The Full Internationally Recognized 72-Hour Permaculture Design Course with Certificate
What is a Permaculture Design Course?
A Permaculture Design Course (PDC) is an internationally recognized, intensive training that teaches the ethics and principles of Permaculture to design sustainable, regenerative systems for food, animals, energy, water, and shelter, empowering individuals to create ecological, resilient, and abundant landscapes and lifestyles, it can be applied to rural, urban, suburban, and community settings. It goes beyond theory with hands-on learning, that focuses on observing nature to create solutions that work with, rather than against, natural systems.
This course will be partially in classroom, other sessions will be hands-on outdoors, where students will experience real life permaculture applications, such as gardening, erosion control, earthworks, and tiny home construction. This course is for urban, suburban, and rural living and design. Our focus is that you able learn a lot of information, but our goal is to change the lens that you see and think about the world. The experience of the Permaculture Design Course will hopefully give each student purpose. Purpose to guide any profession or walk of life, a spark of why, and a reason to be hopeful about how humans can impact the world positively.
This course includes the internationally recognized 72-hour Permaculture Design Course curriculum, with additional hands on practice and field trips. This in person format gives participants the opportunity to build community and connections. The Permaculture Design Course prepares students to design regenerative, sustainable and abundant systems for people and the planet. Students who complete the design course will receive a ‘Permaculture Design Certificate’ which, allows them to use the word ‘permaculture’ in the promotion of their work or business.
What We’ll Cover in The Permaculture Design Course
Introduction to Permaculture Ethics and Principles
Permaculture is a holistic design approach that integrates human needs with ecological systems. It’s applies to more than just garden design; you can use permaculture principles to design energy system, sustainable buildings, jobs, and vibrant communities.
Permaculture Design Methodologies
At the heart of permaculture lies observation and integration. In these lessons, you’ll learn how to design systems that function like ecosystems.
Understanding Natural Patterns
Understanding patterns is a dynamic process of making connections across time and spac. We will explore how life is patterned through ecological functions, how, and why we want to mimic natural patterns in our own design to create resilience.
Understanding Climate Patterns
Gain an understanding about how the climate where you live defines your unique relationship with temperature and moisture. Learn how distinct factors create both climates and microclimates in your backyard and around the world.
Designing for Water
Water is an essential element of life. Learn how to design for water abundance, ecological security, and thriving systems.
Living Soil Systems
Learn how to build living soils that are nutrient-dense, to grow the best disease-resistant healthy plants.
Trees + Their Energy Interactions
Come to understand trees and all of the interactions that play a important role in ecology.
Plant Ecology + Food Systems
We can enhance our gardens and farms by learning about the complex world of plants and all the intricate connections to help us great abundance.
Integrated Animal Systems
Just like plants, animals play essential ecological roles in every ecosystem. Learn how to integrate, manage, and appreciate the role animals can play in permaculture design.
Farm Scale Permaculture
Permaculture can be applied at both the balcony garden and the larger farm scale, creating abundance and diversity for both the dinner plate and ecology.
Bioremediation
In nature, there is no waste; that idea is a human construct. Explore ways to deal with waste and contamination.
Aquaculture
Aquatic ecosystems are some of the most productive and diverse systems on earth. Explore how to use and integrate aquaculture into your own designs.
Appropriate Technology
While it may seems the answers are in undiscovered technological complexity, smart devices and ever expanding AI. This is a reminder that we already possess the accessible and simple technologies needed for sustainable and regenerative practices that support our needs, local economies, and communities.
The Built Environment
Permaculture can also be applied to the built environment to create sustainable buildings and communities that are resource-efficient, and apply permaculutre principals for the buildings water management, energy use, and construction materials.
Social Permaculture
While land design is often the spotlight in permaculture , the people and social elements are also, if not more, important. How can we live and design for people and social aspects in life to be in harmony.
Financial + Economic Permaculture
In environmental sustainability many view our economic and financial systems as the main contributors to the problems of the world. While this may hold some truth, permaculutre show us creative ways to work within existing systems to transform them into regenerative models that meet our needs while improving the planet.
Learning on a Permaculture Homestead
Wimberley, TX
The property features integrated systems with milking and meat goats, chickens for eggs and meat, bees, trees, flowers and veggies. At our working family homestead, we are positioned at the top of a large limestone hill with heavily eroded soils we are regenerating. We capture rainwater for garden use, and have implemented many swales (ditches on contour), and brush berms. We planted a food forest, and delight in it’s growth and abundance every year. Our once small garden has turned into an expansive operation where we make our own soil on site through a deep bedding method with our milking goats and chickens, when they are not rotating through the land.
