The Chadwick Garden

Paul Lee started the Student Garden Project at UCSC in l967 on a sunny, sloping plot just below Merrill College. Two weeks later, Lee met Alan Chadwick and asked him to run the garden. The next morning, Chacwick went out, bought a spade, and began to dig. He dug and dug for two years without a break, an average of fifteen hours a day.

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From the very beginning, students flocked to the Garden and to Chadwick. Together they dug, watered, and grew flowers, fruits and vegetables in incredible profusion. Everything they grew, they gave away, embodying what philosopher Paul Ricoeur calls "an economy of gift." Orrin Martin, the current director, maintains the Garden in the spirit of Chadwick. It's an oasis of flowers and food among the redwood groves and meadows of the UCSC campus.

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The Circle Trail does not yet have a permanent route across the UCSC campus. The interim route crosses the base of the campus as described in the Complete Trail Description. However, there are many beautiful hiking and cycling trails across meadows and through the redwoods. All are open to the public.