Photo by Fletcher Oakes

The First Annual Open House at the Water Conservation Garden in El Cerrito, held on June 14, was a big success. Certainly worthy of a repeat next year!

We had over 30 guests visit the garden, which included a small child and a little dog. We had 16 email sign-ups. For many of these people, it was their first contact with UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa.

Many West County UC Master Gardeners were present to explain how the subterranean irrigation systems in our raised beds work and conserve water so plants can grow and thrive. We answered questions like how deep a raised bed must be (about 18”), what exactly do the French drainpipes and plavel do (store water), how much
water (from 80 gallons to over 200 gallons), how long does ‘plavel’ last (forever), and lots more! Liv and Fletcher have created beautiful educational posters to explain the garden’s water-conservation methods, rainwater collection, and soil mechanics.

Another attraction at the Open House was our local beekeeper, Kelsey Howard, who had made a hive with a plastic window so people could watch the bees at work inside. (They were very busy with their bee activities.) One of our guests sent us an email afterwards and wrote: “I hope the City of El Cerrito (re. West Contra Costa Unified School District, the owner of this property) can give you a 100-year lease so fruit trees can be planted on the site!” From her lips to God’s ear!

For our first time out of the box, it was very gratifying to see so much interest from our guests in our work and the progress of this new garden.

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