2024 Spring Permaculture Events

Spring Events and Workshops

There are a lot of exciting events this year. Meet ups, Plant and Seed swaps and some excellent classes. Hopefully you see something that interests you or a friend.

Permaculture Meet-Up at Inspiration Farm February 23 @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

A Free gathering time for People interested in Permaculture from Whatcom county to come together and discuss ideas. Come bring your idea to share! Please RSVP here.

The Whatcom Permaculture events bring together like-minded individuals who are interested in sustainability, agriculture, and community building. It’s a chance to meet others with similar interests, share knowledge, and collaborate on projects.

From permaculture meet-ups to grafting workshops, there are a wealth of learning experiences available. Events like the grafting workshop offer hands-on experience that goes beyond theoretical knowledge. The International Permaculture Day event not only celebrates the global impact of permaculture but also facilitates people from various backgrounds come together to share their unique approaches and experiences.

For those looking to start or get involved in permaculture projects, these events are a perfect place to find potential collaborators or mentors. Networking can lead to new opportunities and initiatives. Seeing permaculture principles in action and hearing from those who have successfully implemented them can serve as a powerful source of inspiration and creativity.

Overall, the excitement surrounding the Whatcom Permaculture events stems from the dynamic combination of education, practical application, and community development centered around a sustainable and ecologically mindful way of living.

Please share widely! SEE THE FULL LIST HERE


Salish Seed Swap 2024 February 24 @ 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Salish Seed Swap and Several venders of local plant, speciality seeds and plant related products will be Selling their unique offerings. Read more

Salish Seed Swap 2024

PDC Zoom Information Session

Join us for an Information Packed Zoom Circle. February 28 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

A space to share an overview of what a PDC is and how we have organized one here in whatcom county. We will answer your questions about what a Permaculture Design Certificate course is all about.

  • Why is the Whatcom Hands on PDC unique
  • What you can hope to get out of it
  • How it can influence your life and career for the better
  • How it can help build a better relationship with yourself, your food, community and the environment.

We look forward to sharing with you during this session. Please RSVP here. We will send you a Zoom link.


Permaculture Meet-up at Queen Mountain Homestead March 29 @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

 Queen Mountain Homestead (QHM) is an 8-acre intergenerational family home and educational demonstration site nestled on the western flank of Bellingham’s Queen Mountain.  In the spring of 2016, after a decade+ of designing, building and maintaining permaculture landscapes across Washington (and internationally), we became the designer-stewards of our forever home. Please RSVP here


Grafting and Plant Propagation

March 10 th 11am – 2:00 pm

Learn to Create your own Fruit Nursery Stock. Fruit Tree Grafting and Plant Propagation from Cuttings Read more

Grafting and Plant Propagation

Scythes the Cutting Edge!

Scythes the Cutting Edge! April 28th 10am – 3pm

Sell the Weed Eater and use a Scythe! Maintain your body, not your machines. Learn the sharper points of this elegant tool. Thought to be old school, but better blades and an ergonomic set up makes them one of the most efficient tools out there. Learn what makes a good scythe, how to select a scythe for your needs and … Read more


International Permaculture Day Tour & Plant Swap May 4th, 2-5pm – Free! –

We will celebrate International Permaculture Day May 4th 2024! A day to showcase permaculture around the world.  Throughout the year we have a variety of permaculture Events, Tours and Workshops at Inspiration farm. This year we will have a tour and Plant Swap for International Permaculture Day on Saturday May 4th, 2-5pm.  An opportunity to experience permaculture and meet its practitioners. Visitors can see … Read more

International Permaculture Day Tour & Plant Swap

WE HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US!

Upcoming events for 2023

EVENTS AT INSPIRATION FARM 2023

Hi Everyone! Just wanted to take a moment to let you all know some of what we have planned for this year. Other events may pop up to fill in some gaps but here are the events we have on the books at this point.

