Attempt number one of my 2012 garden was planted all by seeds, but after a cold spell, my tiny plants died and I had to start again.
This time, I didn’t really want to start from seeds, and not in the house. The weather is more stable so I wanted to get the plants right into the garden. Last year, I waited a long time to even start the garden and I felt behind all year. So when my mom suggested a trip to Detroit’s Eastern Market, I was all over it.
We headed down on Saturday, May 19. It was Flower Day weekend and it was crazy busy. In retrospect, we should have left earlier, but we figured 9:30 was early enough. It wasn’t that the pickings were slim or anything–it was the exact opposite, the merchants had so much stuff that it became impossible to choose. I just started buying stuff, and before I knew it, my over-sized wagon was so full, my kids had to get out and walk.
We bought a variety of things, from flowers to decorate our front porch to a hydrangea to bring us color each spring, we went all out. We bought all sorts of fruit, some cookies and, of course, the veggies I needed to my garden. I also picked up some plants like Hen and Chicken and some other small, ground-cover types plants for another project–which I’ll be posting about soon.
Eastern Market is such an interesting place in Detroit. It’s located very conveniently off the freeways and provides such a great environment to buy plants, produce and flowers from local merchants. And you have to explore the area. There are great little shops and restaurants in the area, including Sala Thai, which might be my favorite Thai food place of all time.
We were able to score some great pots for $1 and up at a little landscaping place across from Eastern Market. For just a few dollars, I was able to make sure that all of my flowers had a new home! The place also had water fountains, yard art and other necessities for making your backyard super serene, just like I want it.
Next year I’m not sure we’ll make it down there on Flower Day weekend, or, if we do, we won’t take the kids so that we can save space in the wagon without having to feel like we might lose the kids in the shuffle.
So where is your favorite place to go plants, veggies, fresh fruit and flowers?
