Permaculture Homesteading Course

Since settling on his homestead in 2016 and welcoming thousands of students through PDCs, food forest courses, volunteer programs, and internships, Laurence has shaped this course around the areas students are most eager to explore after completing their PDC. The course focuses on practical, hands-on tasks essential for running a homestead or permaculture farm. Some topics are brand new, while others dive deeper into subjects first introduced in a PDC.

You can take this course on its own or combine it with the two-week PDC that runs just before it.

Throughout the program, you’ll gain real experience in off-grid living, farm management, and essential homesteading skills, guided directly by Keela’s founder, Laurence Manchee.

The main topics usually covered in this course include the following, though they may vary seasonally:

• Composting like a pro - Deep dive into worm farming, making homemade fertalisers and compost
• Processing chickens (or and lambs) - Slaughter, gut and butcher (you can watch, get involved or work in the garden that day / join an alternative workshop that day
• Foraging for wild greens and making home made tinctures and medicine
• Food processing workshops such as making Ferments, Kombutcha and Jam
• Food forests and tree management - Pruning, irrigation planting and fertilizing
• Propagation such as grafting and managing a tree nursery
• Managing a market vegetable garden and gardening

Projects happening at the site (founded in 2016) include:

• Multiple food forests
• Agroforests
• Integrated chicken system
• Sheep
• Reforestation
• Worm Farming
• Tree nursery
• Market vegetable garden