Hi Everyone — I live in Knoxville, Tennessee, on a typical 1950s city-suburban lot (ranch house, big backyard). I garden in the backyard in a series of stone raised beds designed in a semi-spiral pattern, next to my garden shed which has, since COVID, also become my office, workout space, and a video studio. I've gardened for 15+ years, got my master gardener certification about 10 years ago, and wrote a book on vegetable gardening that was published last year. I also have a master's degree in environmental studies. After 10 years working for home and garden magazines, I worked for a few years in marketing for a vegetable plant company, and I currently work full-time as editorial director for HGTV, where I sometimes get to talk about gardening. 

I've known about permaculture for years but have never gone beyond the basics. I'm really looking forward to learning more. When I redesigned my garden in-place from rectangular raised beds into the spiral shape that fits the terrain, it was like an epiphany. I felt closer to the land and closer to the garden — it's like it wanted to be shaped that way. I also incorporated more perennials so it's growing year-round and from year-to-year. I have a few fruit trees and shrubs, but I'd love to expand. (No animals yet except my Australian shepherd, Rufus.) I look forward to learning more about permaculture and sustainable design, and my hope is that I can also share this knowledge with audiences who may not be familiar with it at all.