Colleges Nine and John R. Lewis College Garden
About Us
Our community garden is located at College Nine and John R. Lewis College across from the Terry Freitas Cafe, we are open everyday
from sunrise to sunset.
Our club is a student-initiated project with a goal of building and maintaining a thriving organic garden that invites the Colleges' themes of social justice & community as well as international & global perspectives. Our club meets twice a week where we welcome people to come join us for various gardening activities including planting seeds, watering, harvesting, composting, promoting sustainability, spreading awareness and creating a sense of community.
Our Mission Statement
The College Nine and John R. Lewis College Community Garden seeks to build a strong and diverse community at UCSC centered around social justice, global perspectives, food awareness, and mutual love and admiration for the planet. We bring together students, staff, faculty, and off-campus experts to promote a hands-on educational environment through classes, volunteering, and events.
Get Involved
Composting! → we collaborate with grounds management to accept compost from several on-campus housing locations including several College Nine and John R. Lewis College apartments and the trailer park.
During the school year we hold workdays 1-2 times a week where you are welcome to join us for some gardening! Email us, message us, or sign up for our mailing list if you want to find out more!
Another opportunity is the community gardens class (CLNI-70) is held every Spring which involves gardening activities some of which are carried out in the College Nine and John R. Lewis College Community Garden.
Community Gardens Class (CLNI 70)
Sign up to our email list here
Email Us at 9gardenclub10@gmail.com
Instagram: @OurGarden910
Facebook: Colleges 9 & 10 Garden Project
Discord: Colleges 9 & 10 Garden Club
Meet Our Team
Valeria (she/ her), College Nine
Hello everyone, my name is Valeria. I am a 3rd year environmental science major. I am passionate about finding sustainable ways to live my everyday life. I enjoy biking up to campus and spending time taking care of the garden. One of my short term goals is finding a lab here at UCSC and my long term goal is to have a small house with a big back yard to have lots of stray dogs and cats. I hope you join us someday at the 9/10 garden. Just come to say hi, we are very friendly!
Vivian (she/her), John R. Lewis College
Hello! My name is Vivian, and I am a 4th year Education, Democracy, and Justice and MCD Bio double major. My favorite things to grow in any garden are flowers, gourds, and snap peas. The tallest recorded sunflower in the world is just over 31ft. I hope to one day achieve my dream of growing one taller. I love cooking for others and exploring the forest. My passions lay in teaching folks how to grow their own foods and making gardening accessible and enjoyable for everyone. I wish to exist in a world where everyone’s basic needs are met of not only food, water, and housing, but also of community, safetly, healthcare, and joy. I look forward to meeting you all this coming year, and growing our 9/10 garden community together!
Jack (he/him), John R. Lewis College
Funding Sources
The College Nine and John R. Lewis College Community Garden is staffed by student employees who are paid through the College Sustainability Council’s grants for student workers who work in projects related to their Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus.
Individual projects are funded by the Carbon Fund and Measure 43. The Carbon Fund gives funding to on campus organizations that build projects to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Measure 43, better known as the Sustainable Food, Health and Wellness Initiative began in 2010 and is administered through CASFS to organizations who raise awareness of issues regarding nutrition, health, sustainable food systems, and garden- and farm-based learning at UCSC.
The College Nine and John R. Lewis College Community Garden tracks spending and submits reports to the funding bodies on a regular basis and posts updates to projects on our Project Clearinghouse.
Our Efforts Towards Building a More Sustainable Campus
We are connected to CSC’s Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus in the following areas:
Food Sovereignty - We directly connect to this aspect of the blueprint by stimulating the conversation of food sovereignty and spreading awareness by helping educate people on where some food comes from and have them participate in activities to grow food.
Personal and Communal Sustainability - Through our efforts to educate our followers on sustainable practices we aim to instill students with the ability to tackle sustainability problems at home. We aim to engage with students who may not have their own experiences, and through our work days we give them hands-on experience that empowers them to do more on their own. Through construction of our rain collection system, compost bins, and drip irrigation system as well as planting events we give students experience they need to do things on their own.
Natural Resources - We try to make the most out of natural resources through our composting structures, solar lanterns, and a rainwater catchment system. We are in the process of constructing a new composting system that will improve the quality of the soil and be easier to use.
Academics/Education - we aim to share all aspects of the garden with the community through educating events, siganage, tours, and work days held in the garden. These educational opportunities range from guest speakers to reading signs about composting.
Waste - our composting structure takes food waste from several apartments on campus and turns it into nutritious fertilizer that we use in our garden. We try and help educate the community about this and have them take part.
COLLEGE NINE AND JOHN R LEWIS COLLEGE GARDEN CLUB RUNNING MINUTES
