Permaculture Podcast by Paul Wheaton

Paul and Stephen sit down to talk about the internet’s favourite topic: cats. And how they fit into permaculture. Honest. From Jocelyn persuading one to clear a chipmunk infestation in a day, Stephen’s favourite Donkey, to Paul’s care plan, there’s a surprising amount to talk about. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion […]

Paul, the tinpot dictator, continues being interviewed by SuburbanBiology on his Building a Better World book, his experience with the north west power planning council, how drama sabotages almost all intentional communities, SKIP, and what Paul wants his legacy to be. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and discussion of […]

Suburban Biology created a video of building his RMH which is a copy of the Cooper Cabin RMH. Last March, the channel’s owner visited and interviewed Paul about Rocket Mass Heaters, light bulbs, Paul’s software development chops, and the possibility of AI powered robot gardeners. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More […]

The hugelkultur smackdown continues with Alan Booker, Andreas, Beau Davidson, and Samantha discussing bio-remediation vs. conventional ways of dealing with toxic gick, water troughs, biochar in sandy or tropical areas, and hugelkultur’s place in livestock rotation. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and discussion of this podcast on this thread […]

Paul has rounded up Samantha, Beau Davidson and Alan booker for a smackdown on hugelkultures, strategies for building them, how (and how much) compost should be added, their orientation in relation to the terrain and sun, and how they’re perhaps not the best idea in the tropics. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and […]

Cheryl’s interview continues with the topics moving onto clothes washing, with Paul still using Oasis detergent but is looking for alternatives and Cheryl uses baking soda. And on the topic of things Cheryl’s neighbours find weird – paddock shift systems, of all things. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and […]

Paul sits down to be interviewed by Cheryl, seeing as he’s started to loose track of what he has and hasn’t talked about and promptly started discussing bananas, why buying organic ones is definitely better, and some of the things Cheryl does that make complete sense to her, but not her normie neighbours. Support the […]

Paul sits down with Samantha to have a free-for-all on various topics, such as the eat-what-you-grow verses grow-what-you-eat philosophies, with Paul falling into the former camp with his fondness for sunchokes, some on the Gardening Gardeners programme at Bootcamp, and Missoula’s Earth Day event. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information […]

Paul and Samantha continue discussing Spoon theory and how Bootcamp and Permies both avoid being spoon drains and potentially help regenerate spoons, while the upcoming Gardening Gardeners program is being worked on to try and take the load of obligation off of people. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and […]

Paul sits down for a completely impromptu session with Samantha about the sheer amount of sleaze that has been growing (at least in the states) over the last decade, and how it drains the energy of people exposed to it, in a manner that’s best explained with cutlery? Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes […]

Paul, Alexandra, Miranda, and M Ljin keep talking about how to get people into growing their own food, lamenting the loss of Alexandra’s local orchards, Ljin’s invading parsnips, food drying and foraging, and Montana’s famous huckleberries. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and discussion of this podcast on this thread […]

Paul’s gotten tired of the whole “gardening is too expensive” thing, so has called in Alexandra, Miranda, and M Ljin to talk about ways to get hundreds of dollars of food for a few hours a week and couple of bucks. Hoop houses? Polytunnels? Experimental Rocket Mass Heaters? Or just use hugelkultur? Support the podcast […]

Paul presents a revamped version of 45 permaculture solutions, without the original 45 minute time limit, in company with Samantha and Andreas. The last 14 of Paul’s new 45(6?) Permaculture solutions get a go-over with Andreas and Samantha, with them covering such ideas as cob/adobe, slip straw, STUN gardening, landraces, skiddable structures, wavy deer fences, […]

Paul continues to talk about his revamped 45 Permaculture solutions with Samantha and Andreas , covering ideas such as Willow Feeders, dry outhouses, homegrown chicken feed, solar food dehydrators, berms, berm-sheds, stealth ponds, paddock shift systems, edible cleaners, and many more. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and discussion of […]

Paul presents a revamped version of 45 permaculture solutions, without the original 45 minute time limit, in company with Samantha and Andreas. The first of the solutions include Rocket Mass Heaters / cooktops / ovens / kilns, Lorenas, WOFATIs, Humus Wells, and of course, Hugelkultur. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More […]

Paul and Peter van den Berg conclude their discussion on ways to keep a warm home in extreme conditions, with the subject shifting to the developments on the Rocket Mass Heaters in the various buildings at The Lab, and Peter’s plan for the next J-tube developments. Maybe at the next RMH Jamboree? Support the podcast […]

