The Permaculture Orchard: Beyond Organic

7.50 USD – 15.00 USD

An educational film about the largest permaculture orchard in eastern North America and on the future of fruit growing.

The Permaculture Orchard : Beyond Organic is a feature-length educational film that will teach you how to set up your own permaculture orchard at any scale. Recognizing the limitations of the organic model as a substitute to conventional fruit growing, this film proposes a more holistic, regenerative approach based on permaculture principles.

Based on 20 years of applied theory and trial and error, biologist and educator Stefan Sobkowiak shares his experience transforming a conventional apple orchard into an abundance of biodiversity that virtually takes care of itself. The concepts, techniques and tips presented in this film will help you with your own project, whether it is just a few fruit trees in your urban backyard, or a full-scale multi-acre commercial orchard.

Beautiful, full of hard-won information, humble, practical.

Eric Toensmeier / author of Paradise Lot

A visually appealing film that delivers at both the environmental and economic level, while setting the stage for a new modern standard for commercial fruit production.

Jenn Jennings / Examiner.com

Film contents

  • creating habitat for birds / pollinators
  • natural pest control techniques
  • the trio system / plant combinations
  • the shrub herbaceous layers
  • seed planting of annuals
  • planting fruit trees / drainage considerations
  • tree training vs. pruning
  • grafting / overgrafting
  • creating habitat for birds / pollinators
  • natural pest control techniques
  • the trio system / plant combinations
  • the shrub herbaceous layers
  • seed planting of annuals
  • planting fruit trees / drainage considerations
  • tree training vs. pruning
  • grafting / overgrafting
  • starting your own trees vs. buying trees
  • mulch options with a focus on plastic mulch and why/how
  • drip irrigation
  • the importance of cultivar selection
  • the grocery aisle concept
  • spraying / fungi control
  • tree protection
  • frost protection

Trained as a biologist and landscape architect, Stefan Sobkowiak has taught fruit production, landscape plants and design, and natural history of vertebrates at Montreal’s McGill University. He owned a landscape design firm for 20 years, developping hundreds of projects for private, institutional and municipal clients. He’s been teaching permaculture in Quebec since 1995 and has given numerous presentations and workshops in Europe, New Zealand, United States and Canada.

Stefan is the owner of Miracle Farms since 1993.

469 reviews for The Permaculture Orchard: Beyond Organic

  1. Allan H. –

    I am trying to get an understanding of how to establish a permaculture orchard. This DVD gave me an overview of how it can be achieved. On this foundation I am now looking for detail information on what plants to plant and bulk sources for plants.

  2. Brad K. –

    Fascinating video. I loved it. I want to buy more property so I can put these concepts into practice!!!

  3. Souliman D. –

    Hello, as i have had problems with our mail man concerning our mailbox, being not conform anymore, all mail has been sent back to sender during a 2 week period. I fear that the dvd has been returned to sender also. Can you confirm this and let me know the cost for resending it to me. Thanks in advance
    Souliman Diraa

  4. wendy w. –

    I am so slow, I just per used it but then, I downloaded it over two years ago, and sadly, I have yet to have any backyard to do anything.

  5. Antonio M. –

    Finalmente una guida pratica e molto ben realizzata, utile a tutti, dagli ortolani della domenica ai frutticoltori professionisti. Creativitá, esperienza e consigli pratici spiegati in modo chiaro e divertente. Non abbiamo più scusanti, mettiamoci all’opera

  6. miao-fei c. –

    Heaps of practical information. Lovely music. Very helpful.
    I love it!

  7. EKnath K. –

    great

  8. Lisa M. –

    Great educational video! Well organized and methodical, I learned a lot about how to plan, plant, maintain, and even revive a diverse and very productive and balanced orchard. Practical and clear, with close up shots of grafting procedures, simple methods of pest “control” and training trees for maximum production and health. Really appreciated the explanation and importance of alternating N fixers with trees, understory layout and consideration of critters that may be more important than revealed at first glance. True permaculture approach, and a sense of humor to boot! I will definitely watch this again when I get my hands on some land and trees, and likely before I even buy.

    Note: this doesn’t cover EVERY method on grafting, just the one that works best for the author; same for watering, mulching, pruning, etc… If you want more options, get a book or five on the particular subject. There’s only so much one can fit on a DVD, and we all have to experiment and figure out what works best for our individual assets and needs. Enjoy!

  9. Salvatore R. –

    Wonderful!! I’ve seen and reviewed many times, and every time I found in the words of Stefan and images a cue again. I have so many things to ask and for the time being put into practice, adapting them to my area, the experience of “Miracle Farm”. Thank you for giving me the hope to snap a “real” apple.
      Sorry for my English, Salvo.

  10. Jason F. –

    Can’t watch it, downloaded it but have no idea where it is as the receipt didn’t have the name of the file in it and am unable to locate it again.

  11. Anne T. –

    A “must do this ” video with clear, sensible directions
    Thank you

  12. Caleb J. –

    It’s a great watch. I’ve enjoyed watching the movie and getting ideas as well as advice for my plot. I highly recommend the purchase for anyone interested in permaculture.

  13. Adrian W. –

    Excellent first impression, especially the layouts and processes. Am looking forward to some feedback from the municipal gardeners here in Madrid who received the extra copies to see whether they consider applications are possible for a mixed public park / orchard situation.

