Hi -
My name is Karen Gerstel. I have been gardening since my at-the-time-fiance/now-husband and I bought our first property in Dutchess County 34 years ago. Many moves and many gardens later, we are back in the area, just 5 minutes from where we first started. With that very first house purchase, gardening was a way I could make "improvements" at the lowest cost possible... my labor. It was all trial and error, with glossy coffee table gardening books as my inspiration. Six years ago I stumbled into the world of eco-region specific gardening, and a giant lightbulb went on. With the encouragement of a devoted ecologically minded Columbia County Master Gardener friend from work at Olana State Historic Site in Hudson, my journey to "heal" my little patch on this planet began.
I am most excited to learn about the nitty gritty of soil health and integrated pest management. As a gardener of trees, shrubs and flowers, I also hope to learn about vegetable gardening... something I have never done!