Urban Harvest, Inc.
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  • 2026-2027 Permaculture Design Certification logo
  • 🌿 Permaculture is a holistic, ecologically grounded approach to designing sustainable living systems that conserve energy, restore ecosystems, and strengthen community resilience. Urban Harvest’s 100‑hour Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) offers a dynamic, hands‑on learning journey taught across seasonal units and culminating in a capstone Design Project Showcase. Students engage in four integrated design opportunities—Personal Garden, Eco‑Village, Restoring Nature, and an individualized capstone design—within a twice‑yearly entry model that allows learners to begin their certification in either the spring or fall. This structure cultivates a vibrant network of Permaculture Fellows who collaborate across cohorts, mentor one another, and build lasting community connections.
    🧭 Program Overview
    Duration: September 2026 - May 2027. Structure: Five thematic units + Final Design Project. Total Hours: 100. Locations: Trees for Houston (1911 34th Street, Houston, TX 77018) + Field Sites. Schedule: Sundays, 1:00–5:00 PM (unless noted) + All Day Field and Farm Site Visits

    🌱 Unit 1: Sustainable Living through Permaculture I & II
    Sun Sept 27. Part I: Introduction to permaculture ethics, principles, design patterns, nutrition, and natural building materials.📍 Trees for Houston🕐 1:00–5:00 PM
    Sun Oct 4. Part II: Guided tours of a retrofitted permaculture homesite and food gardens in Southwest Houston.📍 Private residence & gardens🕐 2:00–6:00 PM

    🍎 Fall Unit 2: Designing Bountiful Gardens through Permaculture
    October 11, 18, 25, Nov 1, 8, and 15th, 2027
    Learn to design productive family gardens using whole-systems thinking. Topics include vegetable beds, orchards, domestic animals, and labor-saving strategies. Includes two full-day farm visits.📍 Trees for Houston + Farm Sites🕐 Sundays, 1:00–5:00 PM | Farm Visits: All Day

    🏡 Winter Unit 3: Designing Green Homes & Communities
    February 7, 14, 21, 28 & March 14 & 21st, 2027
    -HISD Spring Break March 9-12th & Easter Holiday March 28th
    Explore how permaculture principles address rising energy costs, material scarcity, and climate resilience in home and community design. Includes two full-day field visits.📍 Trees for Houston 🕐 Sundays, 1:00–5:00 PM | + Field Sites and Farm Visits: All Day

    🌳 Spring Unit 4: Restoring Nature through Permaculture
    Sundays, April 4, 11, 18, 25, 2027
    Dive into ecological principles and local environmental challenges. Topics include forest health, biodiversity, and ecosystem threats. Includes guided design and implementation days.📍 Trees for Houston🕐 Sundays, 1:00–5:00 PM + *2 Field Visits (10:00 AM–5:00 PM)

    🎓 Winter Unit 5: Design Tutorial & Final Project Graduation Dates:
    Sun May 2nd & May 16th, 2027
    Eligible participants (≤2 absences) will complete an independent capstone design project. Final presentations and certificate awards will be held during a celebratory showcase.📍 Trees for Houston🕐 11:00 AM–4:00 PM

    💳 Tuition & Payment Options
    Full Tuition: $1,500
    Payment Plans Available:
    A. $795 in 2 installments
    B. $180/month for 9 months
    📧 To arrange a payment plan, contact Carol at carol [at] urbanharvest [dot] org

    ~~ Scholarship Work-study NOW AVAILABLE. Priority for Houston residents who are community gardeners, students, food activists and growers. Apply at: https://forms.office.com/r/usDj3GPjha

Urban Harvest, Inc. logo
In Support of Urban Harvest, Inc.
Urban Harvest cultivates thriving communities through gardening and access to healthy, local food. We are improving the lives, soil, and plates of​ all Houstonians through: 

ORGANIC GARDENING & NUTRITION EDUCATION
Urban Harvest Classes teach and promote the benefits of organic gardening, ecological land management, and healthy food choices. In schools, our Garden Educators teach children about nature and the origins of their food through hands-on, experiential learning. 

HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS
Through Double Up Houston, Urban Harvest is making fresh, healthy food accessible and affordable for all. Double Up Houston provides SNAP (formerly food stamps) beneficiaries with double the amount of fresh produce for every dollar spent at markets and farm stands across Houston.

COMMUNITY GARDENS
With a network of over 160 edible gardens throughout the Greater Houston area, it's easy to get involved in a garden near you. Urban Harvest provides affiliate gardens with volunteer engagement and workdays; seed and plant distributions; and, free education opportunities to help each garden become long-lasting and well-established for the community it serves.

FARMERS MARKETS
Get to know your farmer at Urban Harvest's Farmers Markets. Here, you will find the freshest farm and artisanal products, each grown, raised, and made within 180 miles of Houston. What’s more, your food dollars stay in the local economy.

Urban Harvest Farmers Market
2752 Buffalo Speedway
Every Saturday; 8am - noon

Mobile Market
Click here for locations.