  14. Shelly S. –

    Extraordinarily helpful, practical and engaging. Entertaining, too. The best guide to permaculture that I have purchased. Thank you!

  15. Figen D. –

    Interesting!

  16. Santiago M. –

    Excelente material para todos quienes se preguntan qué hace el enfoque permacultural en la práctica, en un emprendimiento que teniendo un enfoque comercial no deja de lado los principios éticos de la permacultura. Sin embargo, también es muy útil para quienes estamos proyectando la plantación de frutales para autoconsumo familiar y muestra con detalles algunas de las labores necesarias para su creación, mantención y aprovechamiento. Los subtítulos en español funcionan muy bien y permiten ampliar el rango de personas que pueden acceder a este material. Por supuesto no se pueden seguir todas las recomendaciones producto de cambios de clima y de hemisferio, pero se vuelve un punto de partida para buscar más información sobre cada uno de los temas planteados.

  17. Tony G. –

    picked up many good things from it..

  18. Thomas H. –

    One inspiring film!

  19. Debbie S. –

    Although we only have one old apple tree in our suburban yard, we learned an amazing amount of applicable information that will help our tree be both a productive tree and a shade tree.

  20. mark w. –

    I’m really glad I bought this DVD. It is a professionally made film; not just some guy filming on a smartphone and also not crammed full of filler shots of nature to pad it out.

    He explains everything perfectly and you will get something out of this whether you are a permaculture designer or just starting out.

    I saw many techniques/ideas that I haven’t seen elsewhere; it’s not just the same permaculture principles discussed generally that you often see in permaculture films but goes into specific details about yield, design, implementation and the actual practicalities of the placement of plants within a polyculture.

    This is probably the best permaculture purchase I have made.

  21. volodymyr m. –

    high quality work with permaculture in mind. useful and easy to understand information. thanks

  22. Andrew J. –

    Very informative and interesting

  23. Craig J. –

    Amazing hands on experience with focus of the balance of sustainability and profitability.

  24. Shane W. –

    Great instructional video, very well made.

  25. Ryan S. –

    Loads of awesomeness in here. I have felt for a long time that agriculture held the key to sustainability but it is more than that. It can repair and mark details how

  26. Susan H. –

    I have just 15 or so fruit trees of various ages spread around my yard to care for. I have several books I’ve read or reference to help me care for these trees. While I like the depth of information available to me in these books, for the dollar and time investment, this video is the best orcharding instruction I’ve found.

  27. Marc D. –

    Only received 1st video… Thought I had purchased the series.

  28. Cameron D. –

    Great for the beginning orchardist and permaculture enthusiast!

  29. Laura B. –

    five stars for the film itself but…
    I went to watch it again (I had downloaded on my laptop) and came back as corrupted files!
    The link has since expired. How can I down load it again?
    I would really like to keep this video as a reference. Thank you! ljb

  30. Jeannie H. –

    Thank you Stefan for a wonderful resource that I can keep returning to. I was lucky enough to attend a half day pruning and training course while you were in NZ and it has given me the confidence to grow fruit trees…plus I have been passing on your permaculture orchard ideas to my friends. Regards Jeannie

  31. james d. –

    Great info and insight.

  32. David H. –

    Great

  33. Christine W. –

    Very informative & inspiring

  34. Noel C. –

    A great product. The production of the movie is first class and the excellent content is explained in a lovely clear and accessible way. Great work lads!!

  35. Amanda B. –

    Love it! Can’t wait to implement so much of it onto our personal orchard.

  36. Jelena V. –

    The film is very educational, also in a way to inspire you to research and learn more. The language and graphic used is very understandable, so that even those with absolutely no experience in the topic can manage to follow up. Having the film divided into parts is also very helpful in distributing so many information given out. Latin names help so very much, too, so that species could be looked up in the own language of a viewer.
    Very very good film, indeed!

  37. Melanie D. –

    Really informative – I’m glad I watched this before planting my fruit trees. I particularly liked the information on pruning fruit trees. I had no idea how to do it before watching this!

  38. Сергей А. –

    TMany thanks for such a quality video with so much practical knowledge and useful experience in permaculture gardening! So many valuable secrets in one film are a real treasure. It is very kind of You to create and spread such a film!

  39. Luka L. –

    It’s great!

  40. glen n. –

    excellent, well present. We learnt a lot, and have come away with some inspiring ideas for our own old orchard.

  41. Sze M. –

    Great teaching, inspirational

  42. Rob S. –

    Awesome bit of video, loved the info and quality of audio and musical score.

  43. Sally M. –

    fantastic

  44. mathias h. –

    Loved it even if Im not an actual permaculture-ist but maybe someday, permaculture seems very promising. cheers

  45. Nathan S. –

    I loved it all, and in fact am looking at starting my own in North East Ohio in the States! I am putting together materials and hoping to consult with Stefan as I go forward.

    I would love to see videos on the nursery setup, how you keep track of customers and their behavior, and a few more specifics on establishing from scratch.

  46. bradley c. –

    awesome!!! i LOVE it! i have been sharing the dvd with everyone i know to push permaculture onto everyone! i mean honestly why not grow your own fruits and veggies?!

  47. Kevin A. –

    Excellent video! Super fast shipping, easy transaction! I love this video. Highly recommended!

  48. Marco P. –

    Excellent!

  49. Анастасия Д. –

    stasya_dudina@mail.ru

  50. DARIO G. –

    There is only english subtitles

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