August 9, 2026
Soil-less Gardens: Keys To Success
This is for anyone who has activated a soil-less garden ("SLG") and sometimes struggles with the process.
If you haven’t watched Machaelle’s Soil-less Garden workshop in a while or ever — we guarantee it will help you with your current and future soil-less gardens to watch it now. What better time than when it’s available for streaming on Patreon at an introductory price?!
If you first want to learn more about what Soil-less Gardens are about, get an inspiring preview with this 10-minute excerpt from the workshop.
Talking To Your Team
When we hear from folks on the question line struggling with a soil-less garden (SLG), most often we find they are not talking to their team! It’s the most important aspect in any SLG and the one that’s most often left out.
Co-creative teams include US! We have to actively participate for the project to move forward and succeed.
This is why watching Machaelle’s workshop makes a difference. And it's why it's best to have both the Soil-less Garden Companion AND watch the workshop to function most effectively in this partnership with nature.
If the workshop only being available in DVD held you back, there’s no reason now! You can find your footing, move forward and understand better how this works (or refresh your knowledge!) by streaming the workshop now.
Nature is action. Nature is movement. And nature dedicates its energy to health, growth and change. We prefer to communicate through action. If we wish to teach you something that you have indicated to us you wish to know, we will most likely show you the information: demonstrate it to you.
~ from Nature on Stagnant Information, The Perelandra Garden Workbook, Machaelle Wright
DDPs
In addition to "Talk to your team," the other tip we give on the Question Hot line is, "Say what you mean."
When you write your DDP (definition, direction and purpose), don't put your effort into looking for the perfect words to make it sound impressive. Keep it simple and say just what you want to achieve. No flowery words or detailed descriptions.
There is a level of personal honesty and clarity required of us anytime we work with nature. Nature always reflects back what we put out there. Don't dress it up. And don't leave out what's sitting in the back of your mind that needs to be said aloud. If you have intents that you don't speak, you'll muddle the process.
When you write your DDP (definition, direction and purpose), don't put your effort into looking for the perfect words to make it sound impressive. Keep it simple and say just what you want to achieve. No flowery words or detailed descriptions.
There is a level of personal honesty and clarity required of us anytime we work with nature. Nature always reflects back what we put out there. Don't dress it up. And don't leave out what's sitting in the back of your mind that needs to be said aloud. If you have intents that you don't speak, you'll muddle the process.
Machaelle gives excellent tips for writing DDPs and lots of examples in the Soil-less Garden Companion and in her workshop.
Shared Experiences: Learning and Recovering from Mistakes
Plane Travel, Air B&B and a Wedding
It started out easily enough. I had plenty of time to prepare, and I thought it might make a good "short term project" example to share.
This was my DDP:
A safe, easy, enjoyable trip to California to attend my brother's wedding.
To celebrate and support this milestone in his life with our family.
Departing February 1st and returning February 5th.
For the Starting Process, I declared my intent, shifted ETS for Soil-less Gardens and ETS for Soil, and then tested for and shifted Essence of Perelandra (EoP). This took about 20 minutes total, and then I was interrupted. I excused myself, closed the coning and went to take care of the emergency.
Mistake #1: I didn't establish a dedicated time for the Starting Process to activate the project. All I'd need was an hour, maybe an hour and a half at most. Instead, I sneaked the meeting into the day and never mentioned to my partner that I'd be working on a project and unavailable for a while. So he didn't know that it wasn't the best time to clear the creosote out of the chimney, get stuck and call for help. . . .
Read the full SLG experience with all the mistakes and lessons here.
Lessons the Hard Way
In the "Soil-less Garden" video, Machaelle says not to pick something you don't want to lose when you first start working with nature. So, of course, we decided to choose our house.
We have lived in our house for eight years and decided to purchase it. We felt ready to work with nature to bring this about. We found a broker and set out to do this. But, as Machaelle says, "There is a learning curve."
Read the full SLG experience with all seven insights here.
Read Perelandra Voices articles from others sharing their experiences with nature and soil-less gardening here.
