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Regenerative Design
Journal Teachings, reflections, analysis and case studies from land, life and business that regenerate.
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The Sun & Bloom Permaculture Farm School Village Journal — Week 18 Spring in Full Motion | Soil, Bees, Flowers, Compost, Courses & the Village Growing Zone 7A / 6B — Lebanon, Missouri
It has been a few weeks since our last full Farm School Village Journal. The last one was written around April 1st, covering Weeks 13 and 14. Now we are in Week 18, and the difference on the land is almost hard to believe. Spring is no longer arriving, spring is here. The farm has crossed that invisible seasonal threshold where everything begins moving at once. The trees are greening. The understory is filling in. The soil is warm enough to respond quickly. The insects are active. The ticks are out. The bees are flying. The flowers are forming buds. The high tunnels are full. The outdoor beds are being planted. The compost piles are multiplying. This is the part of spring where the farm stops whispering and starts speaking loudly. Ecological Context: The Canopy Wakes Up All across the farm, the trees are waking into green. Some oaks are still moving slowly — buds swelling, leaf tips just beginning to push outward. Others are already carrying young leaves. That unevenness is part of the beauty of spring in the Ozarks. Not every species wakes at the same pace. The redbuds have been brightening the edges of fields and woods. Dogwoods are flowering through the understory. Serviceberry, wild plum, hawthorn, and red buckeye are all part of this larger Missouri spring bloom pattern, each one playing its own role in feeding pollinators and signaling the season’s movement. On the ground, spring wildflowers are also showing themselves. This is the time for violets, spring beauties, mayapples, celandine poppies, columbine, and other native flowers to appear in forests, field edges, roadsides, and stream corridors. April is one of the best months to pay attention to this layer of the landscape, because so many spring plants do their work quickly before the canopy fully closes. This spring has been warm. Sunny. Wet. Full of growth. And full of ticks. We are seeing a lot of them this year, and at some point we’ll write a separate article about ticks from an ecological perspective — not just “how do we avoid them,” but what conditions allow their populations to explode. That conversation includes deer pressure, small mammal populations, predator relationships, edge habitat, fragmented ecosystems, warm wet springs, and the ways disrupted landscapes can favor certain species over others. Ticks are not just a nuisance. They are a signal. And like everything else on a regenerative farm, we want to look at the deeper ecological pattern. What Has Been Happening on the Farm Since our last journal, the farm has been moving fast. We’ve been building compost, shaping rows, planting high tunnels, planting outdoor beds, starting more seeds, preparing flowers, hosting events, teaching workshops, serving CSA members, and continuing to build the larger Farm School Village structure. Some of the beds are planted with brassicas like kale and cabbage. Others hold carrots, radishes, turnips, lettuces, parsley, cilantro, and other cool-season crops. Some rows are already producing. Some are just beginning. Some still need to be finished. We do feel a little behind — but that is also the truth of spring. Spring does not wait until your systems are perfectly organized. It arrives all at once, and then the work becomes learning how to keep pace without losing the thread. Flowers Coming Into Bud One of the most exciting things right now is the flower tunnel and Anna Maria’s flower plantings. Many of the flowers are already forming buds, and that is especially meaningful because she planned this timing carefully for Mother’s Day. There is something very beautiful about that. Flowers are not just a side crop here. They are part of the emotional and visual life of the farm. They bring people in. They create joy. They support events. They build beauty into the production system. They become bouquets, photographs, gifts, and memories. A farm that grows food feeds people. A farm that grows flowers also feeds the spirit. We’re looking forward to sharing those blooms soon. Seed & Ecological Wisdom Exchange We also hosted our Seed & Ecological Wisdom Exchange. The weather made it difficult. We had heavy rains on Wednesday and Friday, and the bridge flooded. Because of that, we had to move the event from Saturday to Sunday. Many of the people who registered were probably not able to come because of church, family plans, or the schedule change. Only a small percentage of registrants made it. But the people who did come shared a beautiful day with us. We had seeds available, conversations about ecological growing, a walk through the farm, discussion about regenerative practices, and time with Anna Maria around flowers and medicinal plants. Of course, it was disappointing to prepare so much and have the weather shift the event. But that is also farming. That is also community-building. That is also learning how to stay flexible with the land we live on. The people who came were engaged, curious, and grateful. That matters. Master Composting & Soil Regeneration Intensive On April 25th, we hosted our Master Composting & Soil Regeneration Intensive. This workshop was small, but powerful. We joked that we “knighted” two more people into the realm of regenerative soil — but truly, it was meaningful to spend the day going deep into what soil is, how it behaves, and how we can work with it instead of against it. We explored:
One of the most important themes was this: We do not want to depend forever on fertility inputs shipped from far away. We want to learn how to build fertility from the farm itself. That means compost. Leaves. Animal bedding. Wood chips. Cover crops. Crop residues. Forest duff. Vermicompost. Compost extracts. Compost teas. Water-harvesting earthworks that catch runoff with organic matter and turns what could be erosion into fertility. It is not about buying soil health. It is about building it. CSA Has Begun We also served our first CSA box of the season, and we are preparing to serve the second. This early in the season, we are not yet in full abundance. But there are greens, leafy crops, herbs, microgreens, and the first signs of what is coming. CSA members are receiving the earliest harvests from the farm, and that relationship is important to us. CSA is not just a box of vegetables. It is a shared commitment. Members help carry the farm through the beginning of the season, before abundance fully arrives. In return, they receive priority access to the food as it begins flowing from the land. We are grateful for the people who have stepped into that relationship with us. Bees, Apprenticeship & the Pollinator Season The bees are active again. On warm days, we can see them moving with purpose — leaving the hive, returning with pollen, responding to the flowers and tree blooms opening across the landscape. Anna Maria has also begun her seasonal beekeeping apprenticeship, a monthly hands-on learning experience centered around hive inspections and natural beekeeping practices. This is not just a lecture series. It is a full-season relationship with the hive. Participants learn by observing the bees across time — how colonies build, how queens lay, how brood patterns shift, how nectar flows affect behavior, how swarming pressure develops, and how to approach bees with respect rather than fear. The next session is coming in May, and this is a beautiful way for people to learn beekeeping through lived experience instead of isolated information. Bees remind us that fertility is not just in the soil. It is also in the movement between flowers, insects, weather, trees, and time. Soil Work Continues — And Now We’re Taking It Online All of this soil work is leading into something larger. We are preparing to offer a Master Regenerative Soil & Fertility Systems online course — a four-part training with optional certification. This course will cover:
