Hi everyone,

My name is Deb Winther and I live on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. If you've never visited the area, let me tell you that we have some of the most beautiful beaches in the Northeast. Having said that, I'm essentially trying to garden on a big sand bar! Since I moved here 10 years ago, I've met some of the most knowledgeable folks that have been gracious enough to help me understand some of the challenges we face here - water quality, sand EVERYWHERE, erosion, pressure on the local fishing industry, an explosion in the seal population, and SHARKS! But, I love it here and want to do my part to make my little plot of land more supportive of the local environment.

It may surprise you to know that there is a thriving organic farming movement here on the Cape. You can find a farmers market every day of the week up and down the Cape during the summer, and a couple in the winter. It was during my first winter here that I was introduced to Hugelkulture, rainwater gardens, and lasagna gardening through the wonderful farmers I met at the Orleans Winter Market. I had never heard of these practices in all the years I have been gardening. To say I was intrigued is an understatement. I started reading whatever I could find on these subjects and was quickly overwhelmed with all the information available. I was lucky enough to stumble across the Cornell program and I'm hoping these classes will help me organize all the information, and come up with a coherent plan to transform my yard into a habitat that attracts and supports wildlife, rather that just another green lawn sucking up precious water and adding contaminants to the ground water. 

Deb