{"id":1999,"date":"2026-06-20T22:26:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T02:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/?p=1999"},"modified":"2026-06-20T22:26:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T02:26:14","slug":"first-big-harvest-of-the-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/2026\/06\/20\/first-big-harvest-of-the-season\/","title":{"rendered":"First Big Harvest of the Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shay and I pulled into the parking lot just after 10, and Becky was already there. Bill and Jen were out today, and when Bill isn’t around, Becky is your person. She’s stepped into a volunteer liaison role recently and she has been doing a genuinely fantastic job with it. If you had a question today, you found Becky.<\/p>\n

Before we get into today, a quick recap from last week: we got the beds in place on the left side of the garden, past Mr. Watermelon Man, our big metal garden sculpture. Over the week, Becky, Joe, and Bill came back and got all those beds filled. Then Tomato Bill, a longtime volunteer who grows tomatoes in the U-Pick beds so they can be given away to the community, came through and planted that whole side of the U-Pick section. So when we showed up this morning, the left side was done and planted. Today was all about the right side.<\/p>\n

I should also give credit to Teresa, who I completely missed in person. She showed up first thing and watered the entire Giving Garden, including the trees and berry bushes in the back. I found out through Becky’s message in the group chat after the fact. More is always happening on any given Saturday than any one person can keep track of.<\/p>\n

Twenty-two people checked in today. Here’s what that looked like.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Right Side Gets Its Day<\/h2>\n

We’d already laid weed fabric and cardboard on the right side last weekend, so today’s job was: wood chips down, raised beds in position, compost loaded. We got the wood chips down and the beds placed. Didn’t make it to the compost. Still a win. That is a lot of material to move around in June.<\/p>\n

The kids at the garden were a huge help moving wood chips today. It was really cool watching them work right alongside the adults and hold their own. Rory, Becky and Joe’s daughter, pushed empty wheelbarrows all on her own after Joe helped her get the feel for it. First time, and she was genuinely great at it.<\/p>\n

Lisa spent her morning weed-whipping all around Mr. Watermelon Man and cleaned up the whole surrounding area. That spot looks like it got a fresh haircut. Steve mowed the front half of the garden. Becky mowed the back half. Mowing is one of those jobs that’s invisible when it gets done and very obvious when it doesn’t.<\/p>\n

If you’ve ever thought about volunteering but want something low-commitment, mowing is a genuinely great option. If we could get 10 people on a rotation, everyone would only have to do it a few times per season, and it would make a real difference. Reach out to us at urbanseed.info if that sounds like something you’d be into.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Carrot Season Is Open<\/h2>\n

Around noon, Katie Donnelly and Cola finished harvesting the Giving Garden and got the free produce stand set up out front. Katie and I shot a quick video to let people know the stand was open. She did this whole monster truck bit that honestly cracked me up. Check it out here.<\/a><\/p>\n

The carrots were the story today. Orange ones, obviously, but also purple – a deep almost-black variety that people kept stopping to look at. They were gorgeous. Bill messaged the group chat later to say they looked amazing. He was not wrong.<\/p>\n

I estimated about 10 families had come through. Katie had the actual clicker counter, and while she was running the stand, 15 families stopped by. One more came through after she left. That’s 16 total. I will trust the person with the counter over my own guesses every single time.<\/p>\n

My favorite moment of the whole day: a car pulled up and stopped at the red light on Nine Mile, maybe 5 feet from the produce stand. Katie grabbed a fistful of carrots, walked right over, and asked the driver if they wanted some fresh vegetables. They said yes. She made their day before the light even changed. That’s the whole garden in three seconds.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Jal\u00f1ape\u00f1o Found Its Way Home<\/h2>\n

Last week I wrote about Jeff Standrew when he first reached out to us.\u00a0Quick recap for anyone who missed it:<\/a>\u00a0every year, we hand out seed packets at the Eastpointe Memorial Day Parade. Jeff picked some up a few years back, got jalape\u00f1o seeds, decided to give gardening a real try, and never looked back.<\/p>\n

This year, he grew extra plants specifically for us. Today he brought them to the garden.<\/p>\n

Twenty plants. Shay gave him a full tour and you could tell he was genuinely moved by everything he saw. He’d been following us on Facebook for years but this was his first time actually here, walking around in person. Those 20 pepper plants went straight into the new U-Pick beds on the left side that we just finished last week.<\/p>\n

Seeds we handed out at a parade came back as plants that will feed our neighbors. That’s the whole point, right there.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A Neighborhood That Won’t Stop Giving<\/h2>\n

Earlier in the day, Dakota, a neighbor who lives around the corner from the garden, stopped by with a stone bench he was getting rid of. He did all the heavy lifting himself and got it set up across from the fire pit, under the big shade tree. It looks like it’s always been there.<\/p>\n

Later, Steve, whose dog Zeke has played fetch with us over the back fence for years, came by and handed Stefanie a box of planter pots and hand tools. Steve has always been one of the garden’s biggest supporters.<\/p>\n

Then, completely unannounced, Don pulled up with his truck and asked if we wanted a rototiller. That was pretty wild. He hopped out wearing a shirt that said “Bird Nerd,” told us he loves what we’re doing, and mentioned he had been stopping by the garden on his own for a while now. He was downsizing from his pickup truck to something smaller and figured we could use the tiller more than anyone else on his list. He left us the ramp too, because what’s he going to do with a truck ramp when he doesn’t have a truck anymore?<\/p>\n

