The primary focus of Landscaping is the upkeep and maintenance of the Arcosanti site while developing gardens around existing buildings and for the newly constructed portion of the East Crescent Complex.
The Landscape Crew is responsible for maintaining a number of different gardens and lawns scattered around a 15.5 acre site. We would like to continue to develop these gardens using xeriscape, permaculture and edible landscaping methods.
 
We also maintain a small experimental greenhouse where we start seeds, grow frost tender plants in the winter and propagate tree seedlings. Here at Arcosanti we use Organic landscaping and gardening practices, meaning we use no synthetic or chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers on any of our gardens.
 
We try to build the health of our gardens from the ground up by making compost and adding natural soil amendments.As the buildings exhibit multifunctional uses, so do the gardens. Many of the plants on site both provide shade and moisture in the harsh summers and fruit that is edible. We grow herbs for both culinary and medicinal uses, flowers that are pleasing to the senses and attract beneficial birds and insects. We try to make use of the micro climates created by the building structures themselves to grow plants that may not normally be able to survive here.  

We also want to show how vegetables can be both beautiful to look at as well as supplementing the food grown in the Camp gardens. Work in Landscaping is varied depending on the season. One can always expect to learn about composting, preparing the soil, weeding and sweeping the site, preparing beds for planting, planting and watering.  

Every day is different, some days we focus on weeding others may include shoveling and heavy lifting. We work outside most (if not all) of the time in a high desert grassland environment so it is important to have a personal water bottle, a sun hat and long sleeve cotton shirt as sun protection.
In the Summer when the temperatures are extreme, we start our day very early to try to beat the heat. In the Winter when the ground may be frozen in the morning, we start later in the day.
 
In the Summer we have a weekly Farmerís Market in the Café where we sell produce to Arcosanti residents. We also participate in the nearby Prescott Farmers Market. We harvest peaches, grapes and figs in the Summer, and Olives in the Fall which we sell to local stores and can for sale in our Gallery Working in landscaping is a rewarding experience for anyone interested in organic garden practices. It is also helpful for those studying Architecture and Landscape Architecture to understand how plants grow so they can better design the landscape integrated with the built environment.

Landscape Department

Contact:
Workshop Coordinator
Arcosanti
HC74, Box4136
Mayer, Az 86333, U.S.A.
Tel: 928.632.6225
Fax: 928.632.6229
workshop@arcosanti.org