What a day we had yesterday! September 27th brought us gorgeous weather and some pretty incredible milestones at the Eastpointe Community Garden. Between our very first solar panel installation and a surprise apple delivery that left us with 100 pounds of fresh produce to share, Saturday’s garden party was one for the books.

The Day That Changed Everything (Literally)

Steve and his friend showed up ready to make history. After about a year of planning, yesterday was D-day for our solar panel installation. Steve’s friend donated this incredible solar panel to our organization, and watching them work all day to bring this vision to life was absolutely amazing. We’re far from finished, but seeing that first viable look at solar power in our garden? Pure magic.

The best part was flipping on our new lights as evening approached – they’re so much brighter than we anticipated and bring this incredible energy to the whole space. Talk about illuminating our future!

A Harvest to Remember

Bill and Jen got there bright and early at 9 AM and jumped right into the action. They worked on cleaning out a sponsor bed, harvested from the giving garden, cleaned up the entire area, and even supported our towering sunflowers (which are looking absolutely spectacular, by the way). They also added fresh woodchips to several beds because, well, gardens never stop needing love.

Our total harvest hit about 40 pounds from the giving garden alone. But then Justine rolled up from Warren with the surprise of the day – 60 pounds of fresh apples from her own orchard! Between our garden harvest and her generous donation, we had 100 pounds of fresh food ready to share with our community.

Melanie’s Got Plans

Those apples aren’t just sitting around looking pretty. Melanie’s already got dibs on a bunch of them – she’s going to dehydrate them into apple chips for our upcoming Halloween event at the end of October. Because nothing says “Happy Halloween” quite like homemade apple chips from a neighbor’s orchard, right?

Infrastructure Wins Everywhere

Jeff spent his entire day working on our new watering system for the giving garden. He and Bill had started this project about a week ago, and Jeff was determined to lay the foundation to get everything finished before the season ends. Watching him problem-solve and build something that’ll make next year even better? That’s the kind of forward-thinking that makes this community so special.

Meanwhile, the road construction on Nine Mile is finally (mostly) done! They’ve taken down all that caution tape from the barrels, which means people can actually pull into our parking lot without feeling like they’re navigating an obstacle course. We’re guessing they’ll have the front of the garden completely finished by the end of next week.

First-Time Magic

The timing couldn’t have been better for our very first produce stand setup right at the road. With the driveway finally accessible, we were able to test out our new roadside presence. And boy, did it work! We had not one but two incredible first-time visits.

A visitor from the South Warren Community Garden stopped by to check us out, grabbed some fresh veggies, and got to see where so much of the Warren garden’s inspiration comes from. Plus, a neighbor visited for her first time and was absolutely blown away by what we’ve built here. She’s already planning to come back and volunteer – because that’s what happens when people see what’s possible when a community comes together.

The Prep Work That Makes It All Possible

Between harvesting, watering, sweeping, and cleaning, we tackled that massive to-do list we’d written up for harvest potluck prep. We harvested everything – the U-Pick garden, the rental beds we manage, every last corner of the giving garden. We made sure to water the U-Pick garden, the blueberries, all those rental beds, the giving garden, and even the flowers (because beauty matters too).

The shelter area, rental bed area, and giving garden got the full cleaning treatment. Trash was handled, surfaces were swept, and everything was ready for our evening celebration.

What Makes This Work

Shay spent time picking a gorgeous bouquet of flowers for the potluck later – because details like that matter when you’re celebrating 14 years of community growth. It’s these little touches, the way everyone just naturally steps up to contribute whatever they can, that makes our flat hierarchy philosophy so powerful.

Some folks spent the day reading under shade trees. Others were deep in infrastructure projects. Everyone found their way to contribute, and the garden got exactly what it needed.

Next Saturday: October 4th, 10 AM – 2 PM
Same time, same place, always something new growing. Come join us at 16425 Nine Mile Road in Eastpointe – the soil doesn’t judge, and neither do we!