Hugelkultur, you have heard about it and you want to try it.  Come on over to my site at www.permafarmer.blogspot.com and check out my latest posting on building a hugelkultur bed here in Canada.  The myriad of benefits they provide are even more so here given our abundance of woody materials and the small amount of heat the mounds provide helping to protect from cold nights and extend the season.  Also, this is berry country, and hugelkultur is known to be great for that.