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.

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The RCS Giving Garden

The RCS Giving Garden

7/9/14

Tomatoes Meet Their Match!!

Click on any photo to enlarge
What happens when 32 tomato plants, 3 hammers, a ball of twine, 128 wooden stakes, a pair of scissors and 8 Summer Stretch youth volunteers from Woodbury Peaceful Grove United Methodist Church come together in the Giving Garden?  

Those tomatoes get CAGED!

On this beautiful July morning our volunteers pounded stakes, wound twine and propped up
the wonderful sun loving tomato plants.  Many of the youth noticed the tomato fragrance coming from the vines as they lifted up the plants and carefully draped them over the twine supports.  It will still be several weeks before we start harvesting but it will be worth the wait!

Why cage tomatoes?  Are they trying to run away?  No, not run away but as the plant produces more and longer branches and as the fruit grows and gets heavier– the plants need some help supporting all that weight, get sunshine throughout the plant and help keep the fruit off the ground.

Our garden talk today was about determinate and indeterminate varieties of tomatoes.  Determinate varieties grow to a certain size and then stop growing branches and just put their energy into making fruit.  The indeterminate types keep growing foliage and fruit all summer – those are the types that need help with caging.  

Thanks for the great team work today, Summer Stretch volunteers!
- Contributed by Deb Lynch, Washington County Master Gardener