Beyond Buckthorns - Permaculture Design Hub in rural Finland
A life beyond sea buckthorns. Permaculture courses, regenerative gardening, agroecology, permaculture design, biogas and food in rural Finland, Pälkäne.

Come visit!
All visits must either be part of the course or help us with some tasks.
Please contact us in advance - at least one week before.
Study permaculture!
Are you interested in a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design? Then Nick could be your tutor!
Be a Wwoofer!
Wwoof = World wide opportunity in organic farming.
You want to help us in our garden or with projects?
Support our efforts
In 2022, we founded Vihreä Pourusmäki RY - an association for rural development.
With hosts that are so warm and knowledgeable, the PDC at Beyond Buckthorns is magical. Discussions of all sorts, friendships begin to flourish.
Sustainability Courses
This course in Finnish only!
Please read the details in the Finnish course description!
Come and design with us!
Explore the power of renewable energy in a day! 🌱
DIY Biogas movie

In 2023 Nick released his documentary "Holy Shit - a journey into DIY biogas". Follow him visiting several key figures in the DIY Biogas movement in the United States. Learn about DIY biogas. Get inspired!
Latest news

A Week of Peer Exchange – The LINK Project
On February 5th, Lumia and I boarded the train from Hämeenlinna to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. An hour and a half later, we arrived at the baggage drop, and a few minutes later, thanks to CT scanners, we passed through security.

The two barrel biogas digester - welcome the "Warp Core"
For some month, even years, I claimed that my initial biogas system “Jean Luc” was too big for a family of two. A 1000 litre IBC digester with an Hydrolic Retention Time (HRT) of 20 days can be fed about 50 litres / day. The most we fed over the years is 10 litres / day.
The age of Digital Permaculture

Digital Permaculture extends the current understanding of permaculture into the digital space. Follow Nick on his journey where he explorers how personal digital sustainability can be achieved using permaculture design. On ~352 pages he will guide you through one big permaculture design. Learn about IT and permaculture design at the same time!
About us and our permaculture design hub
Beyond Buckthorns is a permaculture design hub and education centre. In the past years, we have worked on the old log house and its three-hectare plot in accordance with sustainability, esp. the principles of permaculture.