What a day! Shay and I rolled up to the South Warren Community Garden around 10:30 AM with our usual cooler of ice and water, plus a car packed with donations from our friends at the Macomb County Health Department. We figured we’d grab some photos, say hi to everyone, and head out after an hour.

Yeah, right. You know how the garden works – it just sucks you right in!

New Friends and Wheelbarrow Mysteries

The best part of today? Meeting two incredible new volunteers who jumped right into our garden family. First up was Kyren, who was just walking by when he spotted all the activity. Turns out he moved to the east side a few years back but hasn’t really connected with folks in the area. He figured if he wanted to make new friends, he’d need to put himself out there – and what better place than a community garden?

Man, did he pick the right moment to stop by! Jeff was wrestling with assembling our new wheelbarrow (courtesy of MCHD), and let me tell you, this thing came with the most ridiculous instructions I’ve ever seen. Picture this: four grown men – Jeff, Zach, Kyren, and me – all huddled around a wheelbarrow, scratching our heads at what looked like a drawing made by someone who’d never actually seen a wheelbarrow.

We’re trying to make these support bars fit, and nothing’s lining up. Finally, we start taking the whole thing apart, and that’s when I spot it – a tiny sticker on one of the pieces that says “only use for 6 cubic foot barrel, NOT 8 cubic foot barrel.” Well, guess what size wheelbarrow we had? Yep, 8 cubic feet! Once we removed that piece, everything clicked together perfectly.

The coolest part wasn’t solving the wheelbarrow puzzle though – it was watching Kyren immediately become part of the team. Within minutes, he was troubleshooting right alongside us like he’d been volunteering with us for years.

Teaching the Next Generation

While we were playing wheelbarrow mechanics, something even more amazing was happening with Zach’s 5-year-old daughter, Avery. This little one was absolutely living her best life, running around the garden like it was her own personal fairy kingdom.

Shay spent a huge chunk of her morning teaching Avery about tomato pruning – showing her why we remove certain leaves, how to use scissors safely, and letting her actually help trim about five of the tomato plants. Watching that knowledge transfer happen was incredible. Here’s this little girl who’s already going to know more about where her food comes from than most adults!

And can we talk about Avery’s confidence? She told Shay her hair looked “pretty like a princess,” then immediately followed up by declaring herself “a queen who protects everyone by eating all her villains.” I mean, come on – that’s the kind of energy we need more of in this world!

Community Connections Keep Growing

Our second new volunteer, Sam, lives just down the street and stopped by last week to grab some fresh veggies. She made sure to come back this week to meet everyone and volunteer for a few hours. Sam immediately connected with Shay and dove right into the tomato pruning work. Before long, she was taking over the trimming duties so Shay could tackle other projects.

Jody was everywhere today – distributing mulch she’d brought from home, watering beds, helping Jeff with pop-up tent assembly, and trimming dead branches around the perimeter. She even walked over to a garage sale across the street with Kyren and spent time chatting with him. That’s the kind of welcoming spirit that makes our garden special.

Generations Growing Together

One of the most heartwarming sights today was watching Lauren and her mom work side by side, building trellises out of reclaimed materials. They were using old boards Jeff had salvaged, fallen branches from the property line, and some chicken wire we’d managed to rescue – turning what could have been waste into essential garden infrastructure.

There’s something really special about seeing a mother and daughter collaborate on the same community project. That kind of multigenerational gardening isn’t as common as it used to be, but here they were, problem-solving together and creating something that’ll help our cucumber plants thrive. (Those cucumbers should be ready for harvest in just a few weeks, by the way!)

Major Milestone: The Sign Goes Up!

Today marked a huge milestone for us – we finally installed our official South Warren Community Garden sign! This was a big moment, and Jeff handled it perfectly by getting everyone involved in the decision-making process.

All the volunteers gathered near the road to scout out the best location. We identified three potential spots and spent time weighing the pros and cons of each. After some good discussion (and Shay cracking up as she watched us directing Jeff “two steps to the left, now one to the right“), we decided on the center of the native garden.

The reasoning was solid – as all those native plants grow and flower throughout the seasons, they’ll create a beautiful natural backdrop for the sign. Plus, if we change our minds later, we can always relocate it. Zach and Jeff dug the holes and got it positioned perfectly. It looks absolutely fantastic out there!

Partnerships That Make It Possible

I have to give another shout-out to the Macomb County Health Department for their incredible support. Last week they donated a wheelbarrow and shovels, and this week I picked up the rest of their donation – two hose reels with 100-foot hoses, shade fabric, a heavy-duty tarp, volunteer gloves, and other essentials.

As a small mutual aid program that’s entirely self-funded by volunteers and local business sponsorships, having government partners invest in our future means the world to us. Everything we do is about benefiting the community, so when we have institutional support like this, it amplifies our impact exponentially.

What 13+ Volunteers Can Accomplish in One Sunday

By the time we wrapped up, we had over 13 people buzzing around the garden – including our two awesome new volunteers who jumped right into the family. And man, did we get stuff done!

We harvested a full pound of fresh produce for the community today. Now I know what you’re thinking – “John, one pound? That’s it?” But here’s the thing that gets me fired up about this: we started this garden just one month ago, smack dab in the middle of growing season. The fact that we’re already pulling food out of the ground and getting it to neighbors? That’s pretty incredible if you ask me.

Sure, we missed the prime planting window this year, but we’re not letting that slow us down. Next year, when we’ve got the full season to work with, we’re going to blow these numbers out of the water!

The coolest part wasn’t just the harvest though – it was watching everyone work together like we’d been doing this for years. Jeff sharing tools between the wheelbarrow project and sign installation. Shay teaching Avery about plant care while Sam took over the pruning. Lauren and her mom problem-solving trellis construction with salvaged materials. Nick showing up with rocks for the flower border.

Lauren set up our produce stand and made sure every ripe tomato and banana pepper found a home with neighbors and volunteers. Jody brought mulch from her own yard to fill in the low spots. Even those baby cucumbers Shay spotted got their own custom trellis built from reclaimed boards – they’ll be ready for harvest in just a few weeks!

Looking Ahead

Oh, and here’s some exciting news – we had someone from the City of Warren stop by who’s involved with their community programming! They want to create a 20-30 minute video about our garden and mission. We’re absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to share our story and reach even more people in the community.

Jeff summed it up perfectly in his message to the group: “Looking back on all we’ve done so far is really starting to feel awesome as the garden gets more established and full of the small comforts that make it nice to be and work in. So thankful for all of you that have made this wonderful space and filled it with happiness!”

That’s exactly what happened today – a space filled with happiness, new friendships, productive work, and community connections. From wheelbarrow puzzles to princess queens, from sign installations to cucumber trellises, it was another perfect reminder of why community gardens matter.

Can’t wait for next Sunday!