Facilitators
This course is being led by Ashley Stephens-Turner and Mark Turner, of Lotus Ranch Retreat Center, along with many expert guest teachers. After becoming interested in organic farming and regenerative homesteading in 2009, Ashley studied horticulture and agriculture in college. Ashley started a children’s gardening program in 2014 ” The Childrens Garden and Outdoor Classroom” teaching families, homeschoolers, and in private and public schools for ten years. In 2016, Ashley completed a Permaculture design course with the Austin Permaculture Guild and later Permaculture Teacher Training, also through APG. With a background as a professional photographer, trained as a photojournalist and short documentary film-maker, Mark Turner completed his Permaculture design course in 2014, under the instruction of Michael Gonella at Santa Barbara City College and Quail Springs. Mark worked part-time as a professional organic gardener before moving back to Texas. Mark and Ashley now run Lotus Ranch a retreat center, founded by Mark’s late father, in 2008. Mark and Ashley have been working for 8 years to establish a family Permaculture homestead, to complement the retreat center and steward the land. They’re both passionate about land regeneration and natural living.
Guest Teachers
Rianna Alvarado
Owner – Artphoria, Waco, Tx
Rianna Alvarado is a Waco-based garden designer and educator shaped by permaculture philosophy and a deep commitment to living soil. A Master Gardener since 2012, she weaves regenerative practices into kitchen gardens, native landscapes, and community-based learning.
She approaches permaculture as an evolving practice — one rooted in observation, humility, and relationship with the land.
In addition to design work, Rianna develops courses and gatherings centered around the “garden lifestyle”, helping families reconnect with seasonal rhythms, growing food, and the quiet intelligence of the land. She believes permaculture is not just a design system, but a way of seeing and participating in the living world.
Website: https://warmhoneytoast.com/garden-design-details
Instagram: @warmhoneytoast
Simon Gonzalez
Natural Builder
Texas Cob Co, Kingsbury, TX
A third generation natural builder, Simon has been building cob and adobe structures for decades. Founded in 2021 by two native Texans – husband and wife duo Arielle and Simon combine Simon’s natural building skills with Arielle’s MBA in sustainable design and manufacturing to deliver the cutting edge of natural building.
Whether you’re renting an apartment or building your dream home, there’s a healthy solution for your project.
Jenna Jasso
Permaculture Designer and Educator/ Project Manager
Owner at Tierra Sagrada // Austin, TX
Jenna has a BA in Mechanical Engineering from UT Austin, and she found her inspiration when she discovered permaculture in 2011.
She helped initiate a global front yard garden movement known as Food is Free. She completed a Permaculture Design Certification from Austin Permaculture Guild in 2016
Jenna is a co-founder and community coordinator at Festival Beach Food Forest, the first food forest on city parkland in Texas. At Tierra Sagrada, Jenna integrates her engineering/design background with the language of the natural world to bring regenerative design into city culture and landscapes whenever possible.
Website: https://www.tierra-sagrada.com/
Instagram: @tierrasagradatx
Robert Leal
Permaculture Designer and Educator/Builder/Land Steward
Owner at Tierra Sagrada // Austin, TX
Robert holds a Permaculture Certification from the Sonoran Permaculture Guild. He is the founder and lead facilitator of the El Paso Permaculture Group and La union Eco-Spirit Center. While living in the high desert borderlands of Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico Robert led Permaculture Design Courses, trainings, workshops, consulting, designings, and building. Now in Austin he continues his regenerative work
on private and public landscapes with Tierra Sagrada and Sun Kings. He is also a lead steward and educator at Festival Beach Food Forest in downtown Austin.
