How we water the garden

So the garden was planted in march of 2007 and watering was always done from the Mexican side because of the relatively easier access to water.  Before the secondary wall came in in April of 2009, the maintance/watering routine consisted of tending to the 15 or so plants (weeding, cleaning, and (re)making retetion circles) that formed the US portion of the binational garden and then cross over to Mexico on the beach a few hundred feet down the hill and walk back up to the garden to finish the job on the Mexican side and water the whole garden through the fence. I continued this routine even near the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009 when the impending wall created a construction site.  I would ask the agent on duty for permision to step over the plastic mesh that had prohibited public access to the garden and surrounding area. Although the agents normally granted access, this action did cause a bit of confusion among border patrol and they decided the best way to handle the situation was to remove the garden on the US side.  But, eventually the garden was replaced and renewed and watering continued adjusting to and accomodating for various ever changing rules for access on the US side.  And, of course, when there were garden events, and access was allowed on the US side, people would work together through the fence and the garden would be watered again from the Mexican side.  Access to the garden on the US side for the public is still very restricted if allowed at all and volunteers are allowed to tend to the garden on the US side only with prior permission.  There was recently a new position created within Borer Patrol specifically for Friendship Park (where the garden is located).  In Nov of 2012, after the annual planting and expansion of the garden, watering was continued from the Mexican side although with a bit of difficulty reaching a new row of plants making a pathway on the Northern extreme of the garden about 30 ft from the barrier and 6-7 of the now over 100 plants, didn't get all the water they needed.