Water Conservation Efforts: Located in the semi-arid region of Southern California which is prone to drought, The Growing Experience seeks to be water-wise and practice water conservation whenever possible.
Rain Water Catchment: One of our first water-saving strategies is to harvest rain-water from the office building and greenhouse in rain barrels to use in dry periods.
Drought-tolerant and Native Plants: Areas of the farm that are non-productive, are not irrigated and instead are planted with drought-tolerant and native plants. These plants provide habitat for local critters and ensure that potable water is not used for landscaping purposes.
Drip Irrigation: Although some plants require hand-watering, the farm’s fruit tree orchards, Food Forest and many vegetable beds are watered with a drip-irrigation system which ensures that water is delivered directly to the root zone rather than being lost through evaporation, soil absorption, or run-off.
Mulching: With the exception of the concrete slab for the office building, there are no paved surfaces on the farm or at the community garden. With minimally paved surfaces, we can reduce any possible run-off created by rain events and ensure that the water is instead absorbed by the soil to replenish the ground water table. Additionally, thick layers of mulch are applied throughout the farm and garden to increase moisture retention by our crops, and reduce surface evaporation. Over time the mulch breaks down which also provides much needed nutrients for our heavy-clay soil.