Paul, Alexandra, and Peter van den Berg continue theorycrafting ways to keep a house warm in extreme conditions, without using electricity as mains supplies tend to fail under such conditions, and debating where a batch-box or J-tube style Rocket Mass Heater would be more appropriate. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More […]

Paul is joined by Alexandra and Peter van den Berg to plan for keeping a house warm in extreme cold conditions, starting with the more obvious such as keeping wood indoors near the fire, lamentations on advertised efficiency ratings on wood stoves, and keeping indoor plumbing from bursting. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes […]

Paul, Samantha, continue discussing wet and green woods as fuel, with them believing that it’s not quite so crucial for a RMH as the higher burn temps help burn the creosote. You can also use some angle iron as spacers on top of the stove with a layer of rocks on them as a ghetto […]

Paul sits down to talk about how to prepare green or wet wood so it’s safe and effective for burning (and is later joined by Samantha). First off: never burn green wood – it’s a lot more work, gunks up the chimney, and gets you less heat. Store such wood indoors, on end, a few […]

Andreas, Paul, and Samantha’s talk on motivation reaches into its 3rd hour as they discuss homesteading verses permaculture homesteading, the fact that many people spend too much energy on things that don’t improve short-term quality of life, and some things that can help return gumption in the short term. Support the podcast on Patreon Show […]

Andreas, Paul, and Samantha continue the smackdown discussing some mistakes they and others have made, such as attempting to buy a homestead on a mortgage and keeping a worky job, Ant Village’s teething issues, and how kids staying around their folks can help build long-term community. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion […]

Andreas takes the lead! He sits Paul down (later joined by Samantha) to talk about keeping yourself motivated and your homestead going, particularly for city folk looking to start. Easiest way is to experience a working homestead first, like bootcamp, and be part of a group (also like bootcamp). Support the podcast on Patreon Show […]

Paul and Stephen Brooks of Ecoversity continue talking about setting up successful and enduring permaculture communities, how much turnover there is in the residents over time, getting government approval, the importance of them having fun and feeling empowered. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and discussion of this podcast on […]

Paul sits down with Stephen Brooks of Ecoversity to discuss permaculture communities and how to create them. Pretty good choice of person to talk to, considering he’s made 3 of them in Costa Rica with over 200 families taking part in them, on top of about 150 kids in the school. Support the podcast on […]

Paul and co. (Samantha, Mike Haasl, Andres, and Julia Winter) continue their rundown of some select cards from the new Purple Permaculture Playing Cards deck, such as Paul’s in development automatic backyard food pump, hay box cookers, Ferd and Gert, and the solar food dehydrator with rocket assist. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes […]

Paul sits down with a raft of people (Samantha, Mike Haasl, Andres, and Julia Winter) to discuss a few select cards of the new Purple Permaculture Playing Cards, with the first 4 being variations of Rocket Mass Heaters, namely cooktops, the Lorena, kilns, and water heaters. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion […]

Paul continues the discussion about AI and education with Alan, Alexandra and Samantha as it moves onto SKIP, PEP, more direct forms of knowledge sharing like Alexandra’s RMH courses, SKIP going worldwide, and how preppers can benefit from hoarding knowledge and skills instead of just more guns. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and […]

The discussion between Paul, Alan Booker, Mike Haasl, and Alexandra Malecki about Artificial Intelligence continues into the domain of trade schools and their viability with the potential of AI workers encroaching onto the field, assuming the whole hallucination issue can be sorted. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and discussion […]

Paul calls up Alan Booker, Mike Haasl, and Alexandra Malecki to talk about the pros and cons of Artificial Intelligence and college, their effects on the youth of today, and possible ways through for them a rapidly changing world. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and discussion of this podcast […]

Paul calls up Uncle Mud to pointedly not discuss rocket heaters, but instead talk about more traditional wood burners, the drawbacks of low-and-slow burning overnight, airflow and intakes, thermal mass, and the Scandinavian origins of non-rocket mass heaters. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and discussion of this podcast on […]

Paul and Samantha continue discussing bootcamp, going over how he’s changed it since going to Portland, and how it compares to the WWoOF programme. Paul believes that bootcamp would be a good fit for many people that didn’t quite get along with WWoOf but liked the idea. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and […]

Paul and Samantha sit down to discuss Paul’s visit to a bunch of potlucks in Portland, and how the local over-abundance of pears on the ground comes back to bootcamp and how it tries to not only grow food, but turn people into gardeners. And how it doesn’t charge rent so you’re actually free to […]

