LIVE ONLINE • Permaculture DESIGN COURSE
Learn Permaculture from the person who co-originated it
A 72-hour Permaculture Design Course taught live by David Holmgren and Beck Lowe over 21 weeks.
Capped at 26 students. From your kitchen table.
See class times
US – Wednesday afternoons.
New York: 5.15pm – 8.45pm (EST)
Los Angeles: 2.15pm – 5.45pm (PST)
Chicago: 4.15pm – 7.45pm (CST)
Phoenix: 3.15pm – 6.45pm (MST)
________
Australia – Thursday mornings.
Melbourne: 9:15am – 12:45pm (AEST/AEDT)
All lessons are also recorded and uploaded for catch-up or review.
Permaculture Design Course
Live online with David Holmgren, Beck Lowe & Guests
4 Feb to 24 Jun 2027
4 February to 24 June 2027
What you're signing up for
72 hours of live teaching with David Holmgren, Beck Lowe and a small team of guest tutors.
Includes:
72 hours of live teaching with David, Beck and guest tutors
Virtual visits to working permaculture sites
Access to the Melliodora Online Tour
All sessions recorded so you can catch up or revise
Ongoing access to course materials in the Holmgren Learning Hub
Get direct feedback from David and Beck on your individual projects
The course runs over 21 weeks, with live sessions each week. Every hour is taught in real time — no pre-recorded video lessons.
Each intake is capped at 26 students. The room stays small enough for actual conversation, real questions, and feedback on your design as it develops.
Permaculture isn’t only about gardens, and this course reflects that. You’ll cover the standard PDC ground — soils, water, food growing, ecology, climate — alongside the parts of life that often get less attention: the built environment, energy, finance, community, urban retrofitting, your own health.
Throughout the 21 weeks you’ll work on a design project of your own choosing. Most students design where they live; some design somewhere they hope to live; a few design something else entirely. We’re flexible about what you choose, and you’ll present it at the end of the course.
The teaching is structured around David’s 12 permaculture principles, set out in Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.
Includes:
72 hours of live teaching with David, Beck and guest tutors
Virtual visits to working permaculture sites
Access to the Melliodora Online Tour
All sessions recorded so you can catch up or revise
Ongoing access to course materials in the Holmgren Learning Hub
Get individual feedback on your projects
Design where you live.
Design your life.
Suburban block. Rural property. Apartment balcony. Community garden.
Whatever you’re working with, this course gives you a way of seeing it — and a way of changing it — that holds up over decades.
When the course runs
4 February to 24 June 2027
Live sessions run on Thursday mornings (AEST/AEDT). Times are suited to Australia and the Americas. The semester two online PDC is more tailored for UK and parts of Europe. Full timezone breakdown below.
Each week you’ll also have about an hour of bonus material — readings, recordings, short activities — to work through in your own time. You’ll work on your design project alongside this, and we’ll set aside extra time during the course to workshop your design with tutors.
All sessions are recorded, so if you have to miss one, you can catch up.
Individual class dates
Australia – Thursday mornings
US – Wednesday afternoons
Feb: 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th
Mar: 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th
April: 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd
May: 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th
June: 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th
Class times across timezones
We run two online PDCs each year. The content is the same in both. The difference is when they run — one is timed for Australia and the Americas, the other for Australia, the UK and Europe. If neither suits, all sessions are recorded.
Semester 1
4 February to 24 June 2027
Times suited to: Americas and Australia
US – Wednesday afternoons.
New York: 5.15pm – 8.45pm (EST)
Los Angeles: 2.15pm – 5.45pm (PST)
Chicago: 4.15pm – 7.45pm (CST)
Phoenix: 3.15pm – 6.45pm (MST)
________
Australia – Thursday mornings.
Melbourne: 9:15am – 12:45pm (AEST/AEDT)
Semester 2
21 Jul to 1 Dec 2026
Times suited to: Australia, UK and parts of Europe
Semester Two times are more suited to Australia, UK and parts of Europe.
Australia -Melbourne (AEST/AEDT)
Tues: 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Alternate Sun: 1:30pm – 5:00pm
________
United Kingdom (GMT+1)
Tues: 10.00am – 12.30pm
Alternate Sun: 4.30am – 8.00am
________
Europe – France/Italy/Germany (CEST)
Tues: 11.00am- 1.30pm
Alternate Sun: 5.30am – 9.00am
(Sunday sessions can be caught up via the recordings.)
Tutors
Learn from our experienced team, including permaculture co-originator.
