2024 - Permaculture Design and Earth Skills Training Course
May
11
to Aug 11

2024 - Permaculture Design and Earth Skills Training Course

  • Thriving Earth Farm and Development (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join us at Thriving Earth Farm in Joelton, TN for our 2024 permaculture design and earth skills training course.

The course will be one weekend a month for 4 months. The sessions will be the second Saturday and Sunday of May, June, July, and August. The course is an 72hr permaculture design certificate course. All students who complete all 72 hrs will receive a permaculture design certificate.

Participants will learn permaculture design methodology and will earn a permaculture design certificate. In addition to the standard content of a permaculture design course, participants will learn vital skills essential for homesteading and will learn in a hands on learning environment. Participants can expect to learn about organic gardening, regenerative forestry, small scale staple crop production, dairy systems, heavy equipment operation and maintenance, hand tool carpentry, wild foraging, composting, farm fencing, mushroom production, season extension, grazing, and much more. Participants will also visit nearby farms to observe different farming systems and bussiness operations.

Lunch and dinner will be provided on site. Food is organic, grown on site, locally grown, or ethically sourced otherwise. We cannot accommodate vegan diets.

Permaculture Design Curriculum
- History
- Philosophy
- Ethics
- Principles
- Practices
-Site analysis
- Design tools and methodologies
- Designing practicum
- Permaculture anarchism

Permaculture Gardening in our bioregion
- Planting Schedules
- Annual vegetable planting techniques
- Staple crop production
- Cover crops, compost, and mulch
- Perennial herbs
- Fruit, nut, berry
- Intro to plant propagation
- Maintenance techniques for our region
- Design and maintenance
- Processing and preservation
- Season extension techniques
- Shiitake productions on logs
- Composting systems

Livestock systems
- Grass fed beef
- Homestead scale broiler production
- Traditional dairy systems
- Egg layers
- Ecological grazing and grazing philosophy

Regenerative Forestry
- Forest ecology
- History of our forests
- Reading the forested landscape
- Regenerative forestry theory and practice
- Forest products
- Forestry tools
- Methodologies

Home Design
- Permaculture designing your home build
- Natural building techniques
- Examples around the world
- Local examples

Earthworks
- Water managament earthworks
- Building roads and infrastructure
- Pond construction

Farm Equipment Overview
Hand tools
- Tools for different jobs
- Sharpening and maintenance
Tractors
- Different types for different applications
- Maintenance
- Safe operation
Heavy equipment
- When to use what and why
- Maintenance
- Safe operation

Traditional skills of the homestead
- Hand tool carpentry
- Wild foraging
- Tree and plant identification
- Useful knots
- Homestead butchering


The cost of the workshop is $2,000 USD.
A $500 deposit is required to hold your space. Limited spaces are available.
Full payment for the course is due April 1st.
Financing options are available for folks who need it. Click the financing link on our websites drop down menu to see what monthly payments may look like. (some are as little as $20 a month).

For any questions about the course, to pay your deposit/secure your spot in the course, or to apply for a scholarship please e-mail ThrivingEarthFarm@Gmail.com

View Event →
2023 Permaculture Design/Earth Skills Training Course
Jul
8
to Jul 16

2023 Permaculture Design/Earth Skills Training Course

  • Thriving Earth Farm and Development (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join us at Thriving Earth Farm in Joelton, TN for our 2023 permaculture design and earth skills training course.

Participants will learn permaculture design methodology and will earn a permaculture design certificate. In addition to the standard content of a permaculture design course, participants will learn vital skills essential for homesteading and will learn in a hands on learning environment. Participants can expect to learn about organic gardening, regenerative forestry, small scale staple crop production, dairy systems, heavy equipment operation and maintenance, hand tool carpentry, wild foraging, composting, farm fencing, mushroom production, season extension, grazing, and much more. Participants will also visit nearby farms to observe different farming systems and bussiness operations.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided on site and dinner will be provided at "Joelton Hardware" (Nashvilles best kept secret /music venue/hardware store). Camping will be available, and commuters will be welcomed as well.

Permaculture Design Curriculum
- History
- Philosophy
- Ethics
- Principles
- Practices
-Site analysis
- Design tools and methodologies
- Designing practicum
- Permaculture anarchism

Permaculture Gardening in our bioregion
- Planting Schedules
- Annual vegetable planting techniques
- Staple crop production
- Cover crops, compost, and mulch
- Perennial herbs
- Fruit, nut, berry
- Intro to plant propagation
- Maintenance techniques for our region
- Design and maintenance
- Processing and preservation
- Season extension techniques
- Shiitake productions on logs
- Composting systems

Livestock systems
- Grass fed beef
- Homestead scale broiler production
- Traditional dairy systems
- Egg layers
- Ecological grazing and grazing philosophy

Regenerative Forestry
- Forest ecology
- History of our forests
- Reading the forested landscape
- Regenerative forestry theory and practice
- Forest products
- Forestry tools
- Methodologies

Home Design
- Permaculture designing your home build
- Natural building techniques
- Examples around the world
- Local examples

Earthworks
- Water managament earthworks
- Building roads and infrastructure
- Pond construction

Farm Equipment Overview
Hand tools
- Tools for different jobs
- Sharpening and maintenance
Tractors
- Different types for different applications
- Maintenance
- Safe operation
Heavy equipment
- When to use what and why
- Maintenance
- Safe operation

Traditional skills of the homestead
- Hand tool carpentry
- Wild foraging
- Tree and plant identification
- Useful knots
- Homestead butchering


The cost of the workshop is $2,000 USD
A $500 deposit is required to hold your space. Limited spaces are available.
Full payment for the course is due May 1st.
Financing options are available for folks who need it.
Several scholarships are available and will be given to a limited number of course participants on a need basis.

