The Permaculture Vine
We interview permaculture designers, practitioners and educators on how they discovered permaculture, and how they are doing in their permaculture careers and businesses.
116. Decentralized Water Systems & Rainfall Challenges at Lake Atitlán with Jeremy Fellows
In episode 116 of the Permaculture Vine Podcast, Cormac Harkin is joined by Permaculture Canada and special guest Jeremy Fellows. They speak to Jeremy about building water catchment systems, working with extreme seasonal rainfall patterns, and developing decentralized water filtration projects in a lakeside community facing untreated wastewater challenges. Jeremy shares his journey from Massachusetts […]
115. Lusi Alderslowe on Teaching Permaculture, Learning Pathways, and Designing Education with Children
In episode 115 of the Permaculture Vine Podcast, Cormac Harkin speaks with Lusi Alderslowe about her background in permaculture, how she came to teaching, and the different ways permaculture design can be applied to education, community work, and working with children. Lusi begins by introducing herself and explaining that she lives in South West Scotland, in Dumfries and […]
114. Permaculture Events
In this episode of The Permaculture Vine Podcast, hosted by Cormac Harkin, we focused on permaculture events. The conversation brought together guests from Permaculture Canada, Creasol Permaculture, and Candlelit Tales to discuss their direct experiences with attending, hosting, and creating events connected to permaculture, education, and collaboration. The discussion covered personal experiences of events, challenges in […]
113: Colin Crawshaw, Creating Heaven on Earth!
In episode 113 of The Permaculture Vine podcast, Cormac chats with Colin Crawshaw, who lives on a steep farm in Switzerland between 860 and nearly 1,000 metres in elevation. The land had been fallow for 70 years and previously supported families for centuries. Colin frames his move there as part of a commitment to contribute […]
112. Marty Ware: Inside the Garden Creator Hub
In episode 112 of The Permaculture Vine podcast, Cormac chats withpisode features Marty Ware, horticulturist, long-time gardening educator, and founder of the Garden Creator Hub. Marty began sharing small-space growing, worm farming, and composting online more than 15 years ago while raising his daughter as a single parent. His background includes agribusiness, horticulture, organic production, and early […]
111. Agrivoltaics: Integrating Agriculture and Solar Farms
In this week’s episode of The Permaculture Vine Podcast, Graham Towerton from Permaculture Canada discussed a recent tree-planting project at a solar farm in Adrian, Michigan, and the broader concept of agrivoltaics—incorporating agriculture within solar farms. The Tree Planting Project Graham’s team recently completed a $325,000 contract to plant 1,122 Black Hills spruce trees around […]
110. Harvest Reflections & Winter Designs
In Episode 110 of the Permaculture Vine podcast Cormac, Lindsay and Graham chat about their harvest yields and upcoming design work while addressing a growing concern about artificial intelligence in their field. Physical Labour and Tree Restoration Graham’s autumn has cantered on an intensive tree replanting project at a solar farm adjacent to his Michigan […]
109. From Medical Doctors to Permaculture Practitioners: The Thistle Thorne Story
The Unexpected Path to Permaculture Not every permaculture journey starts in a garden. For Marina and Alexander, founders of Thistle Thorne Permaculture, it began in the sterile halls of medicine—with a growing sense that something was missing. As Marina recalls, “After we were already medical doctors, we were unsatisfied with our career. And we wanted […]
108. Grant Payne: The IBC King
In this episode of the Permaculture Vine Podcast, host Cormac Harkin sits down with Grant Payne, the innovative mind behind Christine Acre Farms. Grant shares his inspiring journey from a high school graduate to a passionate farmer embracing permaculture principles. Discover how he creatively utilizes IBC containers for sustainable farming, balances commercial and personal agricultural […]
107. Looby Macnamara on Permaculture, People Care & Cultural Emergence
Join The Permaculture Vine free Skool community for connection and learning: https://www.skool.com/vine-permaculture-7207/about www.cultural-emergence.com In this episode of the Permaculture Vine podcast, host Cormac Harkin chats with Looby Macnamara, renowned permaculture teacher, author, and co-founder of Applewood Permaculture Centre. Looby shares her inspiring journey from discovering permaculture as a student to becoming one of the UK’s […]
106. Homesteader and Designer Brandon Cooper
Free Site Observation Guide → https://vinepermaculture.com/start/ Learn how to understand your property before you plant, build, or spend money. Join The Permaculture Vine Skool community for connection and learning: https://www.skool.com/vine-permaculture-7207/about In this episode of the Permaculture Vine podcast, host Cormac Harkin interviews Brandon Cooper, a permaculture designer and homesteader. They discuss Brandon’s journey into permaculture, […]
105. Thinking of doing a PDC?
Free Site Observation Guide → https://vinepermaculture.com/start/ Learn how to understand your property before you plant, build, or spend money. Buy a design from Permaculture Canada: https://permaculturecanada.world/shop/?ref=etcvdgzj In this LIVE episode, we delved into Permaculture Design Certification Courses (PDCs). Discover how these courses equip individuals with the skills to create sustainable and self-sufficient ecosystems. We explore […]
104. Storytelling and Land use in Irish Mythology
Free Site Observation Guide → https://vinepermaculture.com/start/ Learn how to understand your property before you plant, build, or spend money. In episode 104 of The Permaculture Vine Podcast, inside the Creasol Mastermind Group, Cormac Harkin chats with Neal Hegarty and his siblings Aron and Sorcha from Candldelit Tales. They talk about: Land use in Irish Mythology […]
103. Indoor Growing With Steve Koontz
In this episode of The Permaculture Vine Podcast, Cormac Harkin sat down with Steve Kuntz to explore a fascinating side of food production that goes beyond the garden bed—indoor, soilless growing systems. Steve has been working with hydroponics, aeroponics, and especially tower gardens for over a decade, helping schools, families, and communities reconnect with how food is grown. […]
102. Designing to Reality with Dave Spicer
In this episode, Cormac sits down with Dave Spicer to explore his journey through permaculture, earthworks, and design. From his early experiences training with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton to years of practical work on farms and landscapes, Dave shares hard-won lessons on water, access, surveying, and the realities of broadacre design. This conversation has […]
101. From Fear to Abundance – A gardeners journey!
Last week I had a fantastic conversation on the Permaculture Vine podcast with Lindsay Brandon, and Graham Towerton about turning Shiras gardening anxiety into thriving abundance. Key highlights from this episode: How working with a designer transformed Shira’s initial fear into confidence Why the collaborative design process makes permaculture accessible for beginners The power of community support in […]
100. How Permaculture Design Works (And why it matters)
Permaculture is more than just a gardening method—it’s a way of designing systems that work in harmony with nature. In Episode 100 of The Permaculture Vine Podcast, hosts Cormac, Lindsay, and Graham chat about what is permaculture, what problems does a design solve, why hire a designer, and the design process. Defining Permaculture Design At its core, permaculture design […]