I don’t know. When your neighbors think about you – when they see something they’re getting rid of and their first thought is the garden – that means something. People are paying attention. They care about what we’re doing here, and that never gets old.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This Is What Grant Work Looks Like<\/h2>\n

Urban Seed received a grant from the Whole Foods Foundation. What sets them apart from most funders is that they don’t just write a check and wait for a final report. They show up.<\/p>\n

Today, Beth Dunraven and one of her colleagues from Whole Foods spent their entire morning and afternoon at the garden. Their project was clearing a property line behind the fire pit where a neighbor’s weeds had completely overtaken our stored firewood. They pulled 7 bags of clippings. The whole fenceline is open and visible now. It was not a comfortable job. They did not stop.<\/p>\n

Turns out Beth is Becky’s neighbor, someone she met at the citywide yard sales last year. She also happens to be the Whole Foods contact who championed the garden’s grant. Small world doesn’t even cover it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s That Around the Tomatoes?\u201d<\/h2>\n

Cat stopped by today with her son Liam. If you’ve been following the South Warren Community Garden, you might recognize them as part of the\u00a0Pickle Boys family.<\/a>\u00a0They came to our Halloween event at Eastpointe last fall, and I’ve had a bag of goodies in my van for them ever since. Today I finally got to hand it over.<\/p>\n

At some point during the day, Liam found Shay and pointed at one of the tomato plants. What are those things around the tomatoes?<\/p>\n

Tomato cages. Shay explained that she’s not really a fan of using cages for tomatoes – they get messy as the plants get bigger. So she walked him over to the Giving Garden and showed him the string trellis that Bill and Jen built to train the tomatoes to grow upward instead. Liam thought it was really cool. He turned around and told Cat that they have wood at home they could repurpose to build something just like it for their home garden.<\/p>\n

Last year we introduced the family to cucamelon – those little grape-sized melons that look exactly like tiny watermelons. They gave them a try and loved them. This year they’re growing cucamelon at home. I think it’s pretty cool that a day at the Eastpointe Community Garden turned into a kid designing a DIY trellis and growing cucamelon in his backyard. That’s the kind of ripple you don’t always get to see coming.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She Just Had to See It for Herself<\/h2>\n

Last year I started bringing fresh produce from the garden over to one of my neighbors. Today their daughter, Nya, came to the garden for the first time to see what it was all about.<\/p>\n

When we started talking, she mentioned that her neighbor is involved with the program. I immediately assumed she meant Bill. I started describing Bill and where he lives, and we were kind of dancing around it for a minute. Then she pointed toward my house and I just started laughing. Oh – you’re my neighbor.<\/p>\n

Shay and I walked her around and showed her how everything works. She was genuinely blown away that it’s all volunteers. No paid staff, no budget for people. Just folks who show up every Saturday and donate their time and food because they want to. She seemed really curious about how it all comes together. I’m pretty sure we’ll see her again soon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What the Numbers Say<\/h2>\n

Pastor Parker from the church next door spent some time with us today. The congregation has always been a great neighbor, and their parking lot has been a real lifeline for us during events and busy Saturdays. I made sure to tell him that the U-Pick beds are in and planted. He’s going to mention it at an upcoming service so his congregation knows that right after church, they can walk straight across the parking lot and pick fresh tomatoes, peppers, and beans.<\/p>\n

Shay also brought the Little Library back to the garden today. We’d taken it down a few weeks ago so she could repaint it. Today she put the clear coat on outside so it could outgas properly. Once it’s set and installed, it’ll be filled with books for the kids who come through on Saturdays. It looks really good.<\/p>\n

Here’s where the day lands in numbers.<\/h3>\n

22 people checked in at the Eastpointe Community Garden today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

16 families took home fresh produce.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Between June 15 and June 21, across both the Eastpointe Community Garden and the South Warren Community Garden, Urban Seed gave fresh vegetables to 27 families. That includes a mid-week harvest donation to a local church and today’s produce stand. Tomorrow the South Warren Community Garden does their Sunday harvest, and that number grows.<\/p>\n

So far in 2026, Urban Seed has donated 86.44 pounds of food to the community across both gardens. We’re on pace to beat 2025’s total of 1,727.79 pounds. I’m not worried about that at all.<\/p>\n

If you want to be part of it, we’re at 16425 Nine Mile Road in Eastpointe every Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM. No experience needed. No registration required. Just show up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saturday at the Eastpointe Community Garden: the first big harvest of the season, 16 families fed, a neighbor who showed up unannounced with a rototiller and a “Bird Nerd” shirt, and the story of a jalape\u00f1o seed that found its way home three years later.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":370,"featured_media":2002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","wds_primary_category":0,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":10,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"dipi_cpt_category":[],"class_list":["post-1999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-garden-party-recap"],"acf":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Eastpointe Community Garden","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/370"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1999"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2031,"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1999\/revisions\/2031"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1999"},{"taxonomy":"dipi_cpt_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanseed.info\/eastpointe-community-garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dipi_cpt_category?post=1999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}