Miracle Orchard Workshop Learning Outcomes

Open Source Ecology

Specific Outcomes are:

1. Understanding the concept and practice of integrated polyculture orchards that are Beyond Organic - an orchard model that involves natural pest control, fertility-generation, biodiversity increase, and economically feasibility
2. Understanding the design process of a Miracle Orchard, from a backyard to an acre scale - workshop participans learn about identifying and selecting suitable crop varieties, orchard layout and spacing, and siting for a productive, u-pick club-model orchard.
3. Learning basic nursery techniques and why they are important to the Miracle Orchard model - the nursery allows for the propagation of all stock at a cost 5-100 times lower than buying plants, while providing revenue from selling surplus plants.

1. Understanding the potential of polycultural, u-pick Club Membership orchards as an economically feasible model that can contribute significantly to local food production
2. Understanding the economics or orchard startup and operations - and how to reduce the startup cost from $43k per acre for turnkey contracted outsourcing, to 1/5 of this using creative techniques. Check out proposed OSE Miracle Orchard Economics.
3. Learning what it would take to spread the Miracle Orchard practice - this is especially for those people interested in starting up such an orchard as a livelihood in a Farmer Scientist lifestyle. We are developing a collaborative network that creates 1000 of these orchards worldwide within 10 years.

Other outcomes are:

1. Understanding the key challenges of permaculture-based orchards - ie - why these are not yet everywhere in the world
2. Gaining insights of managing a subscription community such that training and work are part of their Club Membership
3. Understanding how to create and run a perennial nursery that provides stock for the orchard and surplus crop for sale, as part of an Open Source Nursery effort

New Zealand Tour

Here is an outline of the topics Stefan usually covers at his workshops - taken from the New Zealand tour of early 2015.

Introduction to Forest gardening
Why multi-layered systems of mostly perennial plants
Introduce plants used in temperate forest gardening
Introduction to Permaculture
The roots and essence of Permaculture
Gain a grasp of David Holmgren’s 12 design principles
Patterns in nature and how to apply them
Recognise common traits in Permaculture-inspired projects
Commercial Permaculture Orchard economics
Direct sales to an appreciative customer base
Marketing a diversity of yield
Letting word of mouth work its magic
Adding value
Propagation essentials
Understand how simple some plants can be multiplied
Understand money saving potential of plant propagation
Calculate what space is needed to propagate for your needs
Magic model
Demystify the design process and make it fun
Design by playing (model) rather than working (plan)
Make a Base model in 5 minutes, in a group
Playing with the elements – (10 iterations ideal)
Evaluation of associations between elements
Evaluate and establish a site
Evaluate site(s) for drainage, microclimate, slope and orientation
Establish a minimum of 1 trio – preferably 2
Site plantings
Understand spacing, sun and shade side, guild plants
Prepare a site, plant and mulch
Observation Skills
Climate / microclimate
Learn the elements to look for on a site
Experience at least 3 ways to observe a site
Learn to walk a site looking at It with a mono view and poly view
Soil
Learn the 3 essentials to a vibrant soil (hint: they’re not N P K)
Understand the value of the micro-herd
Allies
Work with and attract birds into the system
The importance of apex predators in the insect world
Work with insect and animal species using habitat and structures