- Howdy, I'm John Hart Asher!

This week on Central Texas Gardener, permaculture meets hospitality at Cosmic Coffee and Beer where Paul Oveisi created sustainable gardens and wildlife habitat.

Step into a meditative journey and Zen pond design at Rajat and Lisa Agarwal's garden.

In San Marcos, Dawn Houser cultivates food, flowers and resourceful creativity around a mid-1940s bungalow.

So, let's get growing, right here, right now!

(upbeat music) (birds chirping) Permaculture meets hospitality at Cosmic Coffee and Beer where Paul Oveisi turned ravaged land into sustainable gardens and Certified Wildlife Habitat.

Rainwater-fed ponds and waterfalls frame convivial patios and food trucks.

- [Narrator] Under leafy canopies to the tune of waterfalls and birds, grabbing a drink or a bite at Cosmic Coffee and Beer Garden is like a picnic in the park.

It's an outdoor office, convivial spot to catch up with friends, and a romantic date night.

Opening in January 2018, it took two years to turn ravaged land into organic food gardens and a certified wildlife habitat.

- The sole concept is an homage to permaculture.

This is our attempt to marry permaculture concepts with really good hospitality creating a positive impact on our physical environment.

I'll start with water.

We've designed and graded this property to capture as much rainwater that hits the ground and retain it on the property and funnel it to our gardens, we also have a pretty extensive rainwater catchment system.

We store our rainwater in a 2500 gallon cistern, pressurize it, and send it out to the ground.

That's what we irrigate our gardens with, that's what feeds our water systems, our waterfalls, our biological pond.

We also have a pretty extensive compost program.

We compost all our green waste on site.

Our food waste goes to the chickens, which gives us eggs and waste.

We harvest their waste along with our spent coffee grounds, our garden waste, and generate a really rich compost that we put back into our gardens here, back into the earth.

- I think my favorite thing that happened throughout the whole course of establishing these gardens is when we started to see earthworms that were about this big, and not the tiny, tiny little skinny ones that you sometimes find.

I really knew that when we started seeing big earthworms, that we were getting there.

- [Narrator] From the start, Paul invited Matt Boring of Texas Ponds and Water Features to orchestrate the ultimate music.

They started near the building with a 10 by 15-foot pond and upraised waterfall for unique perspectives wherever you sit.

- When we first built that pond, there was nothing here except for the building.

The pond was the first thing that was done to the property, and Paul explained his vision that he wanted people to be able to walk in, turn to the right and they go, "Wow."

- We planted around it and then TaraRose came from Wild Heart Dirt and she filled in some spaces, made it more thick and lush.

My style of landscaping is this plants here and that plants there and this plants here, but she likes that interwoven look of things coming together and meshing.

- It's a really intuitive process for me, it very much is.

It's about light, it's about space, it's about how things move.

I plant close.

I like to plant close because I feel that's where the real fun part of gardening comes in, is being able to sculpt around things and get in there and prune properly.

But as far as the philosophy, it's really a feeling of looking at the space and how does an artist paint?

- [Narrator] Just into their third season, the gardens are thriving and trees are recovering from transplant shock.

- It gets easier as everything evolves and gets established.

This property when we discovered it was pretty derelict.

- We've had to do a ton of amending.

This property actually before it was Cosmic, was a mechanic shop.

So when we've dug down, we've found old parts and cement, and transmissions and engines, and this and that, so little by little we're amending all of the areas, especially up there on that hillside.

- It's been fun for us to in a pretty short period of time restore fertility.

We've planted eight mature, 25 plus year-old trees here, some oaks, to give some shade to us and habitat.

We're a certified natural urban wildlife habitat.

We've loved watching the diversity of species move in.

It's evolved from fire ants and rats and mosquito to dragon flies, and damselflies, frogs and toads and lizards.

- [Narrator] Walk-around raised beds grow seasonal and perennial edibles framed by trellised raspberries.

- That's been the fun part, because not only do we get to the staff and our customers get to take that food home.

Our food trucks use it to do off-menu items and they would get some left over or waste or wilted goes to the chickens.