Website: https://www.tierra-sagrada.com/
Instagram: @tierrasagradatx
Taelor Monroe
OWNER, CO-DIRECTOR-Austin Permaulture Guild
Founder, Cosmos Ranch Foundation, Del Valle TX
Taelor initially got into permaculture in 2011. In 2014, Taelor earned her permaculture teacher training certificate from Theron Beaudreau. She started doing publicity for and eventually co-running the Austin Permaculture Guild, a business that promotes permaculture design courses. Taelor has helped lead hundreds of students through the permaculture design course over the years. Taelor also helped initiate Central Texas’ Permablitz events with Kirby Fry in 2013. organizing and planning monthly events to install permaculture landscapes all over Central Texas with volunteers. Taelor lived on site at the Whole Life Learning Center, studying under master permaculturist Caroline Riley. Together they co-designed the transformation of the property into the flourishing food forest it is today. To date, as a designer Taelor has helped hundreds of clients with assessments, digital designs, and installs of food forests, veggie gardens, rainwater catchment and more.. Taelor has recently founded Cosmos Ranch, a regenerative venue and spiritual community space, just outside Austin.
Taelor’s work in the world is generating empowered healthy people, thriving communities, and beautified regenerative spaces in her wake.
Michael Wolfert
Founder and CEO of Symbiosis Design
Michael Wolfert, founder and CEO of Symbiosis, took his Permaculture Design Course in 2007. Those two weeks changed his life and he immediately began seeking mentors who could teach him more. Michael quickly found opportunities working on farms & ranches. These opportunities included a 1,000 acre farm and ranch in Blanco, Texas where the founder of permaculture, Bill Mollison, had lead PDC’s in the early days of this movement. In pursuit of pioneering food forestry in central Texas, he worked for 2 years with Hill Country Natives nursery to research & provide well-adapted edible plant species with superior root systems. He has continued to study cutting edge regenerative systems design, installation and management techniques including Darren Doherty’s Regrarians Platform, Mark Shepard’s Restoration Agriculture and Javan Bernakevitch’s Holistic Life Design methods to name a few. He loves learning new skills! He is most often working with clients directly, training Symbiosis’ team and in the field helping to install their designs.
Website: https://www.symbiosistx.com
Instagram: @symbiosis.tx
Ellen H. Beaman
Adjunct Professor At Austin Community College
Owner at Earth Mama Crafts // Austin TX
Ellen began her agricultural career on an organic vegetable farm in Buda, TX in 2001, which inspired her to pursue an education in ag. She received her BS in Agronomy from Texas Tech University and has continued to manage and consult organic farms in Central Texas. Ellen has taught Sustainable Agriculture and Landscape Horticulture for many years as an Adjunct Professor at Austin Community College. Ellen founded Earth Mama Crafts
to offer hands-on, nature-inspired workshops focusing on creating, including handmade herbal skincare, and botanical products.
Website: https://www.EarthMamaCrafts.com
Instagram: @earthmamacrafts
Cristen Andrews
Small Town Farm // Martindale, Tx
Cristen, of Small Town Farm a one-acre wildlife habitat, botanical sanctuary, and plant nursery in Central Texas Run with her Partner Miguel. Cristen studied photojournalism at the University of Texas at Austin, earned her Permaculture Design Certificate through the Austin Permaculture Guild, and studied community herbalism at the Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine. She never tires of talking about the natural world, and continues to learn from various mentors, conferences, books, hands-on experience, and the plants themselves. They garden year-round, tucking in layers of plants each season, documenting the many creatures who inhabit the space, and sharing what they learn along the way as part of their mission to make organic gardening and homegrown wellness accessible to all. They grow a wide variety of culinary and medicinal plants that thrive in Central Texas.
Website: https://www.smalltownfarm.com/
Instagram: @smalltownfarmtx
Justin Grunow
Project Manager At Symbiosis Design
Justin Grunow is a designer and project manager with a decade of experience in central Texas land regeneration. As a University of Texas graduate in philosophy, and a certified permaculture designer, he brings a thoughtful, whole-systems approach to his relationship with the land. From small suburban backyards to large ranches, Justin designs landscapes that inspire joy and curiosity. He knows that sustainable practices are rooted in a loving relationship between our clients and their land. In 2021, Justin became a certified installer of Pioneer water tanks and is the lead builder of rainwater catchment systems for Symbiosis. Considering our precarious situation with water in Central Texas, he is passionate about promoting different water harvesting strategies and guiding our clients toward the solution that is right for their context. With a diverse skill set and a knack for education, Justin excels in training new Symbiosis team members, helping them learn the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of what we do. He sees each job as a new opportunity in creative problem solving and skill development. When he’s not working, Justin enjoys exploring nature on his kayak or mountain bike, playing music with friends, and spending time with his wife and three dogs.
