Learn how the influence of ramps has built relationships within human and nonhuman communities. … Discover the Wild Leek (Ramps)Read More ..read more

Learn how the influence of the ramp has built relationships within human and nonhuman communities. … Discover the Wild Leek (Ramp)Read More ..read more

..read more

It has been a real boon to have Embry Jansen and Sky Pisarski assisting us over the past couple of weeks as permaculture work-traders.  They are trading their time for one of our upcoming PDC courses. They have been assisting us with a wide variety of unfinished activities related to our CSC 8.7-acre Permaculture Land Project here in Stelle. The Team Our 2019 Permaculture Work-Trade Intern Team: Sky (seated) from Northern Illinois and Embry from Berea, KY.The Challenge – Mortar in the Patio Limestones It’s time to finish mortaring in the limestone patio Because Becky and I were busy deliv ..read more

Larry Korn 1948-2019Free Webinar posted as a Tribute to Larry We are saddened by the recent passing of our friend, Larry Korn. He is best known for being the translator/editor of one of the most influential books to touch the lives of scores of natural farmers and permaculturists,  The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka. Why is this book so influential?The Middle East and Northern Africa were once very fertile areas. With widespread annual tilling/plowing, a civilization will always end up losing it’s topsoil and become arid. One-half of the topsoil has now be washed away ..read more

The folks at Smart Farm in Barrington, IL, invited us to work with them on a permaculture design for a new 10-acre parcel they were gifted with. The biggest challenge?  This was the low ground in the area and after a good rain, 5 of the 10 acres was under water, including many of their annual gardening beds. So we designed in some rain gardens and bioswales to move the water in the direction we wanted through the property. Once the deep rooted prairie plants are established we will actually end up holding more water on the land while also keeping their annual beds dryer. Here is the conce ..read more

There are many methods used for processing human waste with composting toilets. Trial and error have led us to attempt many, and eventually, after much experimentation, we pieced together a design that we think draws the most advantageous qualities from the best methods. We call it the “Super-Clean Composting Toilet” system. When used correctly, it is odor-free, pest resistant, and can support a significant amount of use. Here is how we use it. Composting vs. moldering: What’s the difference? You have probably come across both of these terms when researching water-free waste systems, and they ..read more

Here is the latest presentation and virtual tour of how our residential property has evolved over the last 15 years. This is a live presentation given during one of our recent (2022) online PDC courses. Plenty of before and after photos with quite detailed explanations. Includes candid questions from our students.  … Design and Tour of MWP Home ResidenceRead More ..read more

Spring is here at Midwest Permaculture.  It’s time for the annual harvest from the bottom of our cold compost pile. Along with beautiful compost, we are always pleasantly surprised by another yield uncovered. We started this area as a hugelkultur bed with a moat on three sides to retain water. Once filled with logs, sticks, and covered in soil, we planted the bed with Jerusalem artichokes and other plants for quite a few years before it was eventually repurposed into our cold compost space. As we trim bushes, branches, and other rigid/reedy materials from our yard throughout the year, we ..read more

While attending an agroforestry conference recently, Bill was pleasantly surprised to learn that Simple Mills was being referenced as a cutting-edge business doing “all the right things” to encourage environmentally sound, regenerative agriculture. Katlin Smith – Founder and CEO of Simple Mills Two years earlier, Simple Mills founder Katlin Smith, was a student in one of our week-long Permaculture Design Courses when the lightbulb moment happened for her! Buying ‘certified organic’ for her company’s food products was no longer enough. She wanted to support the health of the planet by supporti ..read more