A little birdie told me that South Warren might be having their very first harvest today, so Shay and I grabbed the scale from Eastpointe and rolled up around 10:30 – and boy, were we right!

The Magic Was Already Happening

When we arrived, the garden was buzzing with activity! Kat and Cola were putting the finishing touches on some gorgeous solar-powered mushroom lights in the native garden – these babies are going to add such a magical glow to the space come evening. Meanwhile, Nico was already deep into lawn care mode, making everything look pristine.

It was pretty hot out today, but you could feel the excitement in the air. There’s so much love and heart going into this project, and watching it grow little by little is absolutely incredible.

Game-Changing Generosity

Before we dive into today’s awesomeness, we’ve got to talk about what made it all possible. Yesterday, Hal Newman made the largest individual donation in our garden’s history! Thanks to his incredible generosity, we were able to DOUBLE the size of the garden by adding six brand new raised beds.

This is what happens when community members put their money where their heart is – gardens grow, neighbors connect, and magic happens. Want to help us keep this momentum going? We’re always looking for folks who want to support community food growing. Every dollar goes directly into soil, seeds, and smiles!

Building the Future, One Bed at a Time

Jeff and Zach were in full construction mode when we arrived, prepping materials for those six new raised beds. Jeff had spent the previous night buying supplies and got to the garden at 10 AM, where he’d already put in serious work breaking down 4x4s and sawing metal.

Then Tim and Nick showed up and jumped right in to help! Nick even helped Nico with the lawn mowing for a bit – teamwork makes the dream work!

The Main Event: HARVEST TIME!

Here’s what we’ve all been waiting for – THE HARVEST! Those peppers were so vivid they looked like something straight out of a Chili’s commercial – absolutely perfect! Along with some gorgeous Swiss chard, we officially marked South Warren’s first harvest.

The final tally: 0.57 pounds! That’s 0.13 pounds of Swiss chard and 0.44 pounds of banana peppers. Now, 0.57 pounds might not sound like much, but for a brand-new garden’s FIRST harvest? That’s absolutely incredible!

Over the last week, I got the South Warren garden set up in our proprietary Harvest Tracker – a really cool tool we developed that lets you weigh your harvest and updates a publicly available dashboard in real time. We’ve got about 3 years of historical data for Eastpointe, and I’m pumped that South Warren gets to track its growth from day one. Ten years from now, we’re going to look back at these numbers and be absolutely blown away by the difference we’ve made!

Taking Fresh Food to the Neighbors

Here’s where it gets really exciting – as soon as the harvest was done, Katie and Lauren grabbed those beautiful peppers and Swiss chard and went door-to-door introducing themselves to neighbors!

This makes perfect sense because here’s the thing: all the food we’re growing in those gorgeous green raised beds (yep, every single one is green!) is part of our Giving Garden. We’re growing food specifically to log and then donate directly to the community for free.

Katie and Lauren met some of the neighbors who were absolutely thrilled to get fresh peppers and veggies. The best part? Everybody is excited to have us in the community. Nothing beats knowing you’re not just growing food – you’re growing connections!

My Exit and Their Continued Awesomeness

Shay and I could only stick around for about an hour (Sunday obligations, you know how it is!), but what an hour it was! Shay caught up with Kat and Cola in the shade while I jumped in to help with the raised bed construction. After grabbing some photos of all the amazing work happening, we had to dash.

The Work Continued Without Me

But here’s the beautiful thing about community – the magic didn’t stop when I left! The crew kept building and finishing all six additional raised beds. And let me tell you, the tomatoes are looking absolutely amazing! If today’s harvest was any indication, next week is gonna have an even bigger harvest!

Premium Cardboard Delivery Service

Oh, and we can’t forget about yesterday’s cardboard delivery! We put out a call on social media for cardboard (needed it as a weed block for the bed installation), and Lauren’s friend Chloe absolutely came through! She brought an entire car’s worth of cardboard – and not just any cardboard. She’d been saving the BEST pieces, especially boxes without much tape. She even insisted on removing the little bits of tape that were left because, and I quote, “This garden only gets the best and finest cardboard!” 😂

Now THAT’S dedication!

The Perfect Ending

When I swung back by around 2 PM to grab the supplies we’d brought earlier, Jeff and Lauren were packing up. They looked absolutely exhausted while simultaneously looking like they just won the lottery. You could tell they were extremely proud of and really excited about the foundation they’re building for this community.

South Warren Community Garden’s first harvest was officially in the books!

Come Help Us Fill Those Beds!

Speaking of growing together – next Sunday we’re gonna be working on filling in all those shiny new raised beds with soil and getting more vegetables planted! We could definitely use some extra hands because there’s a LOT to do between 10 AM and 2 PM. Come hang with us and help turn those empty beds into food-producing powerhouses!

Want to be part of harvest #2? Come join us at the South Warren Community Garden! No experience needed – just bring yourself and we’ll provide the rest. The soil doesn’t judge, and neither do we! 🌱

This is exactly what Urban Seed is all about – neighbors coming together, sharing resources, growing food, and building community connections one conversation (and one vegetable) at a time.

Huge thanks to Hal Newman for his game-changing donation, Lauren’s friend Chloe for the premium cardboard curation, and all our amazing volunteers who are making South Warren bloom!

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