Grow Local gardeners spent a recent Saturday morning getting their hands dirty in the SFC Teaching Garden and learning about water conservation techniques for home gardens. Because we are in a drought, water-saving practices are important in every aspect of our daily lives, whether we’re brushing our teeth or watering the garden.

Water usage in the garden can easily spiral out of control in the summer months if we’re not watering efficiently. Class participants learned how to water the soil instead of the plants so that water would not be lost via evaporation before ever reaching the plants’ roots. We learned about planting appropriate plants and plant varieties based on the time of year and region to also help save water, as many locally-adapted plants require less water. Home gardens are a great place to catch rainwater to irrigate fruits and vegetables. Class participants also toured the SFC Teaching Garden and St. David's Foundation Community Garden and installed ollas (porous clay pots that maintain soil moisture when buried in garden beds), set up a drip irrigation system, and learned how to mulch around established plants to retain soil moisture. At the end of the day, two participants walked away with their own ollas, and everyone was able to take home newfound knowledge about conserving precious resources as well as some native plant seeds!