You’re excited about sustainable, organic, local food. Perhaps you’ve been gifted organic seeds from crops that did well in our local area, or you've gotten seeds or plant starts another way. You’ve worked the soil, and it’s teeming with microbes aching to connect with and nurture growing crops.

"Rainwater harvesting is the process of capturing rain and making the most of it as close as possible to where it falls.  By harvesting rainwater on the land within the soil and vegetation, or in cisterns that will later irrigate the land, it is possible to control erosion, reduce flooding, and minimize water pollution.  This practice is enormously beneficial in a world with a finite supply of fresh water that is becoming increasingly polluted.

This article was written in spring 2023

Deluge is an opportunity to prepare for future drought

Our community has survived more extreme weather events- the heavy rains in January 2023. Lake Cachuma has spilled for the first time since 2011. We have enough water to last at least a couple of years, especially if we continue to use it with the same amount of care we have grown accustomed to over many years.

So, are we still in drought? Why worry about water? Isn’t it a time to celebrate, to feel relief, to focus on rebuilding and preventing more stormwater disasters?

A curb cut is a rainwater harvesting feature that allows stormwater to flow into parkways or planting beds in parking lots, instead of running down the street, picking up pollution that ends up in the ocean.

November is a great time to plant natives in Santa Barbara. Getting the plants in the ground at the beginning of the rainy season allows for nature to help their establishment for the longest amount of time, at the time of year they are used to receiving the most water.  Even planting through the middle of the rainy season can provide a positive start for natives and other plants that are indigenous to other Mediterranean climates.