For reading week this February, I took a trip to Baja, Mexico, where my partner and I drove from the airport in Cabo to a small city called Todos Santos. Instead of pausing my inquiry project, I decided to spin it a different way and explore what grows in the deserts of Baja.
The first thing I noticed was an abundance of cacti—unsurprising, given that it’s the desert. But once we arrived in Todos Santos, I saw a stark contrast between different areas of the city. Some streets were barren, dusty, and filled with little life beyond the cacti, while others were lush, teeming with plants and trees. One local pointed out mango trees to me, though, unfortunately, it wasn’t mango season while we were there.
Upon arriving at our hostel, we met Christian and Alex, the couple who owned what felt like an oasis amidst the desert. Christian greeted us but held up his hands, apologizing for not shaking ours. “Sorry, I’ve been gardening,” he said—perfect!
Eager to learn more, I began asking him about their garden. He told me they grow herbs, tomatoes, mangoes, and an array of flowers. A former chef, Christian had always loved food, and because many people in the area harvest their own, he was drawn into gardening after buying the land a few years back. He then told me I should really be talking to Alex, who works with sustainable agriculture and permaculture.
Alex explained that she plants at a local permaculture farm, a space designed to work in harmony with nature. She described how permaculture integrates concepts from agroforestry, applied ecology, organic farming, and sustainable development. The guiding principle is to create a system that, once established, requires little to no human interference to remain productive. The structures are built with natural materials sourced directly from the land, such as cob or adobe bricks made from dirt and trees from local forests. At the farm, they grow a variety of vegetables, including squash, fennel, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, dill, and even guava.
Hearing about the permaculture farm left me inspired. What if I could incorporate some of these principles into my own garden in Victoria? The idea of designing a self-sustaining system, one that works with nature rather than against it, is incredibly appealing. Not only would this approach make my garden more resilient, but it would also require less intensive labor over time.
As I continue my inquiry project, I’m thinking about how permaculture could also play a role in my future as a teacher. Teaching children about gardening isn’t just about growing food—it’s about sustainability, ecology, and self-sufficiency. If students understand how food is grown, how ecosystems support one another, and how they can cultivate their own produce in a way that respects the environment, they gain valuable life skills. Implementing permaculture principles in school gardens could be a fantastic way to encourage hands-on learning, instill environmental responsibility, and empower students to take an active role in their own sustenance.
This experience in Baja has given me a new perspective on my project. While my focus is still on growing a vegetable garden, I now see an opportunity to go beyond that—toward something more sustainable, long-term, and educational. Perhaps my small backyard garden could be a first step toward something much bigger.
Baja introduced me to permaculture and alternative farming methods, but this video below gave me an entirely new perspective. It highlights how permaculture can thrive in urban city centres, proving that sustainable gardening isn’t just for rural areas or large-scale farms. While it might be easier to implement in Australia (like this video) due to the climate, I believe a similar approach could work in Victoria, BC, in a way that suits the local environment. Seeing how permaculture can be woven into city life makes me even more excited to explore how I can incorporate these principles into both my own garden and my future classroom.
One key takeaway from the video is the importance of starting small. She says that a well-tended small garden will produce more than a large one that cannot be properly observed or maintained. This advice resonates with me as I think about my own project—rather than trying to transform my entire space at once, I am beginning with one plot of garden, ensuring that I learn and adapt along the way before expanding.