Water & Urban Gardening: Hacks for Hydration

Please note: This workshop is designed for ages 13+. Participants under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Healthy soil is one of the most powerful tools for creating resilient gardens. In this workshop, you'll discover how simple regenerative gardening practices can improve water retention, reduce waste, and help your plants thrive—even during hot, dry weather.

Through interactive demonstrations and hands-on experiments, participants will investigate the properties of healthy soil and learn practical techniques that can be applied to balcony gardens, backyard gardens, and community garden plots.

Topics Covered:

• Soil health and water retention
• Minimal soil disturbance
• The role of mulch and compost
• Rainwater diversion techniques
• Water conservation for urban gardens

What to Expect:

• Interactive Soil Experiments: Explore how healthy soil stores and moves water.
• Water-Wise Gardening Techniques: Learn how mulch, compost, and minimal soil disturbance help conserve moisture naturally.
• Practical Urban Gardening Tips: Discover simple strategies for rainwater diversion and effective water stewardship in urban growing spaces.

Zawadi Farm will be running the session in partnership with the City of Mississauga. Zawadi Farm is a regenerative urban farm based in Toronto's Downsview Park dedicated to growing food, community, and dignity through sustainable agriculture. The farm combines no-till regenerative farming with hands-on education, helping people build stronger connections to healthy soil, local food systems, and environmental stewardship through engaging community workshops and training programs.