Burbsteading: Transform Your Suburban Yard into a Food Forest

Did you know? There are over 43 million acres of lawn in North America. Combined, our lawns are the fourth-largest agricultural land holding in the country—surpassed only by ranching, corn, and wheat.

Yet, we face a growing supply crisis and our food is quickly transforming into food-like-substances. We have lost the skills to put food on our table, relying entirely on shopping while our own backyards remain untapped reservoirs of abundance. During the Great Depression, 40% of America's food came from farms and gardens. Today, sadly, less than 4% is grown by Americans. It’s time to reclaim some skill sets.

What is Burbsteading?

Burbsteading is an intensive, 15-hour workshop designed to take you step-by-step through the principles of Permaculture Design, Market Gardening, and Natural Farming. Perfect for:

• Homeowners — who are ready to swap some grass for edible landscaping.

• Parents & Teens — a summer project that builds life skills and creates a legacy.

• Beginners — no experience needed. We start with your property and build a plan you can actually use.

What You Will Learn

You will learn to design a system that:

• Catches Water: Harvests rain and survives drought.

• Builds Soil: Creates fertile, living earth without chemicals.

• Captures Energy: Works with the sun and wind to reduce maintenance.

• Cycles Wastes: Turns kitchen scraps and yard trimmings into gold.

• Raises Animals: Integrates chickens, bees, or rabbits (where zoning allows).

• Produces Abundance: Grows food for your table, with surplus to sell or barter.

The Result: A Plan You Can Actually Use

This isn't just theory. By the end of the workshop, you will walk away with:

1. A Custom Site Design: A tailored map of your specific property.

2. Tailored Plant Lists: Exactly what to grow in your zone.

3. An Implementation Plan: A step-by-step timeline to make your design a reality.

The "BurbsteadingToolkit" (Included in Tuition)

Every student receives a toolkit to start their transformation immediately:

• A Plant Guild (3 Plants): Comfrey (Dynamic Accumulator) + Your Choice of Longevity Spinach OR Sunchoke (Calorie Crop) + Your Choice of Elderberry OR Goji Berry (Medicinal/Superfruit). This is your first step toward a full backyard food forest.

• Bokashi Bucket Starter: Turn your kitchen scraps into "liquid gold" fertilizer.

• Natural Farming Amendment: A bag of "Good Tilth" compost blend to kickstart your soil.

• The "Guild Builder" Design Binder: The Guild Builder Workbook, blank property maps, sector analysis charts, plant lists, and planting logs — everything you need to design your entire yard.

• Farm-Fresh Breakfast: Homemade muffins (organic & low-carb), fresh fruit, iced herbal tea, and coffee served daily at 8:30 AM.

The 5-Day Journey: Designing Your Future Property

Day 1: Observation & The Design (Monday)

Read the Land Before You Change It

• 8:30 – 9:00: Breakfast & Welcome.

• 9:00 – 10:00 — Sense of Place & Observation. Get to know your bio-region and your space. The week before, you will have an emailed assignment for observing and taking an Asset Inventory. We will go over those outcomes — what do you already have? What are your limitations?

• 10:00 – 11:00 — Permaculture 101. Learn the core design principles and the systems approach to planning for production and abundance. Understand relative location, multiple functions, energy preservation, and small-scale intensive systems.

• 11:00 – 11:30 — Sun & Weather. Growing food in harsh climates. How to work with North Texas's crazy seasons and plan for a four-season harvest.

  • Takeaway: A completed Site Analysis Map and Asset Inventory in your binder.

Day 2: The Soil Architect & The Water Wizard (Tuesday)

Build the Foundation. Everything Else Depends on It

• 8:30 – 9:00: Breakfast & Review.

• 9:00 – 10:00 — Soils. Overview of natural and regenerative farming. Learn about regenerating soils with phytoremediation, mycoremediation, and bioremediation. Discover inexpensive ways to build living soil, and cycle wastes through multiple composting methods (thermal, vermicompost, and Bokashi).

• 10:00 – 10:30 — Hands-On Lab: Bokashi. Start your own Bokashi system. Learn how to ferment kitchen waste - including grease, meat, and dairy into fertilizer!

• 10:30 – 11:30 — Water. Learn the many ways to "plant water" within your landscape: swales, rain gardens, cisterns, and ponds. Build a simple A-frame tool to survey and map the contours of your property. Discuss water purification methods.

  • Takeaway: Your Bokashi system, a contour map of your property, and a Water Management Plan.

Day 3: The Plant Strategist & The Propagator (Wednesday)

Choose the Right Plants and Multiply Them for Free

• 8:30 – 9:00: Breakfast & Review.

