"I like it when my kombucha mushrooms talk to me..."

As it turns out, Detroit is living and breathing gardens. There are vegetables everywhere! Around the corner from our house, a man gave us a twenty minute tour of his impeccable backyard farm, bragging about hybrid squash and gourmet carrots in a sassy Caribbean lecture as the evening sun set behind him. On another day, during the Indian Village garden tour, Logan ran into an Up South Foods van selling fresh produce to the neighborhood (music spilling from its windows). Up South is one of many initiatives created to fulfil the needs of this urban "food desert," where grocery stores are sparse enough that the local Walgreens advertises "fresh produce."



So, in a city so eager to support new growth, how do you start a garden? Go to the nearest bakery and order a cup of coffee. That's what we did. At our (of course) favorite morning eatery, Avalon, a beautiful family sat down at the table next to us and started talking about kombucha. Since Logan's ear is always tuned to Kombucha radio, we were soon talking 'shrooms (not psychedelic), and before we knew it, they had invited us over and offered us a bunch of tomato, okra and pepper plants for our garden. One half of this couple, Thomas, is a full time gardener (and daddy to the two adorable, sprout eating babies below), as well as a veteran who hopes to start a gardening organization as a means of recuperation for other vets.



Earlier in the week, Logan had met the folks at the West Village community garden on a bike ride. She was given the job of Neighborhood Compost Person. She subsequently arrived at our yard with a rich batch of black compost from the suburbs.

The dog is, apparently, a fan.


Logan was turning the soil (ooooh the difference from dusty Arizona) in the backyard dog run, mixing the compost in, when WAM! She unearthed a baby bunny nest! (More on that later...)

There is now a nice strip of compost-rich territory, guarded by a rock wall (formerly the porch steps!) just waiting to feed some roots.


We bought a bit of basil from Eastern market today, but should be able to fill a good bit of the garden with plants donated to us by various new friends and community resources. The Retired Horticulturalist of Belle Isle around the corner has offered native ferns for other parts of the yard, and my grandmother's lilies are blooming along the perimeter of the garage. We're off to a good start!

BUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?

Will the bunnies grow up over night and eat our Rio Grande tomatoes?

Will Logan's kombucha mushrooms morph into giant lily pads and float away on the river?

Will Chris Farley live in a van down by the river?

Who knows.

This is only the first of many garden episodes, so stay tuned.