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NEW FROM SPIRALSEED

MAKE COMPOST, NOT WORK!

Collected gardening columns and art from the Idler magazine

make compost not work

“Permaculture, to me, is idling in action: while we idlers sit around talking about it, the permaculturists actually do it.”
– from the foreword by Tom Hodgkinson, founder and editor of the Idler magazine

 

"Years of permaculture gardening wisdom packed into a beautifully written and illustrated book.
A riveting read for both the beginner and more experienced gardener.”
- Pippa Chapman, author of The Plant Lover's Backyard Forest Garden

BUY NOW!

 

 

Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn!

Are you tired of 'the problems' and want to be more solutions-focused? Do you seek to live compassionately without the unnecessary exploitation of people, animals and the environment? Are you concerned about climate change and future generations? Create the change you wish to see in this world with permaculture!

Our focus is on active learning, designing innovative courses and workshops that are participatory, fun, lively and inclusive.

Adapted from the Permaculture Association (Britain)’s PDC core curriculum and much more, we create  learning experiences that empower you, your organisation or your community to make positive change happen today.

So What IS Permaculture?

’PERMACULTURE’ is a word that was coined in Australia during the 1970s to describe a design system pioneered as a response to what many globally saw as serious challenges to the survival of all of us. It has since become a worldwide movement encompassing all aspects of how human beings can live harmoniously in relation to our Earth and it’s finite resources.

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Courses

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  • An interview with Kim Stallwood
    It is now over ten years since the publication of The Vegan Book of Permaculture, and I was delighted to mark this occasion by speaking with Kim Stallwoood, author, animal rights activist and curator of the Britsih Library’s Kim Stallwood Archive in London, an extensive collection of over 800  files, including correspondence, manuscripts, meeting notes, and press cuttings chronicling the international Animal Rights Movement dating from the […]
  • make compost not workMake Compost Not Work Kickstarter Campaign!
    MAKE COMPOST NOT WORK! Collected gardening columns and art from the Idler magazine, 2005 – 2024 by Graham Burnett. We are super-excited to launch our Kickstarter campaign for Graham’s latest book, due to be published in January 2025. Head on over to our Kickstarter page to support us now! “Permaculture, to me, is idling in action: while we idlers sit around talking about it, the permaculturists actually do it.” – […]
  • forest garden and soil lifeA Brief Fungal Foray
    A Brief Fungal Foray The symbiotic relationships between fungi and the rest of the ecosystem could hold the answer to life, the universe and everything, says Graham Burnett in this article reprinted from Glomalin issue one… Perhaps it is understandable that our culture often regards fungi with suspicion and even fear. Neither plant nor animal, there is something alien about the way their ghostly white mycelial strands spread under the soil […]

 

Upcoming courses from Spiralseed

What people are saying about Spiralseed’s courses…

  • “In truth, I did not know much about Permaculture when I booked onto my PDC and thought it was some sort of ‘clever way to grow more food’. Little did I know that it would turn my plans on their head and slingshot me into a totally different life and almost a totally different person” - Tricky Wolf, Design 4 ACTION Permaculture Design Course participant and founder of Wyrdwood Acres Permaculture Project, Spain

  • "This has been an amazing week of learning. I'm going back feeling inspired, and with so much to reflect on" - Camila Barbosa, Vegan Permaculture Design Course participant

  • "I would like to applaud Graham Burnett for his interactive teaching approach and patience, and just wish that more schools would take on this style of teaching as I learned so much in a short time." - Jasmine Kime, Vegan Permaculture course participant

  • "The mapping and surveying sessions this weekend will be a great help in my upcoming Maths GCSE as it makes maths feel like something genuinely useful with practical applications in the real world rather than just something abstract" - Lizzy, Design 4 ACTION! course participant

  • "Thanks for a superb Vegan Permaculture Design Course! I'm telling everyone about it and you may need to run it more often in future!" - Piers Warren, Vegan Permaculture course participant and author of The Vegan Cook and Gardener, How to Store Your Garden Produce: The Key to Self-Sufficiency and 101 Uses for Stinging Nettles

  • "Positive feedback on my presentation has been extremely encouraging and motivating and a huge confidence boost!" - Zophia, Design 4 ACTION! course participant

  • "Loving your work!" - Sherry Fuller, Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner and founder of Southend Soup

  • "Absolutely brilliant weekend! Thanks to Graham and everyone for making it great" - Jamie Mack, Design 4 ACTION! course participant and Earth Educator

  • "Covering such a range of issues, skills and fields within permaculture has allowed me to explore lots then see which I am really drawn to" - Hannah Simpson, Design 4 ACTION! course participant

  • "The course design and attitudes of the tutors helped create an open, receptive, non-judgemental atmosphere - very supportive and conducive to iterative design" - Basheera Khan, Design 4 ACTION! course participant

  • "Loving my permaculture design course! Brilliant group - Super peoples, great vibes and a good teacher!" - Jody Schroeder, course participant

  • "I feel less like a consumer, more like a designer equipped with tools and skills to create bespoke solutions" - Hagop Matossian, Design 4 ACTION! course participant and Passive Natural green building consultant.

  • “I believe that we all left richer for the experience and, speaking for myself, happier and more hopeful. I am now just looking for an excuse to return, because the whole experience was just too good to have only once” - Natalie, course participant

  • "Thank you both again for a deeply inspiring and core-shakingly eye opening Permaculture Design Course at Brook End this Summer. Wow!…" - James Atherton, Vegan Permaculture course participant and manager, Lush Oxford

  • “Graham’s teaching style is open, non-ego, relaxed, positive and BRILLIANT – A natural educator, thank you!” - Claire, Introduction to Permaculture course participant and Organic Lea volunteer
  • "I have been given a new positive perspective on issues such as climate change and peak oil, which I have often found too daunting to act upon as an individual. I have learnt to start at the end of my nose and build upon my ways of living harmoniously with the natural world using permaculture techniques. If anyone reading this is considering the course I would really recommend it." - Laura Waugh, Permaculture Design course participant, Forest Schools educator and founder of Firefly Forest Environmental Education

  • "My Permaculture Design Course left me motivated and inspired like nothing else before. It led me to the development of Food Up Front, an urban food growing network, and everything else I have done over the last 10 years started with that course. While I wouldn't count myself as a Permaculture practitioner, the ethics and principles are always in the back of my mind, keeping me on course and helping me to take positive steps forward" - Seb Mayfield, Permaculture Design course participant and founder of Food Up Front.

  • “I’ve done a lot of training courses and Graham is by far one of the best trainers I’ve had” - Martin Osbourne, course participant
  • “I can totally recommend this. I’ve done 2 courses at Dial House under Graham’s tutelage and have thoroughly enjoyed each one. The second changed my life (for the better) and gave me the courage to ditch a a job that was wearing me down, in favour of self-employment that has left me happier than ever before as an adult. The Introduction to Permaculture course I did opened my eyes and broadened my outlook. Worth it for that alone, but when you add in a weekend of fun with like-minded people – priceless” - Catherine Kay, course participant

  • "Hi Graham - I wanted to tell you that as of five days ago Josh and I have 16 acres and a small house in Southwest Michigan on which to make our vegan permaculture homestead dreams come true. The course with you this summer really helped us make this gigantic step forward and will continue to inspire and help our path, so I wanted to thank you! We are now stewards to woods, meadow/field, and wetland. One day we hope to show you around!" - Kerry and Josh, Vegan Permaculture course participants, Wild Earth, Kentucky