• 9:00 – 10:00 — Perennial Food Forests & Adaptive Plants. How to design food forests and guilds for succession harvesting. Learn the 7 layers of a food forest (Canopy to Root) and how to combine wild plants, calorie crops, nutrient-dense foods, fruits, herbs, and perennial vegetables into cooperative ecosystems.

• 10:00 – 10:30 — Market Gardens. How to plan and grow for your own needs first, then expand to sell or trade surplus. Learn succession planting and how to calculate what your family actually needs.

• 10:30 – 11:30 — Propagation. How to make "free" plants by seed, division, stem cuttings, grafting, and layering. This is the skill that turns one plant into dozens — the secret to filling your food forest on a budget.

  • Takeaway: A Draft Master Plan for your backyard food forest and the skills to multiply your own plants.

Day 4: The Animal Keeper & The Steward (Thursday)

Close the Loops — Animals, Technology, and Preservation

• 8:30 – 9:00: Breakfast & Review.

• 9:00 – 10:00 — Urban Animal Husbandry. Decide which animals you should raise, their shelter needs, fodder plants, and feed recipes. We cover backyard poultry, aquaponics, beekeeping, keeping mini goats, and how to work within city zoning laws.

• 10:00 – 10:30 — Appropriate Technology. Learn low-tech and no-tech ways to meet some of your needs and keep costs down — or survive a power outage. Solar dehydrators, rocket stoves, simple greywater systems, and more.

• 10:30 – 11:30 — Seed Saving & Preserving Harvests. Learn when to save seeds and how to store them for the next season. Preserve your harvests in the ground, in makeshift cellars, and by canning, freezing, and fermenting.

  • Takeaway: An Animal & Technology Assessment for your property and a seed-saving starter guide.

Day 5: The Builder — Putting It All Together (Friday)

From Paper to Reality

• 8:30 – 9:00: Breakfast & Celebration.

• 9:00 – 11:00 — The Master Design. Using Google Maps, your plant/animal lists, your understanding of rainfall, winds, sun patterns, priorities, and limitations — finalize your complete site design. Learn how to keep good records and plan for each season. Break off in groups of five and work on finalizing your designs.

• 11:00 – 11:30 — Raffle for Fig Tree and Volunteer Design Presentations - Certificate of Completion, Pick Your Plant Guild, Personalized Implementation Plan — a step-by-step timeline to transform your yard over the next 3 months, 1 year, and 3 years.

  • Takeaway: A finished site design of your property, complete with tailored plant lists, a planted Guild to take home, and the confidence to make your design a reality.

Investment & Registration

Standard Tuition: $295 per student (Includes 15 hours of instruction, all materials, the Guild Kit, Bokashi system, Binder, and 5 days of breakfast)

Parent & Child Duo Special: $550 (Save $40 when you register two family members together!)

Early Bird Discount: $275 per student (Register by May 15th to lock in this rate!)

Included in Tuition:

• ✅ 15 Hours of Expert Instruction Covering All 12 Burbsteading Modules

• ✅ Starter Plant Guild (Comfrey + Choice of Spinach/Sunchoke + Choice of Elderberry/Goji)

• ✅ Bokashi -Start composting Day 2)

• ✅ Custom Property Design Binder (Maps, Sector Analysis, Plant Lists, Implementation Timeline)

• ✅ KNF Natural Farming Soil Amendment

• ✅ 5 Days of Above Organic Breakfasts

• ✅ Certificate of Completion

Frequently Asked Questions

"I have a small suburban lot. Can I really grow food and keep animals?" Absolutely! Permaculture is for big and small spaces. We teach you how to stack functions and plant in time and space. How to grow vertically, use every square foot, and work within city zoning laws for small animals like chickens and bees.

"I have no gardening experience. Is this for me?" Yes! This camp is designed for beginners. We start with observation and build a plan that fits your specific property, so you never feel overwhelmed.

"Can I bring my teen?" Yes! This is a fantastic bonding experience. Teens learn valuable life skills, and parents get a partner for the garden. (Duo discount applies!)

"What if it rains?" We have covered areas for the classroom portions. The hands-on building can be done in light rain, or we will adjust the schedule to focus on indoor design work.

"Do I need to bring tools?" No! We provide all tools. Just wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty, comfortable shoes, and bring water!

Ready to Transform Your Property?

Spaces are limited to 20 students.

Start this summer with a plan to grow where you are planted. Join us for 5 mornings and start building a backyard that feeds you throughout the seasons.

Too hot for you or can't get away? We will be offering a virtual session this summer as well.

Questions? Email kirsten@goodtilthfarm.com