Everything has a purpose.

It's not just the natural beauty, it's not just the extra food to take home, but everything feeds into the system.

I can't reinforce this enough.

The volume of compost that we generate, and the richness and diversity of it is superb.

- [Narrator] Signs identify plants for those who'd like to try them at home.

- They've never done it before.

They ask questions.

They're attracted to nature, they're attracted to plants, they want to understand what you're doing, why you're doing it that way, so those little opportunities to educate people and let them know, hey it takes 60 days before this plant is ready to harvest.

- [Narrator] Herbs, dubbed Bar Botanicals, prosper with frequent clipping.

- We use them either as garnishes or as some of our signature batch cocktails.

Lemon verbena is a big one.

Mexican marigold is one that we're having a lot of fun with.

It's fun to pair the spirits with the essences of those herbs.

That's the bleed between our garden element and our hospitality element, is they get together and collaborate what's seasonally appropriate, what's about to be growing.

- [Narrator] Their containers prompt design ideas for gardeners, too.

- We use a lot of recycled goods.

I think you can plant in anything.

Just drill some holes in it, have good soil in there that has a little bit of aggregate in it and you're good to go.

But having the little containers all around, again, they're little moments.

It's really important in my opinion the way a space is, the way it feels, that it all flows together.

Your eye takes you to places, and I'm right now looking at the raised bed, and then I see a corner.

That corner now has this beautiful cactus container in it, instead of me now seeing the parking lot.

It's about rounding spaces off, and letting that natural flow of a space happen with plants and containers.

- We have full time gardeners on staff that are separate from the hospitality component.

That's kind of our resource commitment to keep this place thriving and alive.

- We've worked in training them and showing them what they need to do in order to harvest and teaching them about the plants that were already here.

- [Narrator] In the main courtyard, Matt and his team gradually transformed an eroding and ugly bank into a visually stimulating living wall.

- [Matt] This slope is very steep, so we had to address issues with the slope, making sure that we created the proper flat platforms to place the boulders on, so they didn't just roll down the hill later.

- [Narrator] Three waterfalls cascade into a shared collection base, all fed with rainwater.

Designed as naturally balanced ecosystems, algae bloom is not a problem.

- People are so familiar with seeing ponds with green water in them, and it's just because there's too many nutrients in the water and that little single celled algae is one of the first things that wants to take those nutrients.

Our system basically uses nature to just starve the excess nutrients out.

The plants are more complex life forms and they're pulling more nutrients in once they get developed, so the water just stays clear and clean and healthy.

No chemicals.

That means the birds, the dogs, whoever comes around and drinks out of it is not ingesting chemicals.

- [Narrator] TaraRose anchored the steep incline with native and adapted plants.

Her unified design factors in the varying amounts of sunlight from one end to the other.

And since this is ATX, Willie Nelson watches over, thanks to Doug Moreland.

- Doug Moreland is a local musician and a renowned chain saw sculpture artist.

It's anchor for our lighting in shade structures.

We've tempered down the summers a little bit where it's actually enjoyable to be outside.

- We have a lot of people that come and work all day long here.

This is their office.

- The nighttime is a special surprise because we try to utilize the garden elements and the water elements with light to make a special moment.

I'd love to inspire other establishments, not just in hospitality to do the same thing, because you create a positive effect on the environment, but it's also beautiful to be around, and it elevates the energy of the whole place.

It may not seem it when you're putting the business plan together, but the rewards are more than what we put in.

This has been a lot of fun.

- Step into a meditative journey that begins at Rajat and Lisa Agarwal's back gate.

Inspired by Japanese philosophy and garden design, they explored beyond a tiny starter pond to create a peaceful island with in-ground and above ground koi ponds.

- Zen, the word means that, you know, you have a journey from the world of man to the world of nature.

It's actually all about feeling good and bringing a little bit of nature into our environment and feeling, you know, the the feeling of tranquility in our little piece of the world.

I love Japanese gardens because they are so natural and calm and peaceful and they have a property of, you know, introducing meditativeness.

