Interested in volunteering at the Cuyamaca College Intergenerational Garden? Contact Amber Hughes at (619) 660-4662 or by email at amber.hughes@gcccd.edu.
When the little sprouts at Cuyamaca College’s Child Development Center sit down for lunch, they’ll soon be munching fruits and veggies from their very own garden, one they’ll cultivate with the help of local seniors.
For a few hours each week, seven gardening enthusiasts, ages 60 and older, share a little of their know-how with 60 preschoolers tending a small, practice garden of sorts as they await the installation of a much larger one that the college is calling its Intergenerational Garden. Recently cleared of mountains of mulch and debris that had collected over the years on the vacant site, the 1/3-acre plot between the Child Development Center and the Water Conservation Garden will boast lots of extras, including a nearby amphitheater and a meandering creek bed.
The Child Development Center is a pre-kindergarten daycare facility serving both the college and off-campus communities, and is uniquely suited as an onsite lab for students enrolled in the college’s child development program.
Thanks to donated material and hours, the irrigation system is expected to be completed in April, with planting to be well under way by the garden’s official grand opening at the end of June. The Intergenerational Garden will be a public attraction at Cuyamaca College for everyone to enjoy. With fundraising and corporate sponsorships, an adjacent community garden is anticipated with dozens of plots for public leasing.