Website: https://www.symbiosistx.com
Instagram: @symbiosis.tx
Adam Russell
Project Manager At Symbiosis Design
Adam Russell is an ecologist, explorer, and educator. For a decade he was an educator for Remote Medical International where he has worked with human and land health in remote locations around the world since 2006. He has worked to regenerate land with the use of the Holistic Management framework, Regrarians platform, Permaculture, earthworks, biodynamics, pyramids, and Homa farming practices which include biofertilizers and agnihotra. He seeks to build a knowledge base of how we can work to release the potential from under-utilized lands. Adam’s current projects include broadscale soil and atmospheric regeneration and the spread of available solutions through his work with Symbiosis.
Website: https://www.symbiosistx.com
Instagram: @symbiosis.tx
Shannon Brown
Founder, Ecosystem Regeneration Artisan // San Marcos, TX
Shannon Brown founded Ecosystem Regeneration Artisans (ERA) LLC in 2017 to unite talented land stewards to create projects that benefit wildlife, water, and soil. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in both Biology and English from Southwestern University. Additionally she has certifications as a low impact development construction inspector, holistic management practitioner, permaculture designer and native plant landscaper. Her experiences with native plants stretch back over 20 years from informal experiences as a child volunteering in schoolyard habitats with members of the Native Plant Society of Texas and Master Naturalists. Finding the balance between human use and ecology is one of the challenges for which Shannon routinely finds practical solutions. Reading the land for water flow and soil health based on the flora are key components of Shannon’s landscape practice.
Website: www.ERANATIVELAND.com
Instagram: @ERANATIVELAND
Marlo Weekley
Founder & Lead Designer, Forest Fruits Permaculture // Austin, TX
Marlo has spent more than a decade seeking out every possible way to get her hands in the dirt, learning directly from land, communities, and businesses in action. Her work in permaculture has taken shape through experimentation: founding the Urban Permaculture Rainforest Initiative, her own design and consulting business, Forest Fruits Permaculture, and contributing to regenerative community projects all across the U.S., Mexico, and Central America.
Fueled by an immersive training at the Aprovecho Sustainability Education Center, in Cottage Grove, Oregon (now the Center for Rural Livelihoods), where she studied and practiced permaculture in daily life for several years, she wrote a curriculum for Sacred Ecology during her independent liberal arts program at Goddard College. Bringing together her wild and curious imagination and a scientific approach, Marlo creates a visionary pathway toward a new model of humanity that asks what becomes possible when ecology, culture, and human well-being are designed together. A self-identified polymath, she brings a passion for artisan craftsmanship into the permaculture sphere, and her interdisciplinary approach is informed also by her interests in neuroscience, ethnobotany, astrology, Feng Shui, and compassionate communication.
Website: www.forestfruits-permaculture.com
Instagram: @Forestfruits_Permaculture
Garrett Shovan
Lead Cultivator + General Manager at Mushroom Street Farms // Dallas, TX
Mushroom Street Farms’ General Manager and lead cultivator, Garrett Shovan brings his extensive knowledge and passion for mycology to every workshop. With years of hands-on experience developing sustainable cultivation methods, Garrett has mastered the art and science of growing gourmet mushrooms in urban environments.
Garrett’s approach combines traditional farming wisdom with innovative techniques, creating accessible methods for everyone from home gardeners to aspiring commercial growers. His enthusiasm for sharing the wonders of fungi has helped students successfully grow their own mushrooms.
In his workshops at Mushroom Street Farms, Garrett breaks down complex mycological concepts into practical, easy-to-follow steps that empower participants to continue their cultivation journey with confidence. His patient teaching style and wealth of troubleshooting tips ensure that everyone leaves with the skills needed for mushroom growing success.
Website: https://thecuriouscultivator.com/
Instagram: @thecurious_cultivator
Comfortable Lodging and Classroom
Learning Space
Learning spaces include our comfortable indoor classroom, our covered outdoor classroom, gardens, hoop houses, barns, and land. This course will include classroom instruction both lecture and variety of teaching and learning styles, hands on experience, demonstration, and several expert guest teachers. Classroom time will allow for breaks, with refreshments and bathrooms available at all times. This is a participator course asking for engagement and input from all participants.
Lodging Options
Indoor: Students will stay in the Lotus Ranch Lodge, a comfortable 9 bedroom facility, with central dinning room and bathrooms. Each student will have a roommate for the community experience. You may request a roommate if attending with friends or family.