Ongoing- Permaculture Meet-ups will continue to happen the last Friday of each month. Stay tuned for locations and details at www.whatcompermaculture.com

Salish Seed Swap Saturday Feb. 18th, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm At the – Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship Downstairs, 12 noon to 3pm – Masks Requested

$10 suggested donation, at the door. No one turned away for lack of funds
Early entrance (11:30 am) for members of the Salish Seed Guild and people bringing seeds to share
Find out more.

Please Bring your own Envelops to package bulk seeds being offered.

Hope you can make it to the Salish Seed Swap happening in person for the first time in three years!

A Past Seed Swap Gathering

March 2023

Great Grafting / Plant Propagation

Sat. March 11 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

Create your own Fruit Nursery Stock. Fruit Tree Grafting and Propagation from Cuttings. Pruning season is upon us! Remember to save scion wood for the Grafting Gathering! You can learn how to collect scion wood here. Bring Apple, Pear, Plum…
Read more

Get Tickets $30.00 

Create your own nursery plants

April 2023

Practical Permaculture Intensive

April 22 @ 10:00 am – April 23 @ 4:00 pm

A fun filled Practical Permaculture Immersion Weekend. We will illustrate practical ways to design an integrated thriving living system that that partners with nature. Designed to be self regulating, diverse, abundant and resilient. Whether you are on an urban lot…
Read more

Get Tickets $200.00 

Meet others and learn about Practical Permaculture applications

Scythes the Cutting Edge!

April 29 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Sell the weed eater and use a scythe! Maintain your body, not your machines. Learn the sharper points of this elegant tool. Thought to be old school, but better blades and an ergonomic set up makes them one of the most efficient tools out there. Find out more

Get Tickets $50.00 

Different blades and set ups for different tasks

May 2023

INTERNATIONAL PERMACULTURE DAY TOUR & PLANT SALE / SWAP

May 7 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Free event!

We will celebrate International Permaculture Day May 7th 2023! A day to showcase permaculture around the world.  An opportunity to experience permaculture and meet its practitioners. Visitors can see first hand an established permaculture system and ask questions. See how… Read more

Be part of the movement!

Food Forest & Permaculture Guild Plants

May 13 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Plant a garden, eat for a year, plant a Food Forest Guild, eat for decades! This hands on workshop shares design elements necessary for a perennial food forest. Learn about fruit and nut trees as well as supper food berries…
Read more

Get Tickets $24.00 – $40.00 

Learn about a Plant Guild and how to install one.

August 2023

Earthworks for a Water Resilient Landscape 2023

August 19  – August 20 … Exact details are still being worked out.

This workshop will cover reading the landscape for water retention and management. Diving into, Mapping, ponds, swales, reed-beds, terraces, key line design, implementation cover cropping and guild planting. This will be a hands-on workshop/installation, with earth moving equipment and lasers! Read more!

Get Tickets $450.00 

Observe, Plan, map, install systems for a water resilient landscape.

Permaculture Course Update

As we move closer to the start of our Whatcom Hands On Permaculture Design Course, We wanted to share an update of how things are progressing. At this point the course is half full, with a half a dozen or so interested and thinking about it.

We would like to offer an incentive for people to sign up.

  • We are extending the early bird price of $1600 till May 1st, $200 off the regular price
  • Sign up a friend and get $100 off of your tuition.
  • Sign up as a couple and get a $200 discount

We are really looking forward to getting into the nuts and bolts of the class schedule. If we have not reached minimum enrollment by May 5th, we will strategically pivot to a slightly different format.  We would still continue to offer some of the course content, but as stand-alone workshops conducted throughout the Spring and Summer. 

Upcoming Events

Here are a few upcoming events if you are interested in meeting us or visiting a site prior to the course.  These are also great opportunities to meet other people in our area interested in Permaculture.  They are also a great chance to invite your friends who may be exploring some of these ideas ; )

Saturday, April 23rd-  9 – 2pm Whatcom Farm Expo Exhibition Free! Put on by the Whatcom Conservation District. Come visit us at this trade convention for our local Agricultural Community.  More information at their Website, Eventbrite, and Facebook event, pages.

