to save some seed of your favorites along the way.
Year two
Continue the garden and add some perennials: strawberries, asparagus, herbs, wing beans, chayote etc. more in tropics. Learn to build a trellis and save some seed.
Year three
Continue the garden and add woody perennials Brambles, ribes, passion fruit, banana, papaya and some medicinal herbs and plant a few fruit trees and save some more seed.
Year four
Continue the garden and add some nursery stock. Learn to propagate woody perennials so you could expand or duplicate your garden.
These years may be accelerated and or condensed and certainly more shrubs and trees should be planted if at all possible. If planted early they will be fruiting in the last two years.
Concurrently do these:
Attend a good Permaculture course.
Work (get a job) with a trade's man carpentry, electrical, plumbing, concrete/ masonry or fencing. For at least 3 months. Longer if you want! It will be to your advantage to do more than one of those.
Also work with a landscaper, nursery or seed co. For awhile -> 3 months.
Also attend a community collage, polytechnic or night school and take a course in small engine repair and or auto mechanic. If you're keen on it welding and mech. Drawing would also be very useful.
Intern on a permaculture farm for an entire growing season. While there work with wild and domestic animals. For instance build a "chicken tractor", " rabbit tractor", raise poultry or rabbits etc. from new born/hatched. Build a beehive work with bees. Build a "hutch" or coop. Build bat boxes or birdhouses or develop reptile amphibian habitat.
Produce a "value added" product from something you grew or wild crafted: tinctures, salves, dried fruit, jam, baskets, extracts, soap, etc.
Develop a species Index for part of your town (at least a few square blocks). Locate (map) and catalog all trees and major shrubs.
Document every project with text and photos, including comments what you did? Why? What worked? What didn't how will you improve it next time?
Read voraciously from this book list; get to know older gardeners in your area.
The book list:
Intro to Permaculture -Mollison
Permaculture Designer's Manual -Mollison
Tree Crops -J. Russell Smith
Natural Way of Farming -Manasoba Fukuoka
Water for Every Farm -P.A. Yemans
The Bio-gardener's Bible -Lee Flyer
Super Nutrition Gardening -William S. Peavy
Secrets to a Great Soil -Elizabeth Stell
Test Your Soil with Plants -John Beeby
Seed to Seed -Suzanne Ashworth
Garden Seed Inventory -Seed Savers Exchange
The New Seed Starters Handbook -Nancy Bubel
Organic Gardening -Crow & Elizabeth Miller
The Dirt Doctors Guide to Organic Gardening -J. Howard Garrett
How to Grow Vegetables & Fruits by the Organic Method -J. I. Rodale
Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening -J. I. Rodale
Fruit, Berry & Nut Inventory -Seed Savers Exchange
How to Grow More Vegetables -John Jeavons
The Backyard Orchards -Stella Otto
The Backyard Berry Book -Stella Otto
NAFEX Handbook & Back Issues of Pomona -NAFEX
Fruit of Warm Climates -J. Morton
Drip Irrigation -Robert Kourik
Nuts of the World -Menninger
Secrets of the Soil -Christopher Bird & Peter Tomkins
The Book of Bamboo -David Farellay ?
Palms Throughout the World -David Jones
Plant Propagation -Sunset Books & others
The World Was My Garden -D. Fairchild
Living Water -Olaf Alexander
Hand Made Hot Water Systems -Art Sussman & Richard Frazier
Weeds Control Without Poisons -C. Walters
Weeds and What They Tell -Pfeiffer
Grasp the Nettle -Peter Proctor
ACERS USA, all you can find including back issues -Walters
The A.B.C.s of Bee Keeping -?
Para-magnetism -Phillip Callahan
Ancient Mysteries Modern Visions -Phillip Callahan, Viktor Schauberger, Callum Coates
Farmers of Forty Centuries -F.H.King
The Luther Burbank Series -L. Burbank
Lost Crops of the Incas -National Academy Press
The Challenge of the Negev -M. Evenari
Raising Poultry Successfully -Will Graves
Free-Range Poultry -Katie Thear
Small-Scale Poultry Keeping -Ray Feltwell
Backyard Poultry -Alanna Moore
For the Love of Ducks -Nyiri Murtagh
Rabbits for Food and Profit -Lee Schwanz
Basic carpentry, plumbing, wiring, concrete, fencing etc. -Sunset or Ortho Books
Look for other good books on gardening, solar power, NFTs, fungus and soils