Permaculture Paradise - a 2015 project in Carpinteria

Sweetwater Collaborative, along with Dreamscape, and Youth Drought Project, helped to transform a residence in Carpinteria into a Permaculture Paradise over a period of months in 2015- from the beginning of the year through October. We put in rainwater harvesting basins and a food forest blended with drought tolerant plants. Below is the story of the transformation in photos.

Sweetwater did a collaborative site assessment at this residence in January, 2015. Our first workshop took place in March.  Youth Drought Project sheet mulched the yard the next day, to kill the lawn.  Dreamscape added irrigation, a flagstone path, transplanted more roses, put in more trees and succulents too.  In the summer, Sweetwater had a water harvesting workshop in the back yard. ...and a fall planting workshop in both the front and back.The garden will only get better and better as all the plants grow, mulch breaks down and creates rich soil, water gets to slow, spread and sink into the earth, and flowers and fruit flourish.

 

First there was a lawn that transformed into this

and then grew into this 

In May 2016 it looked like this!!