Sepp Holzer's 3-in-1 Permaculture documentaries (Farming, Terraces, and Aquaculture) streaming video

I give these documentaries 9.75 out of 10 acorns!

I really love the view they give into Sepp's farm, reasonings, and techniques. These videos are fantastic, showing a permaculture system that runs beautifully, and leave you wanting MORE!

I was surprised at how much information was conveyed, especially in the Aquaculture film. I figured the video would be rather boring and just about how he makes the ponds and stocks them with fish. Not at all!!! There is so much more in this film! I had thought Sepp had ponds for the thermal retention (keeping the climate warmer), and to soak into the earth to water his plants, and to breed some fish. But, he uses it for far more!

He has pumps that use the movement of pond water to power the pumping of clean water into troughs for him to drink all around his property. The flowing of water also generates enough electricity to power his whole farm. He has a watermill! The pipes are to regulate the temperatures of the ponds (bringing cooler water from other ponds to warm up the cooler ones). He also uses his pumps to spray water on his plants to extend his growing season by one month earlier and one month later.

He uses the water not just to breed fish, but also creates bogs to breed frogs and bugs for his fish. The small critters migrate through streams to the larger ponds where they are eaten, without any effort from Sepp. He does not supplement any fish food! I love how he creates habitat with logs and rocks, and also makes ponds to be beautiful sanctuaries. He says, "It should look like nature made it that way. That's good design."

My 6 year old son and I watched this video together, and he loved it, wanting to watch it again. This is a fantastic video to see many ways that water can be utilized!

That was just my review for Aquaculture. The other videos contain a ton of information, too!

Farming with Nature has everything from pigs, to multiple uses of plants, to his income streams and more. Sepp's heritage pigs that are happy outside even in deep snow. During the non-snowy season, they loosen the soil, and are moved from orchard to orchard. They are his "best farm workers."  

His cherry trees growing just below the tree line, where trees normally stop growing. The lettuce and vegetables growing along the paths and pollinator flowers intermixed with everything. He explains his form of permaculture and why he combines short and long rooted plants together and the roles they play. The movie shares some of the plants he grows, with descriptions of multiple plants, like how he grows potatoes from heritage varieties, and plants a wide variety of other potatoes to create cross-breeds and landraces.  There is also mention of seed-saving, and multiple uses of each plant. For example, cows parsnip, has deep roots to bring up minerals and water, is a source of pollen for bees, it's dry stems can be burt for kindling, the fresh stems are used as well, and can even be utilized as an instrument.


It describes some of his multiple income streams: sells his fruit trees in the earth they grow in, saving and selling seeds, selling produce locally, renting out cabins, seminars, selling mushroom, selling fish, and other things I'm probably forgetting!


I found the Terraces and Raised Bed movie facinating, too.

Sepp explains the destructive effects of monocultures, especially those of pine trees with their shallow roots. He shows how he uses rocks for creating warmer environments and building of his terraces. There is footage of a sheep pasture being turned into a new terraced landscape. How the terraces stop the erosion. And how once the work is complete, the work will last for generations, improving the ecology and fertility of the land.

In the project featured in the film, he is planting 1500 fruit trees. He explains his plant families (guilds) and why he uses them: "A real jumble of species. It's the variety that prevents the predominance of any one pest. Insects only become damaging when I make mistakes. Only then." He discusses the rocks he places and the seed mixtures he plants around his fruit trees, and also in his paths. He explains how he make his terraces so hill is stable and does not collapse... and how he deals with government officials and regulations

There's also some great information on hugelkultur in the film. Though, it's never called "hugelkultur"--Sepp just calls them his raised beds. They are usually made with a foundation of pine trees, and other things are added in--but ONLY that which is from nature and is free from chemicals. He does use cardboard or newspaper. He explains why he situates his beds 90 degrees to the wind, and how the bed has capillary action that help regulate the moisture, and how the deep rooted plants help bring up moisture and transpire.  

As I said, these documentaries are packed full of infomation and a wonderful and tempting view into Sepp's methods and farm. These are seriously great films!

