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Welcome to our 20 Week Online Learning Experience - as far as we know the very first of its kind !

Regenerative Landscape Design - Online Interactive Course

How to Design, Build and Manage Polycultures for Landscapes, Gardens and Farms 
 During this 20 week course it is our primary goal to provide you with the confidence and inspiration to start building regenerative landscapes, gardens and farms that produce food and other resources for humans while enhancing biodiversity. You are welcome to enroll for individual  modules or weekly sessions.
Week 1 

Module 1  - What are Polycultures?

"What exactly is polyculture?"  is the question we kick off the course with. We look at the history of polyculture and why it is both relevant and desirable to pursue and present the core qualities that we believe make a polyculture.​
Week 2 

Module 2 - Organizing Polycultures 

With a relatively complex matter such as polyculture, it's vital to be able to provide some clarity on what we are dealing with . In module 2 we lay out a category system for polyculture that breaks it down into 3 main categories; Infrastructure, Support and Productive. We go through each category and discover how polyculture can be used in wide variety of applications in the landscape. ​
Weeks 3 - 4

Module 3 - Understanding Plants 

In order to make the best plant selection decisions you should have a good understanding of a plant's needs and behaviour.  In weeks 3 and 4 we learn how to understand plants and how they relate to each other, other organisms in the ecosystem, and the soils around them. We end the module delving into the power of ecological succession. 
Weeks 5 - 8  

Module 4 - How to Design Polycultures

 Weeks 5 - 8  we present an organised and structured approach to surveying your location, and  introduce a range of techniques and practices used within polyculture design to discover how to choose plants that are compatible with one another and wildlife.  We cover design methods that help simplify the process and learn how to design for broad scale application of polyculture. 
Weeks 9 - 10

 Module 5 -  Working with the Wild 

Working with the wild is the key to success in providing food and other resources while enhancing biodiversity. During weeks 9-10 we introduce you to our wild allies and the role they play in our productive landscapes supporting crop productivity, controlling pests and providing fertility, and  how we can encourage  them to live and breed in our landscapes.
Week 11

 Module 6 - Annual Polyculture Profiles 

In week 11 we learn how to grow vegetables and herbs in polycultures  and take a close look at some tried and tested annual polycultures that we have been growing on our site for over 10 years.
Week 12 

 Module 7 -   Perennial Polyculture Profiles

Week 12 is dedicated to profiling examples of perennial polycultures for infrastructure, support and production. Each polyculture is profiled in detail with species lists, diagrams, photos and planting plans along with information on how the polyculture can be expected to perform. 
Weeks 13 - 14 

 Module 8 -  Site Design 

During weeks 13 - 14 we go step by step through the design process and learn how to get the thoughts from your mind  growing in the ground. We'll cover base mapping,  species selection, integrating habitat for wildlife, making fertility and irrigation budgets for your plant selections, and the vital step of planning for the implementation and management of the design.
Weeks 15 - 16

 Module 9 - Implementation - Site Preparation

In weeks 15 - 16 we get into the hows of on-the-ground surveying, making earthworks (including ponds) and establishing access and irrigation for your polyculture landscape.  We also cover how to prepare the ground for planting out a variety of polyculture layouts that include hedging, swale plantings , forest gardens, agroforestry systems and raised bed market gardens.
Weeks 17 - 19

 Module 10 - Implement - Planting out and aftercare

With your polycultures in the ground and growing, in weeks 16 -19 we turn our attention to how to manage and maintain the landscape. We'll share with you our management plans  from having worked with polycultures for over 15 years including pruning, weeding,  how to properly irrigate your gardens, control pests and diseases, and take care of your habitat to provide abundant harvest and a haven for wildlife.
Week 20 

 Complete final design for review and assessment ​

We'll cover how to prepare your design for presentation purposes and for prospective clients, and then it's over to you to present your design .
We look forward to it! ​
 ​​If you do not have time to do the full course or are familiar with some of the content we cover but would like to fill in the gaps in your knowledge, you are welcome to sign up for the modules or weekly sessions that interest you.​
This course is starting on 3rd May 2021

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Telephone

+359988342649

Email

balkanecologyproject@gmail.com