David Holmgren
David co-originated the permaculture concept with Bill Mollison in the 1970s. He’s the author of Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, which is the standard reference for the 12 principles taught on every PDC worldwide. He designed and lives at Melliodora — his own permaculture property in Hepburn, Victoria — for over 40 years.
On this course, David teaches around a third of the sessions and is present for live Q&A throughout.
Beck Lowe
Beck is one of the most experienced PDC educators working in Australia. She co-runs Holmgren Design’s online and residential PDCs and leads the majority of the teaching across the 21 weeks.
Guest Tutors
Su Dennett — David Holmgren’s partner & Melliodora co-steward, food systems and household economy
Uncle Charles Davison and Jen Ridley — Gadigal Elder and Wiradjuri educator, on First Nations’ perspectives and Country
Meg Ulman and Patrick Jones — Artist as Family (Daylesford), on neopeasantry, home economy and low-consumption living
Ian Lillington — author of The Holistic Life, on retrofitting, energy and the wider permaculture movement
What you'll cover
You will learn permaculture ethics, principles and design, and their application across the domains, so that you can integrate them into all aspects of your life.
Foundations
- Permaculture ethics and principles
- Design processes and practices
- Reading the Landscape
Land and Ecology
- Ecology and natural cycles
- Soils
- Weather and climate
- Food growing
- Animals in permaculture
Built environment and energy
- The built environment and urban retrofitting
- Energy literacy
- Appropriate technology
People and economy
- Health and spiritual wellbeing
- Finance and economics
- Community strategies
By the end you’ll have designed a real project — usually somewhere you live or hope to live — and have presented it back to the group.
Before you start
No prior permaculture experience needed.
We’ll send you a free PDF of David’s Essence of Permaculture before the course begins — it’s a short read and a useful grounding.
If you want to go further before week one, David’s other books are all worth your time. They’re in our online store, or your local library may have them.
First Nations Scholarship
If you’re Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, you’re warmly invited to apply for a scholarship.
The scholarship is co-sponsored by Gadigal Elder Uncle Charles Davison, his partner Jen Ridley (Wiradjuri), Beck Lowe, and Holmgren Design. Uncle Charles and Jen also teach on the course and are available throughout to mentor scholarship recipients — and to support us as course providers in keeping the content, protocols and communication culturally appropriate.
To request an application, email
Online PDC - Semester One
3 x monthly payments of
$370
$340
Concession
- 72 hours PDC content
- Interactive time with the presenters
- Live virtual visits to permaculture sites
- Free access to the Melliodora online permaculture tour
One-time payment
$1100
$990
Concession
- 72 hours PDC content
- Interactive time with the presenters
- Live virtual visits to permaculture sites
- Free access to the Melliodora online permaculture tour
Concession SPECIAL
$990
NOW $790
- 72 hours PDC content
- Interactive time with the presenters
- Live virtual visits to permaculture sites
- Free access to the Melliodora online permaculture tour
Prices displayed are US$
Regular SPECIAL
$1100
NOW $900
- 72 hours PDC content
- Interactive time with the presenters
- Live virtual visits to permaculture sites
- Free access to the Melliodora online permaculture tour
Prices displayed are US$
Pricing displayed is $USD
What our students say...
The course was so well organised and the teachers were incredibly knowledgable and friendly, and I met some awesome friends for life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a PDC? What topics will be covered?
PDC stands for Permaculture Design Course. This has been the standard format for permaculture training since the 1980s.
If you undertake this course you will be joining a body of many thousands of PDC graduates around the globe. The traditional PDC is 72 hours and covers various aspects of permaculture design. Holmgren Design PDCs also focus on exploring how permaculture principles can be applied to all areas of life – not just a block of land.
How much of the PDC does David Holmgren teach?
Is he the main tutor or just a guest speaker?
David Holmgren, the co-originator of the permaculture concept, is a major tutor on this PDC, leading about one third of the sessions. One of the advantages of undertaking this PDC is the amount of time you will get to interact with David, both through his formal presentations, and his informal Q&A sessions. The remainder of the sessions will be led by Beck Lowe or one of our talented guest tutors.
How much of this online PDC is live?
Unlike some other online PDCs, we have a full 72 hours of content delivered live online. We also have about an hour per week of pre-recorded content that participants are expected to watch in their own time. We think this provides a good balance between learning in a group and managing your own study time.
Is an online PDC right for me?
We realise that online study is not for everyone – we’d rather be outside in the garden away from the screen too!
We specifically run this course for people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to do a PDC in their local area, or who particularly want the input from permaculture co-originator David Holmgren. We encourage you to look into your options for a local PDC before you enrol in this one.
