Today at the Eastpointe Community Garden, the rain showed up. So did we.

Saturday mornings at ECG have a rhythm, and that rhythm doesn’t really care what the sky is doing. 10am rolled around, I pulled up to Nine Mile, and Bill and Jen were already there, already in the beds, already weeding the Giving Garden like it was the most reasonable thing in the world to be doing in the rain. Because, apparently, it is.

Here’s what went down.

The Straw Bale Situation

First order of business: the pile of straw bales sitting out in the front parking lot. They needed to be moved. They were also completely soaked. If you’ve never picked up a waterlogged straw bale, I envy you. Bill jumped in and we hauled them to a better spot where they can actually earn their keep this season. Nobody asked. Somebody just grabbed the other end. That’s ECG.

Meet Pebbles

Then the best part of the day happened.

A new face walked up in the rain. Her name is Pebbles. Gloves in hand. Ready to throw down. She was, genuinely, sunshine on a rainy day.

Pebbles spent the afternoon in the Giving Garden with Jen, digging in the dirt like she’d been doing it with us for years. If you’ve ever thought “I couldn’t just show up, I don’t know anybody” – Pebbles would like a word. This is how it happens. You walk up. Somebody hands you a trowel. You’re in.

The Giving Garden Got Its Crops In

Rain or no rain, Jen led the planting charge. Here’s what got tucked into the Giving Garden today:

• Cabbages in GG6 and GG13
• Brussels sprouts in GG22
• All the cap doors pulled out of storage and back onto the beds where they belong

Jen summed it up best in our group chat after she got home:

“We have our first peas sprouting from our seed starting last Saturday. Radishes were also sighted. Our fruit trees are already flowering ✨ I feel they may be a little early… and really interested to see what they’ll produce.”

Peas are up. Radishes are up. Fruit trees are flowering. The garden is officially awake, and it did not consult the weather app before waking up.

Carrot Bill Came Out of Hibernation

This one deserves its own section.

Carrot Bill is our scarecrow. Specifically, he’s a life-size cutout of Bill Randazzo in a carrot onesie, which I may or may not have printed at work, and which is absolutely one of the most beloved fixtures of the entire garden. He spent the winter resting. Today, he officially came out of hibernation and took his post.

The crows have been warned. The season is on.

Jeff Solved the Irrigation Puzzle

Jeff rolled in with Rory (the dog, and honorary garden greeter) and went straight to the drip irrigation system in the Giving Garden. We’ve been wrestling with fittings that refused to stop leaking, and Jeff has been on a mission.

Today, he figured it out.

If you’ve never tried to assemble drip irrigation and watched water shoot sideways out of six different joints, I can tell you this is a big deal. A working drip system means consistent watering, which means healthier plants, bigger harvests, and more pounds of produce going to neighbors who need it. Jeff, you absolute legend.

First Harvest of the Season

Today also brought our very first harvest of 2026.

1 pound, 2 ounces of rhubarb came off the bed up front – that beautiful red and green that tells you the season is officially underway. And our first asparagus spears have started poking up out of the ground, which I will never, ever get tired of seeing no matter how many years we do this.

First harvest energy is unmatched. All the prep work, all the cold mornings, all the winter planning – it starts paying off. And it keeps paying off from here until frost.

Josh From Ferlito’s Brought Pizza

Midway through the afternoon, Josh from Ferlito’s Pizzeria showed up with pizza for the crew. Cold rain, wet gloves, hot pizza. I don’t know what else to tell you. That’s the whole equation, and it works every time.

Thank you, Josh. You made a soggy Saturday considerably better.

Other Wins of the Day

A few more things happened between the raindrops:

• Yosy from Macomb Community College came back to garden with us again
• The broken fence out front got fixed (one of those “while I’m out here anyway” projects)
• The pond is full, the little river is flowing, and the birds were having an absolute field day in the puddles
• We spotted lettuce, possibly kale, possibly melons or squash, and flowering fruit trees all across the garden

Bill called it “a perfect Saturday.” Even in the rain, he’s right.

Come Hang With Us

If this sounds like your kind of Saturday, come find us. The Eastpointe Community Garden is at 16425 Nine Mile Road, Eastpointe, MI, and we’re there every Saturday from 10am to 2pm.

No experience needed. No sign-up. No money down. The soil doesn’t judge, and neither do we.
Bring yourself. We’ll handle the rest.
Mental note: We’ll still be there if it’s raining.

#UrbanSeed #EastpointeCommunityGarden #CommunityGarden #GrowingTogether #GivingGarden