Friday, April 29 –  4 – 6pm Permaculture Meet-up at Inspiration Farm: Free! Come meet and chat with our local Permaculture Community.  We can share ideas, plants, books or tools. 

Sunday, May 1st – 2 – 5pm  International Permaculture DayFree! We are hosting a Plant sale/swap as well as a site tour.  Bring plants to share or a little bit of cash for purchasing and join us.

Saturday, May 14 – 10 – 4pm Food Forest & Permaculture Guild Plants $40 Workshop at Inspiration Farm.

Permaculture course weekends you can attend separately!

We will be offering certain modules of the course as a stand-alone workshops for people who are interested in specific topics but may not be able to commit to an entire course.  The cost will be $200 per weekend.  Please share these opportunities with anybody you know who may be interested.  Thanks. 

Weekend #1  May 21st and 22nd $200

The first weekend will cover the Foundations of Permaculture overview and logistics of the whole course. This will be an introduction to the foundations of permaculture. If you decide you are interested in taking the whole course you may roll this fee into the total cost of the course.

The first two information packed days we will cover permaculture defined; observation skills; ethics and the basis of ecological design; permaculture principles. We will include a comprehensive site tour with observation skill exercises while looking at indicators of sustainability, and how to use them. We will address whole systems thinking and how to look at fast track succession as it applies to design strategies.


Weekend #2  June 4th and 5th $200

The second weekend we will look at Designing within a Pattern Literacy Context. We will also be joined by the renowned permaculture designer and practitioner Doug Bullock. As we look at topography, geology, climate and microclimates Designing from patterns to details using natural patterns as a design tool. Looking at the overview of the permaculture design process and methods of design using the Zone and Sector System.

Day two we will go into the Roles of Trees and Plants. How do these elements relate to developing a stable system. Polyculture plants and their many functions. Methods for propagation, care and the yields they offer back to the system.  Strategic design of plant communities for the orchard food forest system including; hedgerows, windbreaks, shelter belts and the home garden.


Weekend #3  June 18th and 19th $200

This third weekend will focus on  Soil and Water. On Saturday, we will explore the complex, living, breathing edge between the earth and the sky.  By exploring the dynamic Soil Food Web, we will learn about both the geological and ecological relationships which best facilitate plant growth.  Sunday will explore Water Systems and provide a practical and accessible approach to this most critical infrastructure.  We will look at Residential Irrigation systems that connect the garden to the home.  We will also explore Domestic Plumbing systems such as the kitchen sink, toilet and grey water irrigation.  We’ll learn how to troubleshoot simple problems that homeowners and renters may encounter in everyday life.


Weekend #4  July 9th and 10th $200

This Fourth weekend will focus on  Social Relations and Practical Tools. We will also be joined by the renowned permaculture designer Penny Livingston.  On Saturday we will explore awesome Community Projects happening within the scope of Permaculture Design.  We will also investigate social relationships between ourselves, each other and our larger consumer culture as well as how to design in the Human Landscape.  On Sunday, we will learn How to Use and Care for Tools.  Both hand tools and power tools are an essential part of any land-based work.  We will cover the basic tool kit, trade-specific kits, power tools, safety and maintenance.

Upcoming Permaculture Events 2022

As we enter the new year, we are excited to offer paths towards abundant solutions.

We have been quietly hibernating during the past few years of Covid but feel it is time to reboot and get this information out to people who need it. With all the issues facing us at this time we feel we compelled to share solutions that help people learn positive ways to move forward in their own life.

Collectively we are facing so many challenges; from supply chain issues, drought, flood, fires, inflation, healthcare crisis, to ecosystem degradation and social collapse. There are tools in the Permaculture tool box that can solve all these issues.

We would like to invite you to take check out the offerings for this year, and look forward to sharing solutions to the problems of our time.


“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex,

the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.”

― Bill Mollison founder of Permaculture


Hands on Permaculture Design Certificate Course Event! May through July, Learn the skills to work with nature to create integrated Permaculture systems of abundance and productivity! Early bird price ends soon. Find out more »

Permaculture Tour and Meet-Up Feb 25 Inspiration farm, Free!