But that said, we aim to make this PDC as comprehensive and participant-focused as possible with live interactive presentations, classes and tours. Although you won’t get to experience the fieldtrips live, you will be able to see working permaculture properties and meet the people who steward them. And you will be working with a supportive group of likeminded participants throughout.
Before you enrol, please ensure you have the time available for the classes, the required viewing/reading and for working on your designs.
What is expected of me as a participant in the online PDC?
Attendance at all classes is expected, but we understand that sometimes you will have to miss a session due to illness or prior commitments. We may sometimes be able to record classes with prior notice. You must attend at least 75% of classes to receive the certificate at the end.
As is traditional with PDCs, you will also be required to present a permaculture design you have developed towards the end of the course. We are quite flexible about what projects students use for this design, but most participants choose to work on their own property, or the property of someone close to them.
As well as working on your design and attending classes, you will need to find an extra hour or so each week for the required viewing/reading/activities.
We also suggest other resources each week, so if you are really keen, you can spend as long as you like in private study!
Are you still running face-to-face PDCs?
Yes, our residential Ashram PDC runs each autumn. To be notified when registrations open, please email [email protected] with an expression of interest.
There are always more expressions of interest than participant spaces for our Ashram PDCs, but unfortunately we don’t have the time or energy for more than one residential PDC per year. This new offering will enable more budding permies to access the wealth of David’s and other tutors’ permaculture knowledge. It also allows those who would not be able to attend our residential PDC, due to distance or other factors, to have the PDC experience.
This PDC is the wrong time zone for me - is it possible to do at other times?
We understand that the AEST/AEDT time zone will not suit everyone, but we expect participants to be present at each session (with occasional absences for illness etc).
All sessions are recorded , so if you miss a class, you can always watch the recording at a later time.
Running future online PDCs in different time zones is a possibility we are actively exploring. If you are in a different time zone and might like to do a future course, please email an EOI with your preferred time zone to [email protected].
Can my partner / housemate watch the classes with me?
We encourage your partner/housemate to enrol with us so you can experience the PDC together. It isn’t appropriate to have people who are not part of the group listening in.
What platform will the classes be in? What software and internet connection do I need?
Class material, such as notes and links to resources, will be held in the online Holmgren Design Hub. This is an easy-to-navigate system where everything you require will be set out in weekly sessions. It also allows you to chat with other participants between sessions.
The live classes will be held via Zoom – if you don’t already have it, this is free to download and use.
The faster your internet connection the better for interacting online. If your internet is slow or unreliable we recommend you go to a friend’s place, a local library or community centre for the live classes if possible.
You will need:
- Latest version of: Google Chrome, Firefox, MS Edge, or Safari. Google Chrome often works best.
- Your browser must have JavaScript enabled.
- Speakers/ headphones and microphone (built-in is fine) are required.
- Internet connection with 2.5 Mbps+.
- To check that firewalls do not block the video content.
English is not my first language – can I participate in this PDC?
All classes will be conducted in English, so your English must be of a standard that you can participate in class discussions in real time.
Is there concession price? Can I get a scholarship?
Yes, we do offer a concession price.
If you are an Australian Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander, you are warmly invited to apply for a scholarship for the Holmgren Design online PDC.
Gadigal Elder Uncle Charles Davison and his partner, Wiradjuri woman Jen Ridley, guest teachers on the PDC and co-sponsors of the scholarship with Holmgren Design, will be available throughout the course to provide mentorship to support both you and Holmgren Design as the course provider, with culturally appropriate course content, protocols and communication.
To receive an application, please email [email protected]
How do I pay?
We only accept credit card payments made via Stripe which also includes a small booking fee. Your booking is only complete once the funds have arrived in our account.
Do you have a cancellation policy?
Sometimes circumstances change and you are unable to attend a course you have paid for. If you notify us at least 21 days prior to the course commencement, we will refund your course fee minus a $100 admin fee OR you can apply the full amount as credit towards a future course.
If you notify us less than 21 days prior to the course commencement we can only provide a refund if we have someone on the waiting list to do the course. We are happy for you to transfer your place to someone else as a private arrangement. Just let us know.
Holmgren Design reserves the right to cancel or discontinue advertised courses due to unforeseen circumstances. If we are forced to cancel a course, you will receive a full refund.
Note: We will endeavour to make approved refunds as soon as possible, however it make take up to three weeks to process.
Contact us
Need to know something else?
Send us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Ready to start?
21 weeks. 72 hours of live teaching. 26 students.
Taught by David Holmgren, who co-originated permaculture, and Beck Lowe, who’s been teaching it for decades.
If that sounds like the course you’ve been looking for, we’d love to have you.