It's very alluring to us.

We like the design principles that these gardens offer.

So typically you'll see mizu water, you'll see Ishi, which is rock, you see plants.

You typically also see bridges and you'll see some representation of, you know, paths or walkways which kind of show interconnectedness with nature.

We started the pond in 2004.

Lisa got me preformed 150 gallon tub, and that's how it all started.

We had never built ponds before.

We didn't have any experience with water or aquariums or anything like that.

So we just filtered the water, added fish, and it grew from there.

In 2016, the first element that we added was actually the red bridge.

I built that as an engineering project with my daughter and it came out really well.

And so we didn't understand the concepts back then, and so we evolved the concepts from that point on and we started adding more element and started reading more about Japanese culture and what it introduces and how we can do things.

And so to just bring the meditativeness into our lives.

The red bridge is called guzei and in Japanese, and it typically means a red curved bridge.

So the characters on the bridge, they spell Heiwana shima, which means Peaceful Island, and the characters on the aboveground pool.

We call it koi pool, which is literally pronounced koi Puro in Japanese.

And that's what the letters represent, is the words koi puro.

Our daughter printed them in 3D lettering with the using her 3D printer.

Uh, she's been very active with us in building these the ponds and she always when she goes back on vacation, we're always doing projects around the pond and it's a lot of fun it's a family activity.

So now we have an in-ground pool, which is about 6000 gallons of water.

It includes an island.

You go from one space from outside the island path to the island, and there's a little bench and bistro set on the island.

You can visit there and enjoy lunches most days.

Sometimes I'll go see the different colors of the fish.

It's just so relaxing to see them swimming around.

Just all the different colors and the patterns and carp is actually also one of the essential elements for a water garden.

- Each of our ponds has a black and white fish.

Those are also for the yin yang and balance.

You're supposed to also have one in each pond also for warding off evil.

Herons, raccoons.

- [Rajat] So we built a because the pond isn't very deep.

Typically you'll have ponds that are over three feet deep and that's ideal.

So, we couldn't dig that far because of the limestone.

And so what I did was I created a system above ground, so I built a kind of a wall using just basic chicken wire, and I strung fishing lines across it.

So the fishing lines are actually anchored with fish, anchors, fishing anchors, so I can move them.

So there's a lot of practicality into it because I need to get into the water all the time.

So I cut out some gates, which you can't really see.

So they were kind of camouflaged and they kind of blend in.

But you can remove certain sections and panels from that chicken wire fencing that I built, and you can move to the fishing wire because it's not tied down; the aboveground pond, doesn't need the chicken wire system.

The reason is that I built these railings on the side of it, so the heron can actually land and get a foot rest.

So the waterfalls are done in multiple levels.

So basically they're freestanding waterfalls, they're structurally balanced.

And like if you look deep underneath, they're basically just cement blocks.

And I built the structure of large slabs on top of cement blocks and it's freestanding, is not connected to anything.

The reason for that is that if there is ever a shift in the ground, you don't want one area to push onto the waterfall, which will make the waterfall fall down the bog above it.

The bog actually empties into onto the waterfall and it's part of the waterfall system.

And then we built an aboveground pool about two years ago, I want to say.

The red Japanese torii gates are called akane.

Aka is the word for red and the meaning in Japanese is to ward off evil.

We don't necessarily need to ward off evil here, but the the whole meaning is very interesting.

Like you have, you start looking, listening and learning about these things.

It adds a lot of value.

The structure is made out of wood.

The same friend Ernest, he helped me who gave me the lantern to build the lantern for us.

He helped build the above ground parts of what it was, you know, did our own engineering.

It is reinforced on the side.

So after we put water in it, I noticed that the walls were kind of buckling to the sides.

And to reinforce it, I put heavy duty wire across the top of the aboveground pond, and so I tightened it every once in a while so that it's actually not buckling anymore.

The water doesn't really get into the wood because it's already all covered.

And the way I build the caps on top, on the sides, it drains the water away from the sides of the pond.

The lantern is built by a friend of ours.

