Alright, so today was absolutely scorching. I’m talking the kind of heat that makes you question all your life choices. But our South Warren garden crew? They showed up ready to do what I like to call “hot girl shit” – that’s John slang for growing food for the community, by the way!

Shay and I roll up around 11 AM expecting to find maybe a few brave souls, but NOPE. Everyone’s already out there absolutely crushing it.

The Returnees Who Make My Heart Happy

Khy and Sam came back! Looks like we didn’t scare then off after all. There’s seriously nothing better than watching people decide “yeah, this is my place now.”

Oh, and Sam brought fresh chicken eggs from her backyard! Because apparently when you join our garden family, you just start sharing everything good in your life. Thanks again Sam!

Some Next-Level Garden Logistics

Kat and Cola had this brilliant plan. They grab fabric planter bags, make a quick trip to our Eastpointe garden to load up on that good compost (why waste perfectly good dirt?), then haul it all back to Warren for fresh plantings.

This is exactly what we dreamed about when we started Urban Seed – our gardens actually working together to share resources, volunteers, and partnerships!

Table Painting Magic

Khy, Zach and Lauren teamed up to transform our sad picnic table into something you’d actually want to sit at. There’s something satisfying about watching a beat-up table get a fresh coat of paint and become the centerpiece of the garden again. I love the color too -great choice Lauren!

Shay, Sam, and the Great Cucumber Negotiation

Even melting in this heat, the learning never stops. Shay’s out there being the plant whisperer with Sam, pruning squash and cucumbers and trying to convince those cucumber vines that the trellis is their friend, not the tomatoes they’ve been smothering.

Then she’s teaching both Zach and Khy how to figure out what actually needs pruning. No intimidating garden jargon – just “here’s how you help plants be their best selves.”

Kids Literally Running Toward Vegetables

Okay, this moment absolutely made everyone’s day. Four different families stopped by for fresh produce (already awesome). But then this car pulls over and two kids BURST out and come SPRINTING toward the garden.

Sprinting! At vegetables!

Turns out they’re super into pickling and grabbed some of our extra cucumber plants to take home for their own adventures. When kids get that excited about growing food, you know you’re doing something right.

Fairy Magic and Creative Chaos

Lauren was absolutely unstoppable today. Beyond the table painting, she brought fairy garden doors, and by the time Shay and I are melting our way home around 1 PM, she’s got everyone huddled together planning the perfect fairy door installation.

The pictures tell the whole story – little windows and doors popping up on our trees, turning the garden into something straight out of a fairy tale. And somehow she still managed to harvest while orchestrating all this creativity!

Jeff’s Cucumber Treasure Hunt

Jeff shows up fashionably late and immediately goes on what I can only describe as a cucumber safari. He discovers “a dozen chub monster sumpter pickling cucumbers” hiding in the undergrowth like they were playing hide and seek.

He also solved our ongoing garden mystery – found more of those beautifully polished rocks that keep appearing everywhere. We still have no idea who our secret rock artist is (Shay??), but honestly? Keep ’em coming!

Pete’s Garden Check-In

Pete swung by for about an hour to catch up and see what he’d missed over the past few weeks. Spent time weeding in the native plant garden and “attended a bee funeral.” (You’ll have to ask Lauren next time you stop by.)

He’s loving all the new art and improvements. It’s wild how much this space keeps evolving week by week.

Zach’s Everything-At-Once Day

Can we talk about Zach for a second? This guy was literally everywhere – picking pickles (try saying that fast!), learning pruning techniques, helping paint the table, AND distributing fresh sprouts and pickles to anyone who wanted them. That’s some serious garden party multitasking!

The Real Numbers That Matter

By the end of our sweaty, productive day: 9.7 pounds of fresh produce heading home with community members.

That’s not just vegetables. That’s kids getting excited about pickling, families discovering what we’re building here, neighbors taking care of neighbors, and food security happening one cucumber at a time.

Your Turn to Join the Fun!

South Warren garden party every Sunday, 10 AM to 2 PM at 13690 Toepfer Rd. in Warren. No sign-ups, no experience required, no need to know a tomato from a potato when you start.

Want to learn plant pruning? Awesome. Help install fairy doors? We’re here for it. Hunt for hidden treasure cucumbers? That’s apparently a thing now! Just want to hang out and chat while pretending the heat isn’t trying to murder us all? Perfect.

Come do some hot girl shit with us next Sunday!