How sad that as a resident of Western Australia I am not allowed to download this Sepp Holtzer packagethe 3 documentaries. It’s not as though any postage is involved.
Not happy, guys!

We're not happy about it, either! It has to do with VAT laws, which are a big reason that another digital content provider died. We don't want to die, too!

Here's a thread all about why we can't SELL digital content internationally here on permies: https://permies.com/t/137817/VAT-digital-market

I do have some good news, though! For those that back the kickstarter within the first two days--even at the $1 level--they get a whole host of free goodies (here's the list of all the goodies: https://permies.com/w/earlybird). And, one of the goodies is the first video in this documentary series.


Here's the link to the kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/greenhouse-1?ref=8zrzi6&token=c19f680c. Click "notify on launch" so you know when it launches...as time zones are wonky. It should go live tomorrow at 2:00pm Mountain Standard Time (USA), and I have no idea what the equivalent is in Australia.

You might also check out Green Planet Films (https://www.greenplanetfilms.org/), as they offer the films for sale on their site, and might offer it streaming, as well.

I'd probably support the kickstarter at $1 to get the first video, and if you like it, see if you can access it through Green Planet Films. We were really excited to offer these videos, because they are hard to get a hold of.

I'm sorry international trade laws suck!

I give these videos 9 out of 10 acorns.

These videos brought together into one package lots of disparate "Sepp knowledge" I'd heard Paul talk about in his podcasts and articles (and probably elsewhere), but never heard all at once nor seen all the accompanying visuals.

Having all of that information right in one place, with the images of the Krameterhof, helps drive the points of wisdom home.

I use these videos when I want somebody to get closer to understanding the kind of cultivation I'm pursuing. It's beautiful, it's Sepp, and it's also distinctly not the home & garden magazine.

I wish there was more of them, or more info, or more detail. But that's the nature of an introductory program. I have these on DVD, so I can't speak to the streaming component of this, just the content. But my version was clearly lovingly-artisinally-hand-etched from the original VHS tapes.

Nicole Alderman wrote:For those that back the kickstarter within the first two days--even at the $1 level--they get a whole host of free goodies (here's the list of all the goodies: https://permies.com/w/earlybird). And, one of the goodies is the first video in this documentary series.

Will international backers at the $100 level (or above) be able to access and watch all three videos, now that Stretch Goal #6 has been reached?

Yes sir! It'll be sometime (I think a week or so?? It's been a year, and I don't really remember) after the kickstarter is completed. Paul sends out a bunch of gift codes that allow you to access everything. The gift codes don't expire. You claim the gift code and then you have perpetual access!

I really enjoy(ed) these films. They have great replay value, as Sepp unloads so much information and food for thought in his designs and explanations, I have to watch certain scenes several times. I do not get bored at all watching them or re-watching them. I find the content inspiring -- he makes it look easy!

I also like that the film director(s) took the time to show nice, stable shots of the Krameterhof, and the things living therein, plants and animals. I feel immersed in the vibrant life energy of the place. I think what blew me away the most (of all the eye-opening synergies and symbioses that are made aware to us, the viewers) was that we get to see how Sepp uses water for energy, and takes great advantage of the mountainside for moving water around, making sun traps, terraces.

Great value.

Like Sepp, I've nurtured a lifelong obsession with ponds and flowing water. Good, clean fun! A ball pit of acorns for these three docs.

Does anyone know if these videos are closed captioned? I want to buy them, but without captions it's an exercise in frustration. Thanks!

Mary Leah McCarthy wrote:Does anyone know if these videos are closed captioned? I want to buy them, but without captions it's an exercise in frustration. Thanks!

The narrator speaks English, and there's no captions for that. When Sepp Holzer speaks, the narrator translates it into English. But, there's no closed-captioning (either auto-generated or intentional).

I hope that helps with your decision making!

Thank you!

I see there is a DVD option, and a digital option.  Are these the most up-to-date videos teaching how to do stuff Sepp Holzer style?  If not, where is the most up to date information to be found?

Peter Chan wrote:I see there is a DVD option, and a digital option.  Are these the most up-to-date videos teaching how to do stuff Sepp Holzer style?  If not, where is the most up to date information to be found?

Fairly recent video footage here.