A Free gathering time for People interested in Permaculture from Whatcom county to come together and discuss ideas. Agenda– Tour, talk, swap plants seeds, books. After the tour we invite you to stay for an informal discussion. How can we move…
Find out more »

Circle of Permes

Great Grafting / Propagation Gathering March 12th, $20

Create your own Fruit Nursery Stock. Fruit Tree Grafting and Propagation from Cuttings. Pruning season is upon us! Remember to save scion wood for the Grafting Gathering! You can learn how to collect scion wood here. Bring Apple, Pear, Plum…
Find out more »


Practical Permaculture Immersion Weekend March 19th & 20th, $150

A fun filled Permaculture Immersion Weekend. We will illustrate practical ways to design an integrated living system that that partners with nature and is self regulating, abundant and resilient. Whether you are on an urban lot or a farm homestead,… Find out more »


Scythes the Cutting Edge! April  9th, $40

Sell the weed eater and use a scythe! Maintain your body, not your machines. Learn the sharper points of this elegant tool. Thought to be old school, but better blades and an ergonomic set up makes them one of the most efficient tools out there. Find out more »


PERMACULTURE DAY TOUR & PLANT SALE / SWAP May 1st, Free!

We will celebrate International Permaculture Day May 1st 2022!

A day to showcase permaculture around the world.  An opportunity to experience permaculture and meet its practitioners. Visitors can see first hand an established permaculture system and ask questions. See how…
Find out more »


Food Forest & Permaculture Guild Plants May 14, $40

Plant a garden, eat for a year, plant a Food Forest Guild, eat for decades! This hands on workshop shares design elements necessary for a perennial food forest. Learn about fruit and nut trees as well as supper food berries… Find out more »


Permaculture Design Certificate Course, May through July, $1500

Hands on Event! Learn the skills to work with nature to create integrated Permaculture systems of abundance and productivity! Find out more »

4 weekends and a five day camp out.

  • Weekends May 21,22, June 4,5 & 18,19, July 9,10
  • Camp out design session July 18,19,20,21,22 –
  • 13 days total, Daily Time: 9am – 6pm

Whatcom PDC Covid-19 Update

Greetings Resilient Whatcom PDC 2020 Students and Friends our Hands-on PDC has been postponed, However…

At this juncture we are excited to offer you several new choices to get your Permaculture Design Certificate.

1) If you would like to get your PDC certification now via an online course we offer you the opportunity to enroll at Oregon State University world class PDC. They have offered to open this up to our students at a discount as a result of Covid-19 affecting many face to face courses. 

OSU offers the full course content taught by two of our top Cascadia colleagues, Marisha Auerbach and Andrew Millison, along with many guest experts. This class has been offered by OSU for the past 8 years and is PINA certified. They will partner with us so that we can act as your local mentors helping guide you through the 10 week self paced course. Our students will receive weekly support and guidance from Brian and Bruce!

To find more information and to enroll in OSU’s online PDC program, the link is here.

When you register for the OSU PDC please make sure to use the promo code BKPerm and you will receive a 5% discount. About $45 off the regular price. We will start our group by May 1 so please register before then and let us know.

If you decide to do the OSU course we could plan to do an optional hands-on workshop in the future. This would flush out your competency in permaculture design skills. There would be an addition cost.

We hope to offer this Hands-On, in-person PDC course in the future so that you may get the full experience. The dates are obviously yet to be determined. Stay posted for more on this.
If you would like a refund of your course tuition we are happy to offer you a refund. 

We hope to be able to provide some free content and information that will give some tools and things you can do right now as well as information to get your gardens and nursery production going in order to create some resilience for the near future. Sign up to receive notifications for events here.

We can also offer some virtual consultations and mentorships while still practicing physical distancing.

Thank you for bearing with this process. We hope you find a path that works for you at this time. If you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask.

Wishing you all health, insight and resilience during this time of reflection and interconnection.

Spring Whatcom Permaculture Events

Here is a short listing of events that will be happening before the PDC this year in May. If you want to visit or talk about the course come find us at one of these events.