Amazing work.

He did a lot of research.

It's actually covering a lot of my electrical.

- The purpose of the panels was to cover up the filters and pumps.

I would look out at our beautiful pond and for me, that was a big distraction to see them.

And so I found these wonderful panels on Etsy.

The paper behind it covered up the holes and he put lights behind it.

And so at night with the lighting behind it, it also brings another element to it.

- [Rajat] That lantern is called the yukimi lantern.

It's actually your typical type of lantern which has feet.

The light in it is actually a LED flaming bulb.

It gives this impression that there's actually a flame burning inside.

I protect it from the water so that actually if you're putting a flame bulb in the lantern and the lantern happens to be where do you have your irrigation system going on, that can become a problem, as I found out.

So the simple trick to save your bulb and the electrical is to just put a sandwich bag, plastic sandwich bag right on top of the bulb and the water.

If it hits the bulb, it'll just drain off.

I just joined The Pond Society, I want to say a year and a half ago, and it's been great.

It's, uh...

I got a lot of ideas.

I've seen a lot of ponds.

It's all about, you know, people coming and sharing ideas and talking about ponds.

It's something that everybody likes to do.

So being, you know, together with like-minded people is really helpful.

So you exchange ideas and you help each other.

That's what it's about.

- You do need to get out of the house and do something different, decompress, de-stress.

On the weekends, we come out here and just enjoy a pot of tea and just chill, if you will.

- The whole environment that we've created helps me relax.

Just close your eyes.

Listen to the sound of water, the waterfalls.

You open your eyes.

You can see a beautiful garden in front of you, which is very relaxing.

It's meant to not be complicated.

It's meant to be simple.

You know, those are the Zen principles that we are trying to apply.

Here is the simplicity and not having too much.

You'll see some of the Japanese gardens where there's a lot going on in the Japanese garden.

There's a lot of plants, there's a lot of things going on.

And and we try to keep it very simple.

It's like, Yeah, that's not for us.

That's not what that's about.

It's about more having just enough, uh, not too much, not overcrowding, not having too many colors, just the basics.

Then you feel like, yes, that's actually how it is, and that's how it should be.

- Now let's check in with raised bed gardener Peggy Jones who shares tips to protect winter crops from cold and insects.

- I row cover on quite a bit of what I grow; actually, most of the time, even in spring, when the plants are small because I'd rather have insect avoidance.

I don't want to spray insecticides.

I don't use things like that in my garden.

So being able to just keep them from getting on it is so much easier and it also regulates the temperature not only of the soil, but the air.

So it really benefits the small plants when they start growing to have that continuity of temperatures not too hot in the day, hopefully, not to cool in the evening.

I'd used the micromesh last fall.

Being able to just put a barrier there, I think, is and you can see through it, it's easy to see what's going on.

- In San Marcos, high school teacher Dawn Houser cultivates a backyard food forest and resourceful creativity around a mid-1940s bungalow.

- [Narrator] "Pressing the restart button" is how San Marcos high school teacher Dawn Houser feels about her home and garden.

She invents new ways to use scrapped materials in her miniature food forest, that embraces her classic bungalow.

- This house was built in 1943.

It's a World War II bungalow and there was no garden.

It was just, there was a fence in the middle of the lot.

And I moved that up to the edge of the house, so I could have more garden space.

And then I rocked everything that first summer when I bought it and kind of put my garden beds in and then just slowly started building my garden.

- [Narrator] To border new beds, Dawn laid 30 yards of river rock over blank soil to fend off rainy day mud pits.

- I had dogs and cats.

And I just wanted, in my house, as clean as possible and I had landscaped it that way at my old house in San Antonio and it worked really well, kids in and out of the house, kept my house really clean, and I did it again here and it's always a great payoff.

And I don't have to mow.

- [Narrator] Luckily, former owners had laid bricks for a back-door patio and cement pavers alongside the garage.

- I remember before I started this project thinking, "Oh, those are carpets.

I'm going to make these the rooms.

So I use them to divide my garden into rooms.

