Locals know when spring has arrived in San Diego by the sight of all the blooms along Interstate 5 in the North County.
With the state of California in the middle of a devastating drought, some visitors may wonder how the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch can afford such a display of color.
Especially when you consider that the cost of water is the second largest input cost for the company known to locals as the Carlsbad Flower Fields.
A few years ago, the company decided to switch to a drip irrigation system that allows them to put water only where it’s needed.
“It has greatly reduced our dependence on water,” said Fred Clarke, General Manager of the Flower Fields in Carlsbad in California.
Clarke said the owners signed up for 6-inch mainline from the city’s reclaimed water system along the property when the system was first implemented.
That system allows the flowers to bloom regardless of the amount of rain received.
“Fortunately here at the Carlsbad Flower Fields we are “drought proof” because we can use and do use reclaimed water from the City of Carlsbad,” he said.
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For those interested in taking pictures among the ranunculus, the fields are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until May 11.
If you’ve visited the fields before, you may notice something new this year.
“The wider bed has actually allowed us to produce about 15 percent more flowers per acre than we have done historically,” said Clarke.
Admission is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors 60+, $6 for children 3-10 and free for children under 2.
For more information, please call 760.431.0352 or visit www.theflowerfields.com.
