🌻 A Family Affair
Some of the best things a garden grows aren't plants at all. A few pots on the porch or a single row out back has a way of pulling a whole family together — and there's room in it for everyone.
A grandparent who has grown tomatoes for fifty years has a lifetime of quiet wisdom to hand down, and few things light them up like being asked for it. Kids who would never touch a vegetable on their plate will happily eat one they grew themselves — and along the way they learn patience, wonder, and where food really comes from. Parents get an unhurried hour outside, hands in the soil, phones in a pocket. And a garden reaches over the fence, too: a handful of extra tomatoes or a shared cutting turns neighbors into friends.
💛 Easy ways to grow together
• Give each child their own pot or plant to name, water, and watch — ownership is where the magic starts.
• Plant a "pizza garden" with the kids — a tomato, a pepper, and some basil — then cook what you grow.
• Start seeds on a windowsill together in late winter, when everyone's itching for spring.
• Let the grandparents teach — the old tricks for staking, saving seed, and knowing when it's ripe are worth keeping alive.
• Make it a standing date — a Saturday-morning "garden hour" that becomes a family tradition.
• Share the harvest — drop extra produce or a bouquet on a neighbor's porch.
Whatever your age and whatever your space, there's a plant here that's easy to succeed with together. Ask us — we'll help you start something your family will remember. 🌻
📸 Grew something or cooked something with it? Send us a picture on our Share Your Harvest page. We love seeing it.
💚 Grow a Row, Give Back
A backyard garden can do more than feed your own table — it can help a neighbor. One healthy plant often gives more than a family can use, and that extra is exactly what local food pantries are short on: fresh, healthy food.
🌱 You can make a real difference. If you have the space, plant one extra row — or one extra pot — to give away. It costs almost nothing and means a great deal to someone who rarely gets fresh produce.
• 🥕 Vegetables & fruit: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans, garlic, berries — most pantries gladly accept fresh, just-picked produce. Pick it clean and bring it the same day.
• 🌸 Flowers: a simple bouquet brightens a senior center, hospice, shelter, church, or a neighbor having a hard week. Zinnias are made for sharing.
• 🌿 Herbs & starts: extra seedlings and potted herbs are wonderful for community gardens, schools, and anyone just starting out.
• 🤝 Where to give: food banks and pantries, soup kitchens, senior and community centers, schools, shelters, and community gardens — or your own faith or community group, whatever that may be. Everyone's welcome to give, and everyone's welcome to receive. A quick call ahead tells you what they can use and when to drop off.
Growing something good — for your family, your pollinators, and your community — is what a little farm is all about. 🌻
🥕 Local Food Banks & Pantries
Have extra produce, or want to help a neighbor? These local organizations feed families in Perrysburg, Wood County and Toledo. Call ahead before dropping off fresh produce so they're ready for it.
🏠 Perrysburg Christians United (PCU) Food Pantry — run by volunteers from 11 Perrysburg-area churches; serves Wood County north of SR 582. Grace United Methodist Church, 601 E. Boundary St., Perrysburg (pantry in the back, southeast corner of the lot). Mon 1:00–2:30 pm · Fri 9:00–10:30 am · 2nd Sat 9:00–10:00 am. saintroseonline.org/ministries/pcu
🛍 Brown Bag Food Project — emergency food for Wood County. 530 Sand Ridge Rd., Bowling Green · 419-960-5345 · brownbagfoodproject.org
🚚 SeaGate Food Bank — supplies 400+ pantries and programs across Northwest Ohio. 526 High St., Toledo · 419-244-6996 · seagatefoodbank.org
🍞 Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank — working to end hunger in Northwest Ohio. 24 E. Woodruff Ave., Toledo · toledofoodbank.org
🤝 Cherry Street Mission — meals, shelter and support for Toledo's homeless and vulnerable neighbors. 1501 Monroe St., Toledo · 419-214-3007 · cherrystreetmission.org
Need food yourself? Call any of them — they can help or point you to a pantry near you, and they can tell you their current hours.
🧺 Ways to Buy Local
• Downtown Perrysburg Farmers' Market — Thursdays 4–8 pm, May to early October.
• Toledo Farmers' Market — 525 Market St., Toledo. Saturdays year-round (outdoors May–November, indoors in winter).
• Small farm stands like ours — call, text or email ahead to see what's in season.
• Poe's Little Farm — citrus pre-orders are open now for spring 2027 pickup, and online ordering with farm pickup is coming soon.
🌻 How to Start a Community Garden
A community garden turns an empty lot into fresh food, friendships, and habitat. It's one of the best things a neighborhood can grow together — and starting one is simpler than it looks. Here's the path, step by step.
1. Gather your neighbors. Start with people — a handful of committed friends or neighbors who'll share the work. A garden runs on volunteers, not just good soil.
2. Form a planning group & set a goal. Decide what the garden is for: vegetables, flowers, or a mix? Will you grow a row to donate? Pick a name and a few people to lead.
3. Find land & get permission. Look for a sunny spot (6+ hours of sun) — a vacant lot, park, school, or place of worship. Get written permission or a simple lease, and make sure there's water access nearby.
4. Test the soil. Before planting, test for fertility and contaminants (especially lead in older lots). Wood County OSU Extension or the Wood Soil & Water Conservation District can point you to a low-cost soil test.
5. Plan the layout. Map out plots, walking paths, a water source, tool storage, and a compost area. Leave room for a shared pollinator bed and a donation bed.
6. Set simple rules & small dues. Agree on plot sizes, who maintains what, and a small fee to cover water and supplies. Clear, friendly rules prevent most problems.
7. Build the beds & plant. Raised beds are ideal where soil is poor. Line up basic shared tools, fill beds with good soil, and plant on a shared work day.
8. Keep it growing. Meet now and then, hold work days, welcome newcomers, and celebrate the harvest. Share the extra with a local food pantry — and you've built something good.
We're always happy to help you pick the right plants and starts to get going. 🌱
📸 Show Us How It's Growing
Bought something from Poe's? We'd love to see it! Send us a photo of your plant — in the garden, on the porch, or with your first harvest.
Message Mike Saleh on Facebook Marketplace or email info@poeslittlefarm.com with your photo, your first name and your town, and we'll share our favorites here.
Something not looking right? Send a picture and we'll help you figure it out — free.