Saturdays at the Eastpointe Community Garden are always a good time, but today felt extra special. We had eighteen people roll through the garden across the day. New faces, familiar faces, a Whole Foods Foundation team, a couple of pups, hot dogs on the grill, surprise onion donations, and a workout that left me 900 calories lighter according to my watch. (Yes, I checked. Yes, I’m bragging a little.)

The Whole Foods Foundation Team Showed Up to Get Their Hands Dirty

This one was a long time coming, and I’m so glad it finally happened. Beth from Whole Foods, who nominated us for the Whole Foods Foundation grant we were awarded earlier this year, came out with her team to volunteer. Hands-on volunteer work is one of the stipulations of the grant program, and honestly, it could not have been a better day for it.

Four people from the Whole Foods crew spent the morning weeding and amending the soil inside the rental beds, getting them prepped for the start of the growing season in early May. They had a blast. We had a blast having them. There’s something kind of poetic about a grocery store team putting their hands directly into the dirt that’s going to grow food for our community. Full circle moment.

Big thanks to Beth and the whole Whole Foods team for the grant, for the volunteer day, and for believing in what we’re doing out here.

Rental Beds Got the Royal Treatment

While the Whole Foods crew was hitting their beds, we had two more volunteers swing down from Mount Clemens. One of them was helping her colleague knock out some community service hours, and the two of them absolutely went to town. They helped the girls weed the rental beds and layered them with a fresh blanket of straw – great for moisture retention and weed suppression once we plant. Seeing those finished beds with the straw layer on top? Chef’s kiss. That’s the kind of work that makes the whole growing season easier on whoever rents that bed.

Meanwhile, we had a new face out at the garden today. A few weeks ago, when we did garden tours, a guy named Harry stopped by to check the place out. Today, he came back. And he didn’t just come back to look. He came back to work.

Harry helped me and Bill move all of the compost from the holding bin over to the rental beds as we were amending them. We were filling wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow, and in between dumping loads, we got to talking. I asked Harry if he was a gardener. He said no. Then he told me he had recently retired and was looking for a way to get involved in his community – something bigger than himself, something he could commit a little time to, maybe once a week.

I shared that I wasn’t a strong gardener either. What I love most about this place is the community side of it. People from completely different walks of life showing up to grow vegetables together, to enjoy nature together, to decompress for a few hours without having to drive across town. The plants are kind of the excuse. The people are the point. (For me, anyway, lots of other people really enjoy the gardening part.)

And then we found out we both love punk rock. So that pretty much sealed it. Welcome to the garden, Harry. Glad you came back.

By the time Bill, Harry, and I were done shuttling compost back and forth, my watch said I’d burned 900 calories. Nine. Hundred. Calories. Just from filling and dumping wheelbarrows of dirt. That’s the part of community gardening nobody warns you about. You think you’re showing up to plant some lettuce, and three hours later you’re dripping sweat and questioning your life choices and also somehow having the best time. Gym memberships are overrated. Just come move compost with us.

The U-Pick Area Is Getting a Facelift

Right when I pulled into the parking lot around 10:15 this morning, the delivery driver hauling all the raw materials for our new raised beds pulled in right behind me. Perfect timing. I directed him in, and we got everything unloaded.

The U-Pick area isn’t going anywhere, but it is getting a serious facelift – all new beds and a fresh layout designed to make the whole space flow better and produce more food. A couple of hours after the delivery, when Jeff got to the garden, he and Bill cut all the metal panels to size. Now everything is pre-cut and ready to assemble. Free, fresh produce that anyone in the community can walk up and pick. Stay tuned, because the build-out is happening soon.

Kat and Cola Brought Lunch (and Made Everyone’s Day)

Around midday, Kat and Cola rolled in with a barbecue setup and started cooking hot dogs for everybody. Then, after everyone ate, they cleaned up and headed out.

Stop and think about that for a second. Two people went out of their way, on their own dime, to go grocery shopping, drive to the garden, fire up a grill, feed a dozen people, clean up the mess, and leave. They didn’t ask for anything. They just wanted to do something nice for the community.

