Follow Our Regenerative Demonstration Garden

Peter Jensen, Priscilla Husband and Josh Wile

photo credit: Justin Alex

Welcome to Agway of Cape Cod’s Regenerative Demonstration Garden! We’re transforming a once-barren slope outside our Orleans store into a living classroom that shows you how to “plant the rain.” Starting August 6, Peter Jensen of Terra Firma International and our garden coach Priscilla Husband are building a series of hugel terraces that slow, sink, and store rainwater—creating rich, resilient soil and drought-busting beauty. Follow along as we:

Assess & Prepare – Map how water flows across the site.
Build & Terrace – Construct permeable, wood-and-compost terraces.
Plant & Thrive – Add climate-resilient natives that feed pollinators.
Maintain & Educate – Share hands-on tips so you can do it at home.

Stay tuned: we’ll post updates and photos after each step so you can see the garden grow.

Kick-Off Event
When: Wednesday, August 6 • 3–5 PM
Where: Orleans Agway, 55 Route 28
Join us live: watch Peter and Priscilla break ground on Step 1 (the first hugel terrace) and pick up expert advice for your own yard.

What’s Next?
This page will evolve with every milestone—check back for:

Photo galleries of each phase
Short how-to videos from Priscilla
Tips on sourcing materials at Agway
Q&A posts where you ask, and we answer

BEFORE

Step 1 is complete! Starting with a sandy/loamy hill, the first hugel terrace is defined by the first 1’deep trench filled with with dry dead logs, followed with leaf mold piles, then compost and topped with cedar mulch. This was done three times to create a deep, 4’ terrace.
Next week, another terrace. Everyone was involved in the work learning about the “sponge created by the trenches to capture water.” SO fun!