? Permaculture & Beyond Workshop FREE!

Permaculture and Beyond: Transform Your Life, Job, Landscapes, Planet and Consciousness! Thursday, Feb 20 4:30-6:30pm Fairhaven Auditorium

Learn the foundations of Permaculture and explore real-life examples of this powerful universally applicable holistic design system that regeneratively works with nature to provide for human and ecosystem needs and services. Free parking in the Fairhaven lot, it’s marked 12A and is easy to find on maps.

? Whatcom Permaculture Meet up Feb 28th

A Free gathering time for People interested in Permaculture from Whatcom county to come together and discuss ideas. Location to be determined


? Great Grafting Gathering Sat. March 21st  $20

Create your own Fruit Nursery Stock. Fruit Tree Grafting and Propagation from Cuttings. Pruning season is upon us! Remember to save scion wood for the Grafting Gathering! Bring Apple, Pear, Plum varieties from your neighborhood. Share and graft to start new trees!

? Permaculture intro Class at Coop March 26


? Whatcom PC Meet up March 27th

A Free gathering time for People interested in Permaculture from Whatcom county to come together and discuss ideas. Location to be determined.


? Fairhaven Neighbors’ Plant and Tree Sale March 28th 9am-2pm

Stock up on hardy perennials and trees for early spring planting. Come find us and talk permaculture and pick up some plants.


? Scythes the Cutting Edge  Sat. April 11th $40

Sell the weed eater and use a scythe! Maintain your body, not your machines. Learn the sharper points of this elegant tool.


? Everson Plant Sale April 25 from 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m

Everson garden club plant sale at the elementary school


? Food Forest & Permaculture Guild Plants Sun. April 26th $40

Plant a garden, eat for a year, plant a Food Forest Guild, eat for decades! This hands on workshop shares design elements necessary for a perennial food forest.


? Hands-On! Permaculture Design Certificate Course 2020

Learn the skills to work with nature to create integrated Permaculture systems of abundance and productivity! Food, Soil, Shelter, Energy, Water and a lot more: Design strategies and methods for truly sustainable, regenerative human integration with our biosphere. DATES: MAY 2-3; 16-17; 30-31; JUNE 13-14; and 22–26.

PDC 2020 Bodhi Creek Farm

Forth weekend of the PDC 2020 June 12-14, 2020

Bodhi Creek is a small intentional community aspiring to be an Ecovillage and a Healing Biotope. The 3-legged stool of our vision includes: living more harmoniously with Nature, residential intentional community, learning center. Our ecologically diverse site straddles mountainside and wetlands on 25 acres, halfway between the snow and the coast. We are adjacent to thousands of acres of state forest lands.

What does your site has to offer the PDC course and its students?

This site presents some fascinating challenges of large deciduous over story which is rich habitat for migratory songbirds. Our community also faces some conundrums and challenges regarding topics such as zoning. We have some interesting agroecokogy projects (wasabi in the woods?) and a young food forest.

Contact Information for Bodhi Creek Farm

Alan Rafael Seid 360-599-2134 www.bodhicreek.org

Bellingham Seed Swap 2020

There will be several workshops and presentations during the day. Honoring Larry Korn, Permaculture career pathways and others. Come and talk to us about your opportunities to attend the Permaculture Design course being held this year.

Saturday, 1/18/2020 12:00PM – 4:00PM $5 donation

Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, 1207 Ellsworth St, Bellingham, WA

Seed tables set up from 2019

Bring your seeds to share and your home made, hand crafted, wild harvested, or home grown items to barter or sell. Meet amazing gardeners! Many local gardeners have unusual seeds adapted to our bioregion. You do not need to bring seeds to participate in the seed swap. Free classes on gardening, seed saving, greenhouse management, fermentation, cooking and homesteading skills. If you have a lot to barter, please contact info@cascadiaskillshare.org to reserve a table.

The goal of Cascadia Skillshare is to help maintain all kinds of useful, handy, and practical skills and showcase some new ones.

Event contact info: (510) 926-0468 or info@cascadiaskillshare.org