I don’t know a lot of programs where stuff like that just happens. That’s the kind of thing that makes the Eastpointe Community Garden what it is. Kat and Cola, you two are the absolute best. Thank you for the dogs and for being the kind of humans who do stuff like this.

The Onion Drive-By Donation

This one was wild. While I was filling a wheelbarrow with compost, a family pulled up in their car. They didn’t even get out. They just rolled down the window, stuck out a hand holding a big bundle of onions ready to be planted, and said, “Hey, we’re just stopping by to drop off some onions. Hope you have a good day.”

Then they drove off.

I brought the onions over to Jen, and her face lit up. Apparently, every single onion we’d tried to start this season had died. So this drive-by donation? Could not have been more perfectly timed if we’d planned it. Jen got those onions in the ground before the day was out. To whoever you were in that car – thank you. You saved our onion situation.

Jen and Bill Got the Giving Garden Humming

Bill was the first one on-site this morning, rolling in around 9 AM and getting straight to work in the giving garden. He weeded the beds, moved plants that were in the wrong spot, and added stakes for the trellises. By the time the rest of the crew started showing up, he’d already laid the groundwork for everything else.

Jen took it from there and spent the entire day in the giving garden. Planting. Watering. Weeding. Tending. The kind of all-day, head-down dedication that makes our donation numbers go up year after year.

And the beds are popping. The peas are up. The carrots are up. The kohlrabi and beets are up. The cabbage and brussels sprouts are starting. The garlic, cabbage, brussels, and onions all got a boost of Trifecta today. The first seedlings of the season are off to an awesome start, and we’re set up for a great year of feeding the community.

Our peas are starting to reach for the sky!

The Auto-Watering System Is (Finally) Almost Done

Jeff has been chasing leaks on the watering system for a while now, and today was a breakthrough. He finally found the fittings we needed to stop the leaks for good. After we finished moving the compost, I helped him out for a bit, and we’re now just a couple of small things away from having a fully functional automatic watering system for the giving garden.

If you’ve ever tried to keep a vegetable garden watered consistently in the middle of a Michigan summer, you know exactly why this is a big deal. Less stress, healthier plants, more produce we can donate. Win, win, win. Jeff, you’re a wizard.

Lisa Is Playing the Long Game in the Native Garden

Lisa stopped by with her dog Luigi and spent her whole day back in the native garden. She did a ton of work back there, but the headline project was laying out a giant blue tarp to start killing off a big chunk of lawn.

And Lisa is always thinking three steps ahead. Killing the lawn now means that when seeds go in next spring, they won’t get drowned out by flooding. Even seeds from plants that thrive in swampy habitats will die if they get flooded right after germination. Once native plants are established, they can handle standing water just fine – it’s why so many wetland species evolved to produce massive quantities of seeds or spread through their root systems. Most seedlings don’t make it to the flowering stage, so the ones that do matter a lot.

As those native plants mature, their root systems will start cycling water naturally, reducing flooding in that whole back area over time. Native plants are a huge part of how a healthy environment handles water. Lisa is literally rebuilding a working ecosystem back there, piece by piece. It’s amazing to watch.

Big Shout-Out to the City of Eastpointe

I want to take a second to recognize the City of Eastpointe. They replaced our parking lot over the winter, and they brought in a concrete company to install a brand new handicap-accessible path that connects right into the garden. The garden is now more accessible than it’s ever been – something we’ve been working toward for a long time.

We’re really lucky to have the partnership we do with the city. They genuinely look out for us, and that handicap path is a perfect example. Thank you to everyone at Eastpointe who keeps making this kind of stuff happen.

Want to Be Part of the Next Saturday?

Saturdays at the Eastpointe Community Garden run from 10am to 2pm at 16425 Nine Mile Road in Eastpointe, Michigan. No experience needed. No registration. The soil doesn’t judge, and neither do we. Whether you want to plant, weed, build, hang out under a tree with a book, or grill hot dogs for everyone like a true legend – there’s a place for you here.

Come hang with us. Bring a friend. Bring a bundle of onions if you’ve got ’em. See you next week!