A group of diverse people holding hands in a circle outdoors in a grassy field surrounded by trees and mountains

Asheville Permaculture

Announcing Mother Tree Permaculture 5 Weekends this Fall, 2026

Permaculture at Ruby Ranch

Six women gathered around a table inside a barn, looking at a large sheet of paper with handwritten sketches. There are two small oranges on the paper, and one orange on a stick resting on the paper. The barn door is open, revealing a farmyard with grass, fencing, and a barn in the background.
Group of people sitting in a barn, making and weaving Christmas wreaths with twigs and greenery.
Close-up of a green, curled, bud-like plant structure on a stem outdoors, with blurry yellow flowers and green foliage in the background.

We are a women-led experiential educational space that aims to root permaculture design in principles of justice. Predominately housed in Western North Carolina, we teach resilient ecological design from a place of relationship and remembering, while honoring the land.

Mother Tree is a co-creation of Laura Ruby, Bevelyn Afor Ukah, Beatrice Nathan, with generous support and contributions from many others.

When hurricane Helene hit, our Permaculture Design Course dreams took the back burner, and we considered not offering it at all. After speaking with colleagues and mentors, and as we began to shift away from catastrophe and into healing and repair, we felt clear that we should offer this course.

The permaculture class of 2025 was fantastic! It left us all feeling more supported, connected, inspired and eager to make a positive change in our homes and communities. And to continue teaching and bringing people together.

Mother Tree Permaculture is offering an 11 day intensive in the heart of Western North Carolina. This is a full Permaculture Design Certification course, taught on working land, and held on weekends so working folks can be here too.

You’ll learn permaculture from experts in the field, using a curriculum rooted in sustainability, equity, liberation ecology, food justice, and joy. You’ll design your own site (or community site, or a friend or family member’s site) with 1:1 mentorship while earning your Permaculture Design Certificate.

You’ll reconnect with purpose, build community resilience, and get to walk your talk in a space built to hold the hard conversations alongside the practical ones.

We are teaching this in the practice of liberation ecology, joyful abolition, and right relation. With honesty and slowness, and in alignment with true permaculture values.

We are a women-led experiential educational space that aims to root permaculture design in principles of justice. Predominately housed in Western North Carolina, we teach resilient ecological design from a place of relationship and remembering, while honoring the land.

Centering BIPOC Participation

As part of our commitment to making permaculture education more accessible and reflective of the communities most impacted by land and food apartheid, we have a number of fully financially supported BIPOC seats available in our upcoming fall 2026 Permaculture Design Course.

If you are inspired to learn these skills then we are excited to work with you.

If you support this mission and are able to contribute financially to our goal of fully funded scholarship seats, please consider donating to our scholarship fund.

Class primarily takes place at the Ruby Ranch, with multiple tours and hands-on activities at other farms in the Asheville area. Participants can camp onsite or in the region, or book one of many air BnB’s or hotels in the area. Click the ‘Learn More’ button for more information about this offering!

Learn more!
A group of people gathered inside a rustic barn, engaging in a discussion around a large table, with some standing and smiling, and others sitting. One person is taking photos, and a woman in a red plaid shirt is smiling broadly. The barn has an open door showing a farmyard outside with trees, a fence, and a small building.
A young girl smiling and holding passion fruit in a garden, surrounded by green leafy plants and purple passion flower blossoms.
Three people standing near a large tree, one woman reaching up towards the sky, a girl leaning against the tree, and a man smiling with sunglasses on, outdoors in a green park.
Two women, one with blonde hair and the other with curly dark hair wearing a colorful dress, are exploring large green leaves of a fig tree outside near a white house with siding and string lights.

 

"Nature is not a place to visit. It is home."

— GARY SNYDER

FAQs

Luke Cannon Plant Walk Asheville

  • This depends partly on why you are coming to the Ranch. This is a mostly outdoor space in the WNC mountains, which means the weather can change quickly. Be prepared with layers, a water bottle, snacks and/or sunscreen. Each specific event will let you know if you need to bring anything else. It is a working farm. Farm appropriate footwear encouraged.

  • We have a heated indoor bathroom available to the public.

  • We accept venmo, check, and cash. Most events will also accept credit card payments.

  • There is ample parking on sight. Four wheel drive is not required.

  • Horses are big, powerful animals that form relationships just like people. When meeting them for the first time, you may do so with the guidance of Ruby Ranch support staff. Of course you may quietly engage with them from a distance over the fence.

  • The Ranch is a kid-friendly space. Unless an event indicates otherwise, all events are family-friendly.

  • At this time, we ask that you leave your beloved furry canines at home. This is to keep the peace and security of the animals already living on site.

  • You can volunteer on our community workdays (click here). If you have a specific volunteer request, or want to volunteer as a specific group, please reach out to us.