Brock’s consultation continues with Paul further detailing hugelkultur use and use of paddocks to raise chickens while keeping them away from human food, and that Brock should focus on roughly a quarter acre of his land at a time and make it awesome before moving to the next. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes […]

Brock has foolishly sent money to Paul for a consultation on his 2-acre Minnesotan property with a bunch of ash trees for the inevitable hugelkultur recommendations, a persistent department-of-making-you-sad, and a goal of feeding a family of 5 on hopefully more than sunchokes and walking onions. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion […]

Paul has wandered off to Spokane to meet up with Nicholas Thomas to have a potluck, and we get to have a potluck of pod topics! Including, but not limited to, natural control of pest (mainly earwig) populations, appropriate lawn care (build hugelkulture) and discovering new landmarks. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and […]

Paul and Stephen continue talking about their aspirations for bootcamp and Wheaton Labs, such as seeing a dozen people living at bootcamp all year and learning how to manage their own homestead, before moving onto half-assed holidays, more on sunchokes, and a some more on bootcamp culture. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and […]

Paul and Stephen sit down to talk about their aspirations for Basecamp and the Labs, covering how much better the soil is after years of care, the dozens of rockety gizmos around the place, and some basics for new boots, such as letting themselves take a break instead of sprinting to keep up with the […]

Paul and Samantha continue discussing the differences between Paul’s and Mark Shepherd’s methods before moving on to willow feeders, sewage treatment at Wheaton Labs and in general, and how using greywater safe soaps help even in an apartment. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and discussion of this podcast on […]

Paul talks with Samantha about the effect of his health on progress, the pitfalls of hiring people, soap company’s questionable marketing, a comparison between his and Mark Shepherd’s gardening, and a bit on a consultee’s over-farmed property (less growing of commercial alfalfa, more hugelkultur). Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information […]

Paul and JB continue Suze’s consultation on what to do with her sewage situation instead of connecting up to the city sewage network. They discuss what sort of woodchips to use, the current lack of a drain field and the potential issues that causes, and weather or not to use shampoo. Support the podcast on […]

Suze decided that it was a good idea to willingly give money to Paul for a consultation on what to do with her (urban) community’s failing septic tank system, so he and JB decide to discuss Willow Feeders as they’d be a far cheaper and better solution than coughing up about $40k to connect to […]

Paul, Eliot, and Julia continue their discussion on the culture that’s developed in bootcamp, and attributes much of it to the quality of people that tend to come there and stick around. Paul’s own over-eagerness definitely helps with both the culture and filtering some specimens out. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion […]

Paul is with Julia and Eliot talking about bootcamp culture and how it contrasts to, say, another community that apparently causes couples to divorce when they go there, and the story of an Andy that attempted to start his own community and the woes he faced until he found out how to get it on […]

Paul talks with Matt about RMHs and Homestead Living magazine for which Paul and Beau wrote an article and they discuss this and other RMH-related subjects, such as Mud’s aversion to using wood anywhere near a RMH just in case it slowly becomes more flammable. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More […]

Paul finishes up the smakdown with Beau, Liv, and Samantha with a discussion on butter making, dairy in general, preserving meats in ways beyond simply freezing it, and keeping chickens as an introduction to raising animals for meat. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More information and discussion of this podcast on […]

Paul, Liv, Beau and Samantha continue discussing how to grow enough food to feed a family, with a lot of the discussion this time being about corn, or lack thereof, in the discussion thus far, what with it being calorie dense, having a long shelf-life, and being good fodder for cattle Support the podcast on […]

Paul, Liv, Beau and Samantha discuss strategies for growing enough food for a family, namely what to grow, how to not get overwhelmed and decide gardening is hard, livestock rearing, what to grow to make gardening fun and potentially profitable, if you don’t mind trading. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes and discussion More […]

Paul, Clay, and Samantha continue discussing soil tests and other ways of quickly building soil. They talk about “Back to Eden Gardening” , it’s use of wood chips and why that may not be the best plan for a couple of reasons, keyline ploughing, and how much mulch is needed. Support the podcast on Patreon […]

Paul sets out to talk about soil tests with Samantha and Clay, and winds up talking about how most test results just mean “apply mulch”, unless it means “plant alder trees to detox”, Sepp Holzer’s earthworm greenhouse, root exudate, and Paul’s alleged harassment of a friend via mulch. Support the podcast on Patreon Show notes […]