And I just did my landscaping around them and just filled in all the rock.

- [Narrator] In her layered frame for wildlife habitat, she tucks in fruit-bearing plants for the kitchen.

Then, in the ample side yard, she planted a miniature food forest.

- It's more of kind of a half hazard gardening area.

I'll plant certain things, I'll do my cilantro, my mints, my tomatoes, but it also has my citrus trees, which I want them to get huge.

I'm banking on the really huge grapefruit trees that you see in 50-year-old homes.

And figs and apples and peaches.

And I've kind of used the fruit trees just around the property.

It's more of a natural kind of way of growing them.

The fruit trees are in already established beds.

So, it looks more of a landscaped form.

- [Narrator] Even in January, Dawn harvests Satsuma oranges, Meyer lemons and kumquats.

In her microclimate, she doesn't cover in cold snaps.

- And I compost everything.

And so you're going to find layers of just meals, avocado pits, which I'll just throw them out there and all of a sudden I'll have a little avocado tree, but I have not mastered keeping those alive over the winter.

- [Narrator] To provide essential nitrogen, she feeds with inexpensive alfalfa pellets.

- Alfalfa and then I, when I do my leaves, I blow the leaves out to the street and then rake them up and then take, haul them back and then plant everything, then I'll mulch with all my leaves, so nothing goes in the trash.

- [Narrator] In this sunny spot, she includes warm-weather bloomers like thryallis, casting a warm leafy glow after frost.

Where part shade rules along the fence, she planted ornamental fragrant olives, also called tea olives.

Cool weather prompts clouds of fragrant flowers.

- My neighbor's house shades it in the afternoon and then I planted them along this side of the house and they're getting big and they don't freeze.

- [Narrator] Part-shade shrimp plant entices hummingbirds, even in her January garden.

To assist watering, Dawn stows five-gallon buckets behind the greenhouse.

- And if it's going to be a dry spell, I just pick them up, so I don't have to look at them cause that drives me nuts.

- [Narrator] Dawn stages her containers at its door, where less cold hardy plants can be quickly hauled into warmth.

Inside, she starts new plants.

- Every bit of it was recycled material.

I had old polygal which is in my garage.

I did the back end of the garage with polygal.

When I re-roofed my garage, I kept all the metal.

I kept all the wood.

And so I had a guy frame that and I said, "just frame it, clad it with all my metal and I'll go in and do the rest."

And so I it insulated it and I didn't buy anything except screws.

It has that real hodgepodge feel.

Even that big potting table in the back was, I found it outside of a restaurant, they were getting rid of it.

And so I took it apart and then built that tabletop out of plywood.

- [Narrator] Especially fun is recycling pieces of the past that Dawn unearths around the old home.

- Where I grew up on San Antonio street, it had the same little brick barbecue pit.

Some houses have, they'd kind of build it.

And when I was digging it out, to put the fig tree in, I found marbles and spoons and when I had the chicken coop, little pieces of, I mean pottery really cool stuff.

- [Narrator] She adds her own history with rocks and shells collected from various travels.

- So it was almost like this natural glitter, you think, "Oh I'm going to go put this somewhere else" and kind of layer the story.

And so I felt I was just making a house outside.

My kids all think I'm a hippie.

I'm OCD, so I'm very tight with deadlines.

"Oh this is late" or whatever.

But I have more of a kind of a hippy heart, they know I come home and garden.

I wake up happy and I love coming home and puttering and moving something to better fit.

I'll say something, I'm always moving things around.

I'm already thinking about where am I going to put some, make some more tables outside.

I do think it carries over in the classroom.

And I think that's a good thing for kids to see people being resourceful.

And I think we live in a society that kids think, "Oh, it has to be new for it to be worthy" or I have to have this."

And I think it's good for them to see adults going and picking up the stuff out of the trash and making something cool out of it.

And it's good for kids to see, "Hey, I can make something cool and it doesn't have to cost me anything."

I can kind of create my own style.

- Find out more and watch online at centraltexasgardener.org.

Until next time, remember, adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience.

(upbeat music)