Spokane Dirt Church - A Monthly Permaculture Club

This is a new thread home stemming from The successful August 2025 Spokane
Hoping to have 2 meetups in September! Sept 6 Group outdoor mass Canning Day and Sept 27 Rockety Things Build Day (perhaps the latter could be a 2 faysat-sun workshop? In an effort to git er done?)

That's awesome, nicholas! If you take some pictures of the canning party you could earn the badge bit for it.

I really like the idea of a take home rocket heater.
Tell us what we need to bring if you decide to do this
Thank you

Due to September Weekend Craziness, I will not be able to do any weekend events this month. October is much less crazy for me though. Does anyone have a good weekend in October?

I hope it is all good news nick!


I will still be in spokane on september 26 and if somebody sets me up, i am glad to do something on saturday the 27th.

I can host the next gathering, I hate to lose the momentum.  I have a small house, but we could use the garage if we need to.  I live on about 8 acres, mostly wooded and steep, with a tiny stream that is hard to get to.  
Paul, I have a place for you to stay, just let me know what you need to be comfortable including food and drink.
I am on the West Plains, in the Deep Creek area, 1 mile East of the Hutterite Colony

I would propose 10 am to 2pm or so.

I will make soup, maybe tortilla soup or albondigas.  Maybe just snack at will instead of a set time to eat, or plan brunch and get re-acquainted as we eat

I really like the idea of a "Cottage Rocket Assembly Line" for take home. However, I don't know anything about it, maybe another date.

I would really like to share more about each other and our interests as well as contact info.  We could document this and have it to send electronically maybe.

I could organize any of the following activities:
1.  I teach a "Life in the Soil" class as taught by Elaine Ingham.  Covers the who, what, when, why, where and how of the microbes in the soil.  Takes about 2 hours.  
2.  We could do a forest walk, id plants, discuss use of forest for permaculture purposes, etc. Paul might be willing to share his thoughts about what he would recommend about my property, as far as making it a permaculture paradise.  Probably about 1-11/2 hours.
3.  I can demonstrate making compost, how to use compost and how to make compost extract according to what I learned from Elaine Ingham.  would take about 1 - 11/2 hours
4.  I can demonstrate growing microgreens.  I use this for salad during the winter.  would take about 1 hour
5. we could make sauerkraut.  1-2 hours
6.  we could roast and can green chiles.  2-3 hours
I am open to other suggestions if someone else has something to share.

The projects I have in progress are:
Hugel beds
garden
orchard
My dreams are for a pond(s), a crater garden, a rocket mass heater, a passive greenhouse and a willow feeder, basically a permaculture paradise!


Please respond so I know if there is interest and I will know how to plan.

I am in!

So I would need a place to stay on friday night.  Usually, i wrap up with my blood donation thing around 330 or 4.  

After the potluck I might stay one more night or i might try to drive home (doubtful).

FYI:   at the potlucks with a huge attendance, they said they went to a bunch of facebook stuff to announce.

I didn’t realize there was a new thread posted until Paul shared it! Hopefully others will see the response and come over here.

Happy to meet up on the 27th and do any of the above. Walking around your property and hearing ideas is especially enticing.

I have had some unexpected developments arise for the weekend of 9/27
I can still host a potluck, but it will need to be from 9am-12 noon. More of a brunch
I have to ask everyone to leave at noon, even Paul.  so sorry for that.  I thought I had it all figured out and then life happens!
so far, only Paul and Steffani have indicated interest.
Another option is to cancel and plan something for October when Paul is here for his regular blood donation
If we do cancel, Paul, you can still stay here Friday night, but not Saturday night.
Again, I apologize for the change.  Usually I don't have too much going on, and then everything at once!

let's cancel.

My next blood donation would be 8 weeks later:  Friday November 21, 2025.  

*dirt church friends: update on my situation, I am unable to do more than I am already responsibility and extracurricular activity-wise prob until late October. I run my own painting and handyman business (solo) and am wrapping up a slew of contracts while the weather is still warm enough,. As well as finishing drying-in a cabin I started building this summer. Between those two things I am booked until prob more like late October to be honest.
In other gooder news: I have secured a new indoor workshop space and would like to work on a cottage Rocket (tiny house RMH) production-line in November, I really am more wide open any weekend or evening that month if anyone is interested. As I have hinted all along, I'm hoping to use the winter time this year to plan more ahead for a more organized and scheduled Spokane dirt church in 2026. My sincere apologies for the lack of communication, this is my busiest time of year and honestly, I have been pretty overwhelmed. Maybe some responsibilities can be spread out as I know. Everyone is very interested in working together to do some cool permit culture, and natural building stuff in Spokane. Unfortunately this coincides with my busiest time of year for my work but was throwing a Hail Mary to connect with people with the man goal of getting stuff rolling for next year or hopefully this winter please call me anytime that would be best 509-953-4561. * NOTE: I hope my own schedule does not disuade anyone from gathering and doing dirt churchy things as outlined in the options we have all discussed. I recall Claudia and a couple others have kindly offered to host meetups. I have considered making a Facebook page if that is helpful, even though I hate Facebook and wish there was something else we could use something more perrenial, or indie, like I don't know this website? Or Bluesky? Or just a group text? Any good recommendations for a local group chat page thingy? (I forgot to get everyone's phone numbers although I did get some emails at the Aug potluck). also, I may be able to do some weeknights if anyone is interested in having a weeknight canning session in the next week or two please text me. My weekdays and weekends are pretty booked up until November.

I would also like to schedule some visits to check out each other's properties. This may be a good weeknight event this fall? Since it Could be more of a one to two hour tour .

Spokane Dirt Church ideas (from Nick's to-do  list)

What projects would you guys like to work on? Together? And when?

1. Gardening/planting day
2. Mulch Day
2. Canning/dehydraying/preservation day.
3. rocket day: either cooktop-canner/
Rocket mass heater day/ rocket oven/ hot water heater. As we are moving into fall and winter. I would LOVE to put my Rocket stove hat on and get ONE of these up and running in the Spokane city area as a functional example before its too cold for Cob to cure.
4. Compost/soil/mycelium Day
5. Appropriate technology Day  (solar cookers etc)
6. Build a willow feeder day
7. Other ideas?

realistically, these would be more like monthlong projects, not one day dealios! But a cat can dream, right?