Opening Day 2025: When Community Shows Up (And Shows Out!)

Hey garden friends! John here, still buzzing from what might have been the BEST opening day we’ve ever had at Eastpointe Community Garden. Last Saturday was absolutely magical, and I’m just now catching my breath enough to share what went down!

The Day We Broke Records (And Not Just for Plants!)

Saturday morning started with a sprinkle – nature’s way of blessing our efforts, I guess! The weather gods must be garden fans because after that brief morning shower, we got the PERFECT planting day. Not too hot, not muggy, just right for getting our hands dirty and making new friends.

When we planned this opening day, I honestly thought we’d get our usual crew and maybe a handful of new faces. Instead? More than 35 people showed up to help! That’s not folks coming for free entertainment (which we love hosting too) – that’s 35+ people choosing to donate their Saturday to physical labor and garden prep. For a community garden, that’s like winning the lottery!

I spent most of the day zipping around like a bumblebee with ADHD, connecting people with projects, answering questions, and making sure everyone felt welcome. Meanwhile, Bill (the true backbone of our garden) was doing the real heavy lifting – answering all the technical gardening questions and quietly keeping everything running smoothly. Shay transformed into our official photographer, capturing all those magic moments that tell our story.

Projects Blooming Everywhere

The garden was alive with activity in every corner:

• The Sign Area Makeover: I dug up some overgrown plants that were hiding our main Eastpointe Community Garden sign. First impressions matter, right?
• Pallet Fence Magic: Davy headed up the pallet fence project, building a corral for our yard waste. Later, Cole and I discovered some used hinges and added a proper gate. Upcycling at its finest!
• New Faces, New Beds: Some volunteers who first visited during our news interview came back to plant potatoes in their 4×4 rental bed. After prepping their space, they helped plant ground strawberries along the main aisleway. Talk about community spirit!
• Composting Future: Ruie, who works at the City of Eastpointe and is developing a massive citywide composting program, came to support our efforts. She’s also helping secure grant funding for rain gardens along 9 Mile. We’re so grateful to have her support.
• Blueberry Bonanza: Lisa and Luigi spent their day tending to and planting new blueberry plants. Lisa reported back that they planted 4 out of 6 planned blueberries – future berry harvests are looking bright!
• Kids Digging In: Zach brought his kids and a friend, wondering if there’d be something for the little ones to do. Spoiler alert: kids and garden work are a perfect match! Zach, his friend, and the kiddos worked on the potato beds, with little James declaring himself “the foremost expert on throwing potatoes into trenches.” (Future garden president material right there!)

The Heart of the Garden: Our Giving Garden

The Giving Garden was the center of it all. For months, volunteers have been starting seeds, gathering materials, and planning their attack. Jen created an incredible game plan, dividing the garden into sections and delegating areas to different volunteers and board members.

This was the big day – the moment all those carefully nurtured seedlings finally went into the ground. Bill and Jen oversaw the Giving Garden area, directing traffic and helping everyone. The result? A stunning space that will soon be producing hundreds of pounds of fresh food for our community. Tim and Nick even made special crop markers for a few of the beds.

We’ve already beaten our all-time May harvest record with more than 30 pounds of food donated! Huge shoutout to Justine for contributing some of her home-grown asparagus and rutabaga to help us reach this milestone.

Pizza, Projects, and Pure Joy

We had originally planned to barbecue, but with the weather being a bit unpredictable, we pivoted to a pizza party instead. Cola jumped in to figure out logistics, Kat grabbed the pizzas, and just like that – lunch was solved. That’s what I love about this crew – everyone pitches in without being asked.

After lunch, the projects continued:

• Kat planted peppers and okra
• Coley tackled yellow onions, tomatoes, and eggplants (plus created some seriously cool onion grids with Laura!)
• Glenn learned new strawberry planting techniques
• Tim welcomed visitors from the SCS garden who helped weed the rental beds

The Moments That Make It All Worth It

One of my favorite moments was watching a new visitor’s face light up as he toured the garden. Shay and Kat helped him rent a raised bed, and he was so excited he took photos of everything. That look of wonder and possibility is exactly why we do this work. (Heads up, if you’re interested, you can rent a 4×4′ raised bed online.)

I was also thrilled to see that our stone birdhouse (which I donated back in 2012) is still going strong after more than a decade. Nick spotted birds already making it their home this year – another generation of garden residents!

As the day wound down around 2:30, most folks headed home, but a few of us stuck around to recap and continue sifting soil. We took the fill dirt from where we put in the concrete blocks and sifted it through grates to remove rocks, wood chips, and weeds. That quality reclaimed soil is now being used to build up an area for this year’s pumpkin patch – last year’s attempt needs a do-over!

Looking Ahead

If opening day is any indication, 2025 is going to be our most incredible season yet. The garden is already buzzing with activity, new faces are joining our community, and our longtime volunteers continue to amaze me with their dedication and creativity.

I’m beyond grateful for everyone who showed up and made this day special. From our board members to first-time visitors, from the kids throwing potatoes to the “adults” building fences – this is what community looks like.

The garden is officially open for the season, friends! Come join us any Saturday from 10am-2pm. Whether you’ve got a green thumb or can barely keep a cactus alive, there’s a place for you here.

Growing together, John

#UrbanSeed #EastpointeCommunityGarden #GrowingTogether #OpeningDay2025