For any questions about the course, to pay your deposit/secure your spot in the course, or to apply for a scholarship please e-mail ThrivingEarthFarm@Protonmail.com





View Event →
Making Bark Baskets
Jun
18
9:00 AM09:00

Making Bark Baskets

Join Thriving Earth Farm on Saturday June 18th from 9 am to 12 pm as we share our knowledge of making traditional “Bark Berry Baskets” out of Sweetgum and Tulip Poplar Bark. Participants will be able to observe and help in the process of making bark baskets. Participants will help select trees and saplings, learn how to cut them down, peel bark, and make a bark baskets. With this knowledge participants will have the confidence to go home and make bark baskets on their own. Suggested donation for the workshop is $25. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Participants will be required to sign a liability waiver at the beginning of the event

View Event →
Traditional Forestry Hand Tools
May
7
9:00 AM09:00

Traditional Forestry Hand Tools

Join Thriving Earth Farm on Saturday May 7th from 9 am to 12 pm as we share our knowledge of traditional forestry hand tools.

Participants will learn about traditional hand tools used in forestry, such as the two man cross cut saw, one man crosscut saw, felling axe, and more. During the workshop participants will fell a tree together with hand tools, process it with hand tools, manage the debris in a way that leaves a regenerative impact, and replant the understory with underrepresented species.

Suggested donation of $25. No one turned away for lack of funds. All participants will be required to sign a waiver of liability at the beginning of the workshop. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

View Event →
Making Bark Baskets
Jun
22
9:00 AM09:00

Making Bark Baskets

Join Thriving Earth Farm on Saturday June 22nd from 9 am to 1 pm as we share our knowledge of making traditional “Bark Baskets” out of Sweetgum and Tulip Poplar Bark. Participants will make their own bark basket to take home. The cost of the workshop is $25.

View Event →
Introduction to Survival Skills
May
25
9:00 AM09:00

Introduction to Survival Skills

Join Thriving Earth Farm on Saturday May 25th from 9 am to 1 pm as we share our knowledge of Survival Skills. Whether your interested in learning Survival Skills for a deeper connection to the natural world or if you’re simply seeking preparedness in wilderness situations, this class is for you! Participants will be given an introduction to the 6 main elements of survival. Survival psychology, shelter construction, water procurement, water purification, food procurement, and fire. The cost of the workshop is $25.

Purchase Tickets here http://www.thrivingearthfarm.com/new-products/introduction-to-survival-skills

View Event →
Regenerative Forestry and Traditional Forestry Hand Tools
May
4
9:00 AM09:00

Regenerative Forestry and Traditional Forestry Hand Tools

Join Thriving Earth Farm as we share our knowledge of Regenerative Forestry and traditional forestry hand tools. Regenerative Forestry is a way of meeting our human needs by teaming with our natural forest resources in an ecologically regenerative way. From firewood, to food production, to building materials, to medicine, to wildlife, and more; the forest has many gifts to offer us for human survival as long as we are willing to engage those gifts in a humble and enhancing way.

In this workshop participants will get an introduction into Regenerative Forestry concepts and traditional hand tools for forestry. Participants will be led through the forest as we identify trees, learn how to select trees for different purposes while maximizing ecological benefit, learn how to manage debris in and ecologically regenerative way, and learn about replanting strategies. Participants will learn about traditional hand tools used in regenerative forestry, such as the two man cross cut saw, one man crosscut saw, felling axe, and more. During the workshop participants will fell a tree together with hand tools, process it with hand tools, manage the debris in a way that leaves a regenerative impact, and replant the understory with underrepresented species.

The cost of the workshop is $25. All participants will be required to sign a waiver of liability at the beginning of the workshop.

Buy tickets here http://www.thrivingearthfarm.com/new-products/regenerative-forestry-and-traditional-forestry-hand-tools

View Event →
Intro to knot tying, rope harness, and 1 rope bridge
Apr
20
11:00 AM11:00

Intro to knot tying, rope harness, and 1 rope bridge

Join Thriving Earth Farm as we share our knowledge of knot tying and rope systems knowledge. In this hands on workshop, participants will learn several basic knots and will learn how to apply those knots in practical applications by building a one rope bridge and crossing that bridge using a field expedient rope harness also known as a swiss seat. While all ages and levels of fitness are welcome, only physically fit individuals will be allowed to cross the 1 rope bridge. All participants will be required to sign a waiver of liability at the beginning of the workshop. E-mail us at ThrivingEarthFarm@gmail.com to sign up for the workshop and to receive the address of the farm.

View Event →
Thriving Earth and Henosis at the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show
Feb
28
to Mar 3

Thriving Earth and Henosis at the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show

We are excited to announce that this year Thriving Earth Farm and Henosis will provide pre-inoculated mushroom logs for the home scale grower at the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show. Logs have been sustainably and regeneratively harvested from the Thriving Earth Farm eco-forest and will be inoculated with Henosis strains of shiitake spawn. Logs will be available for sale at this years Nashville Lawn and Garden Show from February 28th - March 3. Come out and let us help you get started in cultivating your own homegrown gourmet Shiitake mushrooms! By purchasing logs you will support sustainable livelihoods, and regenerative forestry work, as well as two local Nashville Businesses! #ThrivingEarthFarm #HenosisMushrooms #NLGS2019

View Event →