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

7/10/18

WHERE DID JUNE GO?????


The good news?  The groups of kids are back in the garden three days a week!  
They are so fun to have in the garden buzzing around like bees filled with curiosity and questions.  They have harvested herbs, summer squash, cucumbers, radish and lots of strawberries. Scroll through the photos below to see what they have been up to.

The bad news?  The garden has been quite the challenge this season!  The excessive heat at critical germination time, heavy rains and RABBITS thinking our garden is their personal salad bar has certainly affected our crops.  Some seed crops such as beets, chard and beans have been planted a few times and are still failing. The weeds sure haven’t had a problem, however, nor have the newly emerged Japanese Beetles eating as though there’s no tomorrow.  Even our new bee hive, which was thriving earlier, faced a grave demise when Doug, our new beekeeper and Master Gardener, discovered a disease called American Foulbrood which required removal, destruction and burning of the hive.  Ouch!
Being a gardener/farmer/beekeeper can be discouraging sometimes, that’s for sure.  When I look at the faces of the children below, it’s all it takes to remind me that this garden concept is worth it!

Here’s the latest article from the UMN Extension Garden on July Vegetable Gardening To-Do.  

Thanks go out to all the volunteer groups and their leaders, the Washington County Master Gardener volunteers and RCS staff for the joint effort it takes to keep the RCS Giving Garden growing and thriving in its 9th year!



*July 5th--Hidden Pines Ranch teens helping install squash and cucumber trellis’ to keep the vines and fruit growing vertically.

  

  

*July 3rd--Arbor Glen Seniors (our new neighbors a block to the west) take a garden detour while out for a walk!  They were excited to be the recipients of the produce.  

 

*June 28--Hidden Pines Ranch Middle-Schoolers pick herbs and weeds!  They sampled purslane (yes, purslane the weed that is so high in nutrients!) and rhubarb!  
  
  


*June 27--Woodbury UMC Summer Stretch weed and thin carrots

  


*June 18--Spin Kids discover the first Japanese Beetles of the year, tour the garden to determine which part of each plant we eat and taste-tested rhubarb.  Look at those faces!


  

  


*June 21--Hidden Pines Ranch kids construct tomato trellis’

  


*June 20--Summer Stretch kids weeding away!

  

*June Harvest!

 

*New Educational Signs!

 

*June 13--Summer Stretch kids from Trinity Lutheran Church plant herbs
grown by Master Gardener Judy Lacