Y’all, I’m still buzzing from everything we accomplished at today’s garden party! What started as another Saturday morning at the Eastpointe Community Garden turned into one of those days that reminds me exactly why I love this work so much (I feel like I say this every week but it’s true).

Early Birds and Big Projects

When Shay and I rolled up around 10:30 AM, Jen and Bill were already deep into prep mode – they’d been there since 9, cleaning up under the kitchen spot and mapping out the day’s to-do list. Bill even had to duck out for a bit to present at the Summer Sustainability Fair at the Eastpointe Library (this guy is truly in high demand).

Meanwhile, our neighbor Derek came through with a sump pump and got to work on our little water feature project. Nothing too crazy – just some tweaking to make the slope more gradual. It became this awesome group effort – the South Warren Community Garden crew jumped right in to help, along with Katie’s nephew (what!? I’m terrible with names), Caleb, Nick, Nico, and myself, all of us working together to move dirt and reshape things just right.

Here’s the cool part though – while we were working, I actually took a moment to really look at the water feature instead of just rushing past it like I usually do. The dragonflies, y’all! These absolutely stunning iridescent green-turquoise beauties were having their own little air show, probably feasting on mosquitoes. Sometimes I forget to appreciate the wildlife that calls our garden home.

Fairy Garden Dreams Come True

While some of us were playing in the dirt, Shay, Kat, and Cola had the most brilliant idea – they transformed one of our rental beds into a fairy garden! We sacrificed one of our rental beds to the fairies – and clearly, it was totally worth it! We still have other beds available for anyone interested (check our website), but this one had to become something magical. It’s absolutely breathtaking, complete with tiny solar mushroom lights that’ll make the whole thing glow in the evenings.

Any kids who visit (especially the little ones) are going to lose their minds over this magical addition right next to the walking path. You literally can’t miss it, and honestly, I don’t think you’d want to.

Harvest Heroes

I watched Jen work her magic in full harvest coordinator mode, directing folks and making sure we captured every single Kohlrabi, leaf of chard, and pea ready for picking. The numbers just blow me away – we’re at 156 pounds of donated produce just this month and 198 pounds year-to-date! Today alone brought in about 40 pounds from the giving garden, plus another 8 pounds of goodies that volunteers brought from their homes.

Bill and Jen were tag-teaming the harvest strategy – Bill finished up planting beets, kohlrabi, and beans while harvesting the last of the peas to make room for the newcomers. Jen spotted those cucamelon sprouts that got direct-sown last Saturday (gardening is basically magic, I swear)!

Plus, those cabbage moths? Jen tried to take them on but told us they were “fierce lil bastards!” 😂 The nasturtiums were gorgeous though, and the berries provided perfect snacking fuel for everyone.

More Community Connections

Tim shared one of my favorite moments from the day – an older couple stopped by, and the woman was genuinely excited to prove that “Eastpointe isn’t a bad place to live, and the garden was her proof.” That’s exactly what this is all about, folks.

We had multiple new families discover us for the first time! A mom with two kids jumped right in to help with harvesting, and I watched Stephanie teach them all about what we do and why we do it. We even gave them a butterfly net to catch cabbage moths right there in the garden (turning pest control into a game – genius!).

Bill had great conversations with other folks who wandered by, and as he put it perfectly: “I love when someone comes by and is amazed at what we are doing.” That’s exactly how I feel every single time.

The Numbers That Make a Difference

Twenty-five volunteers officially checked in today. TWENTY-FIVE! Despite the heat, despite it being everyone’s precious weekend time, despite life being absolutely bonkers – our community showed up and showed out.

Katie took the lead on weighing all the produce and managed the produce stand like a champ, getting most of our harvest distributed even though construction slowed things down a bit. Even Ellie and Tiffany stopped by (their first time back in a while!), with Ellie lending a hand with the dirt work and Tiffany just enjoying catching up with everyone.

It’s the Little Things

Tim handled trash duty (and is definitely getting that bag later tonight – I see you, Tim!) and made cheese burgers for the crew. He also made pink lemonade with fresh berries. Because honestly, what’s a garden party without actual party food?

Oh, and Shay tried to befriend the garden cats and their kittens. Our little feline security team keeps watch over everything when we’re not around, and having babies just makes them even more precious.

Why It All Matters

Days like today remind me exactly why we started Urban Seed. It’s not just about the 1,605 pounds of produce we donated last year, or even hitting almost 200 pounds just this month. It’s about creating a space where neighbors become friends, where kids can chase butterflies and discover fairy gardens, where someone can point to our garden and say “see? This place isn’t so bad after all.”

It’s about Jen’s expertise guiding new gardeners, Bill’s enthusiasm for sharing knowledge, Derek’s generous help with equipment, and volunteers driving over from South Warren just to lend a hand. It’s about everyone bringing whatever they can – whether that’s hours of digging, fresh vegetables from home, or just showing up to learn something new.

Next Saturday, I’ll be back out there from 10 AM to 2 PM. Come join us! No experience needed, just bring yourself and maybe some water.

P.S. – If you missed the fairy garden reveal, you’re going to want to swing by just to see it. Trust me on this one. 🧚‍♀️

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