One Creamy Trick for Busting Aphids

OK, so you've got aphids. Here's what you do:

1. Get a spray bottle
2. Put milk (2% or greater fat content) in the bottle
3. Spray it on the aphids. That's it.

Please insert your jokes about lactose intolerance in the comments.

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Permaculture Home Design, Part 1

The first volume of The Rhizome: Permaculture Journal of Ontario and Québec is out! [76.5 MB PDF]

You can read many fine articles, including a piece recounting part of my journey designing and building a passive solar home.

Kingston Introduction to Permaculture Course

Registration for the Kingston course ends Friday! 

This course is also the introductory module for our PDC, should you decide to decide to take the whole course. 

More information is available here.

Permaculture Earthworks Workshop, July 13th & 14th

Permaculture Earthworks Workshop, July 13, 14, 2013

Thank you to all the students for making this event such a wonderful experience. Invite yourselves back for a visit to see the results.


This class aims to give students a practical understanding of the water-harvesting earthworks techniques used in permaculture. A theoretical section will be taught in which a variety of approaches will be introduced, including dams, swales, ripping, and more. This section will also cover site assessment and design. Students will have practical hands-on time for site measurement, design, layout and implementation. The topics covered in this course will allow students to assess and design their own sites. 

Course books for the theoretical section will be provided to ensure all students have a copy of the material for future reference. The theoretical section will be taught using lectures some topics with student-directed deductive reasoning used wherever possible. 

July 13 
Day one will cover design theory. Students will also learn how to measure the site and map it for design purposes in a hands-on environment. Time will be devoted to design work with student design teams creating their own plans for the workshop's site.

July 14 
Day two will focus on site layout and implementation. Swales will be cut into the site with a dozer. A subsoiler will also be used for patterned ripping of the soil. As part of the hands-on component, the swales will be groomed and level-sill spillways cut into the swales. The use of various levels will also be demonstrated, with students having an opportunity to use them in practice. 

Equipment needed 
Students should bring a notebook, pens, pencils, a shovel (if possible), work gloves, boots, and rain gear. Sunscreen is also recommended as we will spend prolonged periods outdoors. Meals and accommodations will not be provided during the course. Contact Douglas for a list of area accommodations.

Please note that to provide the best learning environment, we are limiting ticket sales to 20 tickets.

Event Registration Online for Permaculture Earthworks powered by Eventbrite

Site Mapping for Permaculture Design – November 2012

Date: Saturday, November 3, from 1-3:30pm
Rain date:  Sunday, Nov. 4th, from 1-3:30pm
Location: meet at Just Food Ottawa’s office,
2389 Pepin Court, Ottawa, ON, (in Blackburn Hamlet)
Suggested donation: $10-30 (no-one turned away for lack of funds).  Any extra money raised will go towards Permaculture Ottawa’s Community Urban Food Forest project.
Transportation: OC Transpo bus #94 Millenium, some ride-sharing will be available.

Join us for a hands-on workshop that will introduce you to the basic site mapping skills used in permaculture design. Participants will learn how to measure and map a site’s features, including elevation.  The workshop will be led by Douglas Barnes, an experienced permaculturist who is the president of EcoEdge Design Ltd. Douglas studied with permaculture founder Bill Mollison, and has worked on projects in Canada, Japan, India, and Australia.

This workshop will take place outdoors, so participants should take the weather into account and dress appropriately. Participants please bring your own paper, pens or pencils- and if you have one, a 100′ tape measure will come in handy!  The workshop organizers will provide a set of workshop notes for the students, a surveyor’s level, A-frame level, bunyip level, farmer’s level, GPS, twine, stakes, a measuring wheel, and two 100′ tape measures.

* Limited space available- to reserve a spot email

Sarah Lévesque-Walker at info@permacultureottawa.ca

and write “Mapping workshop” in the subject heading.