Community garden making changes, seeking volunteers

EASTPOINTE — As board members of the Urban Seed Community Garden on Nine Mile Road, east of Gratiot Avenue, prepare for its 14th season, they are looking to make a few changes, as well as recruit more volunteers.

One of the biggest changes, according to John Hofmann, the garden’s founder and treasurer, is that they are looking for volunteers to tend to the garden on more days during the week.

Historically, work in the garden has been concentrated on Saturdays, but this year, they’re looking to change that, he said.

“A lot of people express interest in being involved with the garden, but they work or they have other obligations on the weekends, so they’re unable to participate,” he said. “So, we’re trying something new this year.”

The idea came from Bill Randazzo, the president of the organization, who decided to post a list of projects and things that can be done in the garden by people who are unavailable on the weekends.

“Surprisingly enough, people are excited to get involved, come up to the garden with their kids and pull weeds for a couple hours, or to swing by and help us clear out some debris or pick up the trash that’s blown in from over the winter,” Hofmann said.

Hofmann added that anyone can volunteer at the garden, regardless of their skill level.

“The garden is open to everybody, regardless of gardening experience,” Hofmann said. “So, individuals like myself, who are not the strongest gardeners, there’s something for us to do.”

Randazzo added that they want everyone to feel welcome at the garden.

“Welcome to the garden. Make yourself at home. We want you to feel at home and very welcome,” Randazzo said. “This is a magical place for everybody.”

This is also the first year that the garden’s 33 rental beds have all been spoken for before the season even started, Hofmann said.

In 2024, the garden gave away 1,600 pounds of food, and in 2025, the garden gave away 1,700 pounds, Hofmann said. The goal for this year is 2,000 pounds.

Randazzo added that he’s excited to help the garden grow this year, and to be able to teach volunteers some skills that they can use to maintain their own gardens.

“I’m most excited about changing my outlook on the garden and helping it grow into a magical place of learning, showing how we sow seeds, showing how we tend to our plants, how we harvest,” he said.

The garden will host its first seed-planting day of the season from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 11. Anyone interested in volunteering can reach out through the garden’s Facebook page or through a contact form on the garden’s website, urbanseed.info.

In 2024, the city and Urban Seed agreed on a 25-year lease for the property, located at 16425 E. Nine Mile Road in Eastpointe. At a meeting in August 2024, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the lease.