Community garden in Eastpointe celebrates 11th season

EASTPOINTE — On a warm July morning, Bill Randazzo, garden manager at the Eastpointe Community Garden, pulled a hose through the garden, stopping to water herbs and vegetables.

“I work in a smoke shop, and if I didn’t have this, I wouldn’t work there,” he said. “I need something that fulfills my life, and (the garden) puts meaning in it.”

The garden was started in 2012 and is now in its 11th season. It originally had 32 wooden boxes. There was also no water, but neighbors supplied the gardeners with rain barrels full of water.

“We had a lot of blessings that year,” said Peggy DiMercurio, the garden’s secretary and volunteer coordinator.

Now, the garden has 24 metal beds, of which all but three are currently rented. There is also a row of beds at the front of the garden that people can take from, which are sponsored by community members and businesses.

It was started as a way to provide people with a spot to grow things who may not have had a place at home. A committee of six people oversees it, and a group of about 10 volunteers helps to maintain it.

“We decided it would be a good idea to bring a farmers market and an urban garden to the city,” said John Hofmann, who serves on the garden’s committee.

“A lot of people are having a hard go of it. This was something small that we can do to help you with that,” he added.

The garden is funded through rentals, which cost $40. The rental fee includes soil, access to tools and compost, and other amenities provided by the garden.

Before the committee started the garden, the property was a vacant lot that people were using to dump waste, DiMercurio said. On occasion, groups such as the Boy Scouts will help the committee with maintaining the garden.

“It’s really cool getting to show the kids,” Hofmann said. “A lot of children don’t necessarily understand where food comes from. So for them to understand that you don’t make tomatoes in the back of the grocery store, that’s kind of neat.”

This season, the committee is focused on continuing to upgrade the garden beds and working toward earning 501(c)(3) status, as well as expanding the giving garden program, updating signage and recruiting more volunteers. The giving garden comprises the row of beds at the front of the garden that offers free items.

“We have a big stake in Eastpointe,” DiMercurio said. “Our mission has always been to do something good for Eastpointe and for this community.”

For more information on the garden, visit www.urbanseed.info.