Many zoos are bursting with treasures waiting to be discovered by visitors–the El Paso Zoo is no exception. The El Paso Zoo Eco Garden is tucked away next to the Kalahari Research Station near the giraffes.
The Eco Garden was created in partnership with the El Paso Zoological Society and the Junior League of El Paso in 2016. From its unique design to how the Eco Garden benefits the zoo animals, it’s filled with amazing secrets to discover!
El Paso Zoo Eco Garden Uses Unique Keyhole Design
The Eco Garden is designed to be a true example of sustainability. The garden style was initially developed by a humanitarian aid organization in South Africa. It’s called a Keyhole garden. The design helps hold moisture and nutrients in the garden bed to keep the plants healthy while reducing waste.
The garden is about waist high and shaped in a circle, like a pie with a slice cut out so you can easily access the center. At the center of the garden is a round composting basket. Putting a compost basket in the center allows moisture and nutrients to seep from the composting materials into the soil, feeding the plants.
The Eco Garden also uses a drip irrigation system to reduce the water required to keep the plants hydrated. This type of garden uses significantly less water than a typical garden design–perfect in the hot Texas weather.
What does the El Paso Eco Garden grow?
The Eco Garden is made up of about six large circles or containers that grow various herbs, vegetables, and flowers. Marigolds, tomatoes, and mint are common plants the zoo grows in the Eco Garden.
The zookeepers use the garden’s flowers, herbs, and veggies for the animals’ enrichment activities. Enrichment is designed to keep the animals active and engage all their senses. These types of experiences help stimulate animals to use natural behaviors they would typically use in the wild.
Cognitive enrichment includes any new experiences or challenges that help animals to think or become curious. New foods or smells from flowers or herbs can provide wonderful mental enrichment experiences for animals. Or puzzle feeders stuffed with their favorite herb or vegetable might require the animals to solve puzzles to get more of their tasty treat.
It’s very beneficial for zookeepers to have access to these Eco Gardens brimming with herbs, veggies, and flowers they can use for all kinds of enrichment activities for animals around the zoo.
Spring Break Activities at the El Paso Zoo Eco Garden
I was very excited to help with the 2023 Spring Break activities to introduce kids and adults to the beautiful Eco Gardens. Our goal was to teach everyone how the eco gardens work so they might be able to create their own.
The main topics we discussed included:
- Planting and tending an eco garden
- Food waste and composting
Planting and tending an eco garden
After laying dormant for the winter, our Eco Garden was ready for refreshment. All the participants got their hands dirty helping prepare the gardens for spring planting. Once ready, each person chose a spot and planted some seeds.
This spring, we planted tomatoes, sunflowers, and mint seeds. Everyone enjoyed learning about these plants, and the young children especially enjoyed seeing the different types of seeds.
After planting their seeds, we encouraged everyone to take a photo of their planted area so they can return in a few weeks to see how their little plants are growing.
Food waste and composting
One of the many benefits of eco gardening is reducing food waste and using food scraps for composting.
A wire composting basket is at the center of each eco garden, where the zookeepers and staff dispose of organic waste.
Even with our best efforts to reduce food waste, most houses produce organic waste like egg shells, fruit scraps, veggie waste, and coffee grounds. Imagine having a way to use those scraps to grow more food and beautiful flowers! That’s exactly what we’re doing with the composting basket at the center of the eco garden.
I hope you’ll consider joining us for future spring break and summer activities at the El Paso Zoo! Not only did we have great fun preparing and planting the zoo’s Eco Gardens during this spring break activity, but I also loved the eager enthusiasm of children to learn about our environment and how they can care for it. We make learning WILD!
