Looking... to pay a permaculture consultant!

Hey I hope this is the place for this post, but I am looking to hire a permaculture consultant for the property I just purchased. Does anybody know of folks who are in the business of online permaculture consulting? Or even better, in person - I am in the central Virginia region.

I already have about as much information as I can gather for free to help the process (county ARCGIS maps, USGS soils report, and my own hand drawn maps of sun and such), but I seek the wisdom of an experienced permaculturist that can guide my initial investments. I would like to pay back into the community that has done so much for me (for free), and develop a working professional relationship as the property matures.

Please let me know if this is in the wrong category too - I'd like it to get as much visibility as it can.

Proverbs wrote:Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.

Hi Ben,

I'm going to "flag this thread for more attention" with hopes that you'll find a regional professional with wisdom and experience.  But it looks like you're in all the right forums:

permaculture design

jobs offered

eastern USA

Appalachia

decision making

The following groups may help you find someone who has taken a PDC, has experience, and is able to guide you:

https://www.ecologiadesign.com/
https://www.forested.us/forest-agriculture
https://www.facebook.com/CentralVirginiaPermacultureInstitute/
https://www.blueridgepermaculture.net/
http://www.shenandoahpermaculture.com/

The first two links are likely out of region (too far north) for onsite consultations, but they may have affiliates.  But that last site is closer, and actually lists online consultations costs per hour.  They also have a YouTube channel too.  Their email is ShenPermInstitute@gmail.com.  I am not affiliated with any, so I can't attest to the quality or value of their services.

Some day down the road I hope to get into the service of permaculture consultation, design, and installation...maybe even have a nursery.  I think I need maybe 5 more years to get there.  All that is predicated on me garnering more experience first and taking a PDC.  If you do the online consultation route, let us know how it goes: what you liked, what you didn't, what was noteworthy or interesting.  That open feedback would help future clients and designers be even better.

Lastly, if by chance you are very new to permaculture, and are interested in going down the owner-designer route, and would like a sounding board, or are perhaps curious how mainframe permaculture principles would be applied to your property, or are looking for some design ideas on where to start, feel free to write below or PM me.  I'd be happy to help you get to that next step (free of cost)!

Hi Ben,

This reply is not directed at Permaculture specifically  but rather at life experiences is general. I have found that those people identifying themselves as experts usually are not.  Do your research carefully before spending money.  You are off to a good start at this site.

Would love to hear about what you actually want from the land, your favorite produce/nuts/vegetable/meats, do you like hunting/fishing, who you will entertain, how much land you have, do you mind clear cutting it, how much time/money/labor you have to throw at the solution. But below are a few ideas that I am putting out there.

Foundation
Site Clearing
Earthworks and the related Waterworks/Irrigation (Swales, Terrace, Huglekulture, etc)
Carbon Amendments (biochar, woodchip, straw, compost, etc)
Mineral Amendments (sea90, gypsum/limestone, phosphorus, etc)
Soil life Amendments (mushroom slurry, compost, aerated compost tea, pond water, etc)
Cover Crop/Support Species (80% legumes & 20% grass+others: dutch clover, fava beans, clovers, daikon/tillage radish, pasture mix)

Maintenance Plan
Foliar Spray (Chitin Aerated Tea with worm compost, pond/aquarium water, EM, milk kefir, mushroom slurry)
Mowing (weeding, chop and drop, etc)
Pruning
Harvesting
Preparation/Preservation
Rotational Grazing

Garden: (1/4 acres, double dig, huge starting inputs of compost, biochar, etc)
40% of area Caloric Roots (Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Garlic, Onion, Parsnips, Turnip, Radish, Rutabaga, Salsify, Burdock)
Soil Fertility Plants (Corn/Grains, Fava beans, Sunflower, Jerusalem Artichoke, etc)
Squash Family (squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, etc)
Tomato Family (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc)
Herbs (Mint/Thyme Family, Leeks/Chive Family, Celery/Cilantro Family, etc)
Greens (Lettuce/Dandelion, Spinach/Amaranth Family, Cabbage/Kale Family, etc), maybe greenhouse
Misc (exotics, oyster & winecap mushroom colonizing the walkway, etc)

Animal: (1/3 acre + more for cow/sheep/goat)
Bee Hive (4+ hives, so that you can split and replace the 50% that die)
Chicken (2 layers per person, and 6boiler/person/3months)
Rabbit (6meat rabbit/person/3months)
Fish (1/4 acre fertilized pond giving 100lbs/year)
Dwarf Milk Goat (2 per acre, 9 per acre buying winter feed, rotational grazing with 30day rest)
Cow (8 acres per 1000lbs cow-calf animal unit, buying winter feed = 3acres vs 8acres, rotational grazing with 30day rest)

Orchard: (1acre+, 180 trees/acre on 15ft centers)
25% Nuts (mostly hazelnut, yellowhorn, walnut family, chestnut, etc)
25% Nitrogen Fixers (edible: goumi, silverberry, seaberry, etc; others:dutch white clover, adler, etc)
25% Non-Rose Family (Pawpaw, Persimmon, Mulberry, Figs, Elderberry, Gooseberry, blueberry, jujube, vines:grapes/kiwi/akebia, etc)
25% Rose Family (apple, pear, quince, medlar, juneberry, aronia; plums, apricots, peach, cherry, almond; blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, etc)

Outside Living: (1/5 acre inclusive of house)
Kitchen: Grill, Dehydration Station, Canning Station, Rocket Stove, Rocket Oven, Butchering
Dining Area: Table
Lounging Area: Fireplace, Sofa
Lawn: Dogs, People
Natural Pool (optional)
Mech Area: Workshop, Solar Electric/Thermal, Heat Pump, Septic, Well, etc

Woodlot/Mushroom/Wild: (optional)
Pollard/Coppice Hybrid Poplar

Ask your question here as we have a lot of knowledgeable permaculture people right here on the forum.

It also helps to have some knowledge before contacting those professionals.

As John said,  

I have found that those people identifying themselves as experts usually are not.  Do your research carefully before spending money.  You are off to a good start at this site.

Take what information Bengi has given and compare that with what the professionals are offering.

Best wishes for your success.

Another site to add, Richmond- based, which may be closer to your location:

https://rvapermaculture.com/about-us/

Cliff Davis of Pig & Leaf Summertown, Tennessee just announced that he is starting to do farm consultations (over the phone, video & on farm).  Highly respected in the Permaculture community he and his wife Jen Albanese offered PDC's through their home place Spiral Ridge Permaculture for years.  They no longer offer those, but watching his new adventures through social media is awe inspiring!  You can find him on Instagram @pigandleaf and @americanduroc.  His website is https://pigandleaf.com

Hello, I can help you! I have a PDC and have a lot of wwoofing experience. I am in a current Applied permaculture degree class with Steve Hart (traveled with Bill Mollison and has 50 years of experience). I can help you at lower cost and add you to my portfolio for the diploma. Please let me know your costs and needs. We can work something out!

4696854553

Delayrachael2@gmail.com

Did you find someone?
I'm up in Canada designing on-line for clients.
Let me know!
Lindsay