Barbara Stoner lived in Agua Dulce for four decades but it was in Manteca that she found the real sweet waters to nourish her passion – gardening.“The only complaint I have is I have to thin (the plants) like crazy; everything grows here. It’s amazing,” she said, praising the rich sandy soil that has made this Family City into a thriving agricultural town from its founding at the turn of the 20th century to this day.The home at 1086 Golden Pond Drive in north Manteca is part of today’s Manteca Garden Tour that runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets also will be available for purchase for the tour at the Golden Pond address.Still, she is acutely cognizant and mindful of the need to conserve water while nurturing her post-retirement passion to satisfy her green thumb. And that concern has played a major part in shaping the kind of gardening she pursues.“My number one goal is to save water,” said the retired postal clerk who, with her husband Bill who is retired from the Los Angeles County Office of Education as a business accountant, made their home in the town of Mohave near the Mojave desert before their move to Agua Dulce which, in English, is Sweet Water.To that end, Barbara has carefully chosen the plants for her vegetable and floral gardens.