“The only thing I regret about my PDC experience at OSU is not enrolling in this course earlier. Had I enrolled in this class during my 2019 home purchase, I would have saved both money and time. I gained important knowledge and skills from this course, like water harvesting techniques and planting on slopes, that I wish I had known before.  I also learned about regional challenges and how to incorporate features to mitigate these challenges like fire and flood. Although I had already integrated permaculture features in my garden like rain barrels and composting, the newfound knowledge made me more efficient and organized. For instance, the assignment on watershed and run off calculations highlighted the ineffectiveness of rain barrels on my property, resulting in my instructor suggesting the minimum use of an IBC tank instead.

I received feedback from my classmates and Javan my instructor on all my assignments. He hosted biweekly zoom calls covering important components of assignments and professional aspects of Permaculture design.  Whenever I find myself stuck, I submit my questions,  which are answered on the recorded zoom meeting. The cross section assignment was challenging for me but Javan walked me through it during a one-to-one zoom call. Thanks to his expertise and video links, I can construct a Hugelkultur, draw cross sections even with my lack of drawing skills and improve the soil using the leaves on my property.

I am thrilled to continue this journey and grateful for Javan’s incredible support throughout my OSU Permaculture design course experience. I can’t wait to start implementing my design and delving into topics such as soil building and water harvesting. “