Desert Living Home Tour

Experience a guided tour of sustainable desert landscape that is sculptured to capture and soak in rainwater and stormwater that falls onsite and covered with a blanket of mulches that retain moisture, cool the soil and provide humus for the growing plants. We encourage taking the bus or biking to this event! The home is located near Bus Routes 34 and 9 as well as the Loop bike path. 

Once a barren hot landscape of hard packed bare dirt, the land has been lovingly restored to support native vegetation and habitat. In response, an increasing variety and number of wildlife species are re-populating the land.

The site features 

• 6,000 gallons of rooftop rainwater storage tanks
• A filtration system that creates delicious clean rainwater for drinking and cooking
• Native plants and landscaping features that attract pollinators, provide cooling shade and habitat for wildlife and grow food for both humans and wildlife
• Signs identify plants with their common English and Latin/scientific names for the curious 
• Native bee houses, bird nesting boxes and a bat box
• A neighborhood wildlife corridor with a wildlife camera that often captures coyote, bobcats and cottontail rabbits trotting by 
• A “secret garden” in the middle of a desert creosote forest
• Accessible elevated vegetable gardens, fruiting plants and fruit trees
• A solar oven for cooking with the sun