About Us
Goude's Nursery is owned and managed by Eric and Cay Goude. We founded the nursery in 1980 and it's been a core part of our family since then. Today, Eric and Cay have two children who in the early years helped in the nursery by stacking pots and going on deliveries with Eric. Now they have three wonderful grand girls who someday may also “help” in the nursery. Our only other employee is our dog Ozzie who helps to supervise production. The nursery is open to the public by appointment. Schedule your visit by clicking on the link below.
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Who We Are |
Eric has his degree in horticulture from U.C. Davis and Cay her degree in Biology from U.C. Davis and Master’s degree from Cal State University, Sacramento. From the nursery's founding in 1980 through 1996, Eric also taught horticulture at American River College. In 1996, Eric began teaching adults in the the Elk Grove Unified School District. After he retired from teaching in 2013, Eric decided to reboot the nursery and start production again. Cay also recently retired from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service where she worked on endangered species issues and is now helping Eric.
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Our History |
While teaching for the Elk Grove Unified School District at the Rio Consumnes Correctional Center, Eric created a 12 week work/study program. The course was six hours a day, Monday through Friday, where men could learn landscaping and nursery skills. With Eric’s guidance and skills they built a greenhouse, shade house and irrigation system which produced over 30,000 pounds of vegetables a year and supplied flowers and landscaping plants to sites throughout Elk Grove. In addition, they grew native oaks for the Sacramento Tree Foundation which have helped to make Sacramento the city of trees. Eric has been excited to see some of his former students working at nurseries and within the landscaping field. He hopes that his years teaching helped his students find meaningful employment.
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