Not a PDC, but the next best thing

Hello everyone. I tried to find something like this already on the forums, but I'm still getting used to the lay out and couldn't find anything, so here goes. Apologies if this is redundant,

For a variety of reasons, I will never take a classic PDC, but still have an interest in taking a deep dive into Permaculture. I've read on and off for years, and have been doing my own projects and designs, but I've never laid out a study plan to really get a holistic and deep understanding of the system, theory, and nuances, etc. I think I have a pretty good understanding, but really want to take the time to get a solid foundation.

If you had to select 5 or fewer free, publicly available resources that did a fairly good job of communicating the knowledge of Permaculture design, theory, etc., what would they be?

Specifically, I'm looking for completed works, such as books, collections of lectures, or videos, but not general suggestions like "YouTube this person and watch their videos." Specific videos or series, sure! Free books online or in the library - those are great too! Really anything physical or virtual that could be included in a collection of "essential study," so to speak. The more diversity of perspective, the better. I have my own hunches about what these would be, but defer to those with a bit more moss on their trunks for this one.

I realize this kind of approach does not replicate the more dynamic, applied, and interpersonal learning that would happen in a proper PDC course, but PDC's are not an option for some people.

Pep/Pex is free & a good place to get started.

Bill Mollison's Design Manual. That's what most PDCs base off of, as far as I can tell.
I loved Gaia's Garden, By Toby Hemenway it's a good overview with some good stories.

I'm one of the non-PDC types too. I don't tend to like video though, can't offer any. :)

Welcome to Permies! Lovely first post!! :D

I have started a wiki page about this, so we can get everything curated into one huge resource, so that permaculture resources are easier to find.

I'm loving learning practical permaculture/homesteading skills through the PEP ciriculum. It's entirely free.

My favorite free resources for learning applicable permaculture is The Farmer's Handbooks They're free and I learned a ton from them. I wrote this in my review:

These books were written for farmers in the Himalayans. As such, not all the planting ideas will pertain to your given area, but there are still very many useful ideas. And by useful, I mean useful. These are ideas for people who need to grow food to survive, not just to augment their lives. They’re ideas for people who don’t have much/any money to buy fertilizers, amendments, tools, etc…. The ideas are also explained very well, with pictures, descriptions and explanations. These are books that are excellent for someone who wants a practical foundation in permaculture, and will likely have some great ideas for those more experienced.

A good free video is The Garden of Eden https://www.backtoedenfilm.com/ (Thanks, Michael Cox!), which has a biblical flare, but does show the benifits of not tilling and using mulch. It's a great beginners video.

Paul Wheaton has some nice videos on his youtube channel.

Oregon State University also has a free online "Intro to Permaculture" course at least once a year. Quite a few people here on permies have taken it and gained a lot through it.

Honestly, one the best resources I've encountered in my search for permaculture knowledge, is permies. I love Dr. Bryant RedHawk's  Soil Series. It's a bit more advanced, but is FULL of excellent info on how to build your soil life.

Below is an offer for a PDF of Delvin Solkinson's ‘Core Curriculum Notes’

"Information is the most portable and flexible investment we can make in our lives; it represents the knowledge, experience, ideas and experimentation of thousands of people before us." - Bill Mollison and Reny Slay

Sharing the ‘Core Curriculum Notes’, an essential synthesis of permaculture design from the core curriculum of the Permaculture Design Course. A book of notes formatted as worksheets being freely offered to the World Community. It functions as part of a learning and teaching toolkit in combination with the Permaculture Design Core Concepts Cards.

This work is the culmination of 15 years of teaching 25 PDC’s during which time I took 20 advanced courses as well as a PDC with Rosemary Morrow in Greece, Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton in Australia and Toby Hemenway in Portland. While developing this body of work I have taken a Diploma and Masters Degree with Bill Mollison and the Permaculture Academy, a Diploma with Larry Santoyo and Scott Pittman through the Permaculture Institute, and this version is part of my current Diploma with Looby Macnamara through the Permaculture Association. Done under the mentorship of Larry Santoyo, this represents the culmination of my Doctoral work in Permaculture Education...

https://www.permaculturedesign.ca/core-curriculum-notes

Nicole Alderman wrote:
A good free video is The Garden of Eden, which has a biblical flare, but does show the benifits of not tilling and using mulch. It's a great beginners video.

I think you mean "Back to Eden"

https://www.backtoedenfilm.com/

I would also heartily recommend Mollisons Permaculture Designers Manual. It is an epic tome, but well worth reading cover to cover and making extensive notes from. The risk of digesting infomation only from free web resources is that you will end up with gaps and also won't really understand where there gaps are. You will end up attracted by bright and shiny ideas, and missing the foundations that make it all hang together.

And I finally found one of the open source PDC manuals!

This online PDC handbook is authored by Doug Crouch and other guest authors from the TreeYo Permaculture network. It is a fair share service to those who are seeking information about various aspects of Permaculture... Through this blog/book format, we can have an open dialogue and co-create so that future users can access not only the valuable information presented but also discussions and comments brought by you the users...

Much of the information is derived directly from the curriculum presented in our courses and is a reflection of our take on Permaculture. The project of the PDC Handbook is a massive undertaking and we welcome any feedback to help drive it forward.

...We feel that it is a testament to the permaculture philosophy of being completely open-source with everything we do, Cooperation not Competition.  At the same time we also recognize the intellectual property involved and we wish to honor the system of Collective Commons. Thus please do give us credit for our work here and please share this resource widely.

Wow, everyone, thanks for the suggestions! I didn't expect this volume of response in such a short time. Plenty on these pages to chew on, that's for sure.

I'm very intruiged by the idea of an open source PDC manual, or anything open source really. I think those kinds of resources are a great supplement to the more classic 'tomes,' like Mollison's design manual. With some of the classic works, you get a thorough, holistic take from single experienced permaculturists. And with open source, you get the richness and flexibility of a diversity of contributors.

Also, WOW that wiki page!

Love it everyone!