Outdoor: Primitive Camping sites are available located close to the the lodge with access to indoor restrooms and showers. Along with our eco restroom and outdoor shower. Campers are responsible for bringing all of the needed camping gear.
RV/Van Spots: We have space for RV and camper vans to park on site. There regular electric hook up and no waste water hookups. Holding and disposing of black water is the guest responsibility.
Amenities: Lotus Ranch features over 2 miles of wooded hiking trails, fire pits, labyrinth, on-site spa-deck with cedar barrel hot tub, cold plunge and sauna, and community vibes around the cowboy pool. On our off day students can add to their unique experience with a relaxing swim at The Blue Hole or hike at Jacobs Well, just a few miles from Lotus Ranch.
Daily PDC Schedule:
| Time | Activity | ||||
| 7:15-8:00 | FarmHand | Rotation: Breakfast, goats, chickens, housekeeping, garden. | |||
| 8:00-8:30 | Breakfast | Rotation of staff, worktrade, and students | |||
| 8:30-8:45 | Housekeeping/Review | ||||
| 8:45-10:15 | PDC Session 1 | ||||
| 10:15-10:30 | Break | Tea, coffee, snacks | |||
| 10:30-12 | PDC Session 2 | ||||
| 12-2pm | Lunch & Optional Yoga class (12-1pm M-Th) | Yoga with Wimberley Yoga group/ Lunch: Catered Farm to Table | |||
| 2:00-3:30 | PDC Session 3 | ||||
| 3:30-3:45 | Break | Tea, coffee, snacks | |||
| 3:45-5:15 | PDC Session 4 | ||||
| 5:15-5:30 | PDC debrief and review | ||||
| 5:30-7pm | Free Time | Explore property/library/ laundry/ co work space | |||
| 7pm | Dinner | Catered Farm to Table | |||
| 8pm | Evening | Rotation of: Skills Class, Spa Deck, Fire pit, Movie, | |||
| June 7-12 | Follow Daily PDC Schedule | |
| June 13 | Field Trips | |
| June 14 | Swimming / Day of Rest | |
| June 15-19 | Follow Daily PDC Schedule | |
| June 20 | Presentation and Graduation |
Deeply Nourishing Farm Fresh Foods
Delicious nourishing organic farm to table meals will be prepared for students by an onsite retreat chef featuring local veggies, meats, fruits, eggs, and more.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner along with Coffee, Tea and Snacks are included on all class and field trip days. Meals include paleo, gluten free, vegetarian/vegan and options. Please note any other food needs or allergies in registration.
Course Tuition
June 7th – 20th, 2026
Full Course Tuition + Organic Meals + optional Daily Yoga
$1500
Two weeks of participation and certification upon completion. Additional lodging is strongly suggested for integration and full experience, we will allow neighboring participants to go back and forth from the ranch to sleep, but would not suggest it for Austin or San Antonio residents.
Deposit – $350
Deposit is transferable but non-refundable. Deposit is applied to the balance and your spot saved, Balance will be billed to you and due 30 days before the course.
Scholarship
**Two work-trade opportunities are available for the course. Please email info@lotusranch.org to apply.**
Accommodations:
+Indoor Lodge – $850
- 13 Nights of accommodation in our clean and cozy retreat lodge. Twin bed in shared room. Includes bedding and towels. Indoor restrooms/laundry room. Includes cedar barrel hot tub, sauna, and cold plunge. (Room can be shared with roommate(s) of choice or best match based on preferences. Private room available for +$400, limited availability. )
+Camping & RV space – $390
- 13 Nights Primitive camping spot. Outdoor and Indoor restrooms/laundry room. Includes cedar barrel hot tub, sauna, and cold plunge.
This is an residential intensive course, participants are encouraged to stay on site to get the full experience of living and learning in a community.
Permaculture Design Certificate Course for Young Adults
Wednesdays for 12 weeks
Sept. 23rd – Dec. 9th 2026
Tuition:$1,000
Deposit: $350
This Permaculture Design Certificate Course covers the same in depth material as our residential PDC but is designed for youth and young adults 15-20yrs old. Equipping them with the skills to design regenerative, sustainable and abundant systems for people, land, animals, and the planet. This course is a great launch pad for a career in permaculture, regenerative agriculture, homesteading, garden and landscape design, eco living or to further young adults interest and understanding. This course does not include overnight stays or meals but will include heavy snacks teas and drinks. This course is limited to 10 participants.