About Me - The Story Behind Heart and Soil

Hi, I’m Dave!
 

Growing up working alongside my father in the family landscape construction business, I gained an early appreciation for getting my hands dirty and the true meaning of hard work. It also gave me my first introduction into the way garden plants fit into the home landscape.

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After studying Sustainable Landscape Horticulture at the University of Vermont and working at Gardener's Supply Company as an installer, I spent over a decade working as a winemaker and vineyard manager. During that time, I deepened my appreciation for the relationship between soil, plants, climate, and the passionate farmers who dedicate their lives to putting food on our plates - or wine in our glasses!

 

My wife, Sarah, and I hand built our home in 2017 and began experiementing with permaculture techniques. Over the years, we've transformed our property into a thriving collection of native perennial and food gardens, along with a field of summer cut flowers. What began as our own experiment in growing and land stewardship, has become a passion that I'm excited to share with others.

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Today, as a NOFA Accredited Organic Landcare Professional, I'm excited to combine my background in horticulture, farming, and land stewardship to help create beautiful, productive, and resilient landscapes here in the New Hampshire Seacoast and beyond. Heart and Soil Garden Company is rooted in the belief that we can create backyard landscapes that work in harmony with nature's rhythms. Landscapes that work with nature, not against it.

 

 

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The name reflects two things I believe are essential to creating a thriving ecological garden.

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Heart is about how we care for the land—with intention, curiosity, love, and respect for the living systems already present. As humans we are biologically drawn to the awe of nature's wonders. Instead of creating ecological wastelands in our backyards, let's work to create symbiotic relationships in harmony with the natural world and bring that wonder home.

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Soil is where it all begins. The foundation of life. The soul of the garden. (See what I did there?) Healthy gardens depend on healthy soil, and healthy soil is alive with an incredible network of organisms working together beneath our feet.

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When we transform a lawn into a garden, plant a native tree, grow food, restore a patch of soil, or simply create a space for pollinators, we're not only changing the landscape itself—we're changing our relationship with it. Making a positive change to the landscape in your own yard will not only benefit your personal backyard ecosystem, but that of your neighbors and the greater New Hampshire seacoast community as well. Nature doesn't adhere to property lines and each yard does not exist in isolation. By focusing on soil health and water management, and by designing with thoughtful intention, we can create stunningly beautiful gardens that provide food - for humans and wildlife alike -, support pollinators, conserve water, and create spaces where people can slow down and reconnect with nature.

 

That is what I hope to create through Heart and Soil: thriving landscapes and gardens that are beautiful places to enjoy, but also living pieces of a healthier, more resilient ecosystem.

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Let’s Grow Something Together

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