What makes this especially exciting is that we have a living classroom here. We can show people the difference between the soil we started with and the soil we now have in the market gardens, high tunnels, orchard areas, pasture systems, compost systems, and developing perennial plantings. We can show soil that has been compacted and soil that has been opened. Soil that has been covered and soil that has been exposed. Soil that has been fed with compost and organic matter, and soil that is still waiting to be rebuilt. We’ll also show how to test soil without turning it into something intimidating or expensive. Simple observation matters. Water infiltration matters. Smell matters. Aggregation matters. Plant response matters. Biology matters. We’ll talk about compost, vermicompost, compost extracts, compost teas, cover crops, mulch, fertility plants, and ways to turn “problems” into solutions — like using runoff pathways as places to catch organic matter and minerals instead of losing them. We are also beginning to build a soil regeneration lab on the farm. That feels like a major step. Not because the lab needs to be fancy, but because it gives us a place to organize this work, teach it more clearly, and continue developing the practical tools that make soil regeneration understandable for more people. Permaculture Design Retreats & Courses We are also preparing to launch our permaculture design retreats and courses for the year. This is work we have been teaching for many years, and we are excited to bring it more fully into the farm context again. We would love to hear from people who are interested. Some people may want a long weekend introduction to permaculture — something hands-on, immersive, and practical, where they can walk through the systems here and begin to understand the design thinking behind them. Others may want something deeper — a 10-day experience where we move through each major system more carefully and help participants begin designing their own land, garden, homestead, farm, or community project. The farm is becoming an increasingly powerful place to teach this because people do not have to imagine the systems. They can walk through them. They can see the compost piles. The high tunnels. The animals. The flowers. The mushrooms. The nursery starts. The water movement. The forest. The farm store. The CSA packing. The educational systems. The mistakes. The experiments. The living relationships. Permaculture is not just a set of ideas. It is a way of seeing relationships. And this farm is becoming a place where those relationships are easier to see. The Farm School Village: Roles, Partners & Families The larger Farm School Village vision is also moving. We recently launched invitations for people to apply to join Sun & Bloom Farms in revenue-share partner roles. Right now, three main positions are open:
We have made some adjustments to how we imagine working with partners, and we continue to refine the structure so that it is fair, clear, and rooted in real responsibility. A few people may join us shortly, but the positions remain open until filled. We are looking for people who are aligned, capable, grounded, and ready to help steward real systems — not just talk about them. The Farm School Village is not built by an idea. It is built by people doing the work together. Mushrooms Are Flushing The mushrooms have been incredible lately. We’ve had big flushes from the logs, and every time mushrooms appear it feels like a small miracle — wood becoming food, forest becoming nourishment, fungal networks expressing themselves in visible form. Mushrooms remain one of the most elegant regenerative systems on the farm. They fit into the forest. They use wood. They produce high-value food. They teach patience. They connect ecology, nutrition, and enterprise. We will soon be launching a Mushroom Growing Operation Steward position as another revenue-share opportunity on the farm. This will likely include both outdoor log production and indoor mushroom systems as we continue expanding. If you know someone passionate about mushrooms — someone who loves production, biology, systems, and food — please send them our way. This could become a beautiful enterprise for the right person. Looking Ahead Spring is in full motion now. The trees are greening. The bees are flying. The ticks are out. The flowers are forming buds. The high tunnels are producing. The outdoor rows are being planted. Compost is being made. Mushrooms are fruiting. CSA has begun. Courses are forming. Partners are emerging. It is a lot. But it is also exactly what this season is supposed to feel like. The farm is no longer only preparing. The farm is producing. The village is growing. Ways to Learn, Join, or Support Here are the main invitations right now: Master Regenerative Soil & Fertility Systems A four-part online course with optional certification. We’ll go from soil foundations to testing, compost, living fertility, teas, extracts, and practical soil regeneration systems. https://www.sunandbloomfarms.com/store/p91/soil-regeneration-online.html Beekeeping Apprenticeship with Anna Maria Monthly hands-on hive inspections and natural beekeeping through the season. https://www.sunandbloomfarms.com/store/p90/beekeeping-mentorship-lebanon-mo.html Permaculture Design Retreats & Courses Long weekend introductions and deeper 10-day learning experiences are being shaped now. Send us a message and let us know which format would interest you. Revenue-Share Partner Roles We currently have open roles for farm production, events/storytelling, and trainings/media. Applications are open until filled. https://www.sunandbloomfarms.com/partners.html Mushroom Growing Operation Steward Coming soon. Let us know if you know someone who may be a strong fit. Thank you for following this journey. We are building the future we teach — slowly, imperfectly, and with our hands in the soil. — Lucian & Anna Maria Sun & Bloom Farms The Permaculture Farm School Village |
AuthorLucian and Anna Maria Archives
August 2026
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