Since water was scarce and had to be hand-pumped, decorative plantings were minimal. Fruit trees and vegetables were grown as a source of food. The Leonis Adobe grounds has a variety of fruit trees and shrubs, including apricots, plums, figs, pomegranates, and blackberries.
Also grown on the property is a less common fruit, the quince. The quince is part of the rose family. It is a fragrant, hard, yellowish fruit resembling a pear. It is essentially inedible for humans as a raw fruit but is ideal when cooked, commonly used for jellies, preserves, and candy.
The present vegetable garden is not in its original spot. A vegetable garden was originally located to the east of the tank house. Tomatoes were a staple crop; historical notations describe how they were wrapped and carefully stored in the cellar.
A large prickly pear cactus sits on the northeast corner of the property. Prickly Pear Cactus, or opunchia., is one of the few plants that is both a fruit and a vegetable. The red-colored pear is the fruit and the green pads are the vegetable. The cactus leaves or pads, also called nopales, were boiled, fried, or grilled.
