The potential uses of growing benches and effective microorganisms as possible gardening alternatives in water-scarce environments such as the arid Namib Desert were investigated over a period of 7 months (January-July 2006) at the Gobabeb Training and Research Centre. Recycled wastewater from Gobabeb Training and Research Centre was used to water plants and Effective Microorganisms (EM) was used in trials to speed up the rate of organic matter decomposition and assign trial treatments. Growth heights of 144 Tomato plants, cultivar Flora Dade, were measured on every 7th day. Keywords: Namibia, Namib Desert, Gobabeb, Kuiseb River, student education, student training, in-service training, scientific education.