Help us shade the soil and catch every drop! This 5-day intensive focuses on the "cooling systems" of the farm: mastering dryland gardening, water-wise irrigation, and the creation of life-saving microclimates. As the Portuguese summer arrives, we’ve traded the classroom for the shaded garden beds and earthworks, so you’ll learn the "why" and "how" of resilient production through direct action in the heat of the season.
Why This Course?
The Permaculture in Practice (PIP) workshop is different from a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC). While a PDC focuses primarily on theory and design principles, this course is hands-on, seasonally informed, and rooted in observation-led decision-making.
In June, the challenge of the Mediterranean climate becomes visible. This is the ultimate time to learn because the plants are already telling us what they need. You will move beyond "watering by schedule" and learn to design systems that hold moisture and defy the drought.
You will gain the practical confidence to:
Read Stress Signals: Identify exactly when and how plants respond to heat before it’s too late.
Engineer Coolth: Use shade, mulch, and layout to drop the temperature of your garden beds by several degrees.
Design for Scarcity: Learn to prioritize water use so your most valuable crops thrive even when resources are low.
Create Microclimates: Master the use of windbreaks, aspect, and "sun traps" to expand what you can grow in a dry climate.