THE GARDEN STORY

Retail Construction Services, Inc. is dedicated to giving back.

We give back not only to those in need within our community, but also the future generations of this wonderful community. What started out as a great idea has grown exponentially and became an amazing reality. Here at the RCS Giving Garden, school groups, master gardeners, corporate volunteers, and our own employees work together for the common good of teaching children the art of gardening and the importance of healthy eating. Click Here for Full Story.

LOCATION:
Retail Construction Services, Inc.
11343 39th Street N.
Lake Elmo, MN 55042

From HWY 36 - go south on Lake Elmo Ave, turn left onto 39th Street, garden is at corner of 39th and Laverne.
From HWY 5- going west from Stillwater take right onto Laverne (near Fury dealership) garden is on the right at corner of Laverne and 39th street.

See what else RCS and the Giving Garden are up to:
Like Us on Facebook

The RCS Giving Garden

The RCS Giving Garden

6/13/12

St. Croix Valley Summer Stretch Youth Return to the Giving Garden!



Back Row L to R:  Jeanne, Ben, Edna, Wyatt, Mathias
Front Row L to R:  Alydia, Leigh, Molly, Katie
(Click to enlarge photo)
It was once again that time of year where we see cars pull up in the parking lot, and the eager smiling faces of the first youth group of the season spill into the garden in a sea of bright green shirts. This St. Croix Valley Summer Stretch group was so enjoyable to work with!
The projects for the day were to build tomato cages around the tomato plants and to pinch the bottom branches and suckers of the plants.  Pruning tomato suckers is sometimes recommended because the resulting new stem is competing for nutrients with the original plant. You may be getting more fruits if you leave the suckers to grow, but the fruits will be smaller and the plant will be more cumbersome. Pruning tomato suckers is really just thinning the plants.

Click the link below to read more about this process:  What is a Tomato Sucker?

About ¾ of the way through the project we ran out of stakes for the cages. This great group of young adults weeded the lettuce before the weeds overtook them, cleared weeds in other sections and gave the garden a good drink of water. This group was led by Jeanne and Edna who did a great job in sharing gardening information. In a conversation with Edna, she shared some of her many years of gardening experience and knowledge. We look forward to even more conversations with Edna where we can learn and grow from someone with so much experience!

“If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life.” ~Author Unknown

The laugher and smiles have returned to the Giving Garden. “Summer Stretch Youth; your contributions to this Giving Garden this summer will have an important impact in your community through the food you are helping to grow and donate.”

“Thank you” Summer Stretch, and we look forward to seeing you back in the garden this next Wednesday!