Summer in the City

Category: Garden Resource Program

A taste of gardening

On my first day volunteering at Summer in the City, I was given two choices: gardening at Vandalia Gardens or going to Glazer Elementary to tutor and play with children. I chose to garden in Detroit, as I figured I would try something new. After designating drivers, we took off for the gardens!

After arriving and introducing ourselves to the owner of the gardens, Mama Leslie, we received our instructions. Before beginning any type of garden work, we cleaned up the area around a park that was adjacent to the gardens. Then, the real work began. We started off pulling out weeds, and before we knew it, the area around the plant beds looked neat and clean. It was amazing how we had turned a piece of land that had been an eyesore to navigate through into visible pathways woven between the plant beds.

We set plants, which would later produce string beans, green beans, squash, cabbage and basically any other thinkable vegetable into several beds. The bed of spearmint smelled exceptionally good. During some break time, we got to get a taste of the mulberries from the Gardens' mulberry tree -- a very exciting and fulfilling adventure. The mulberries tasted sweet and were definitely refreshing.

Overall, I felt accomplished knowing I could help that particular neighborhood and the community while having fun. It was nice to have a different setting to volunteer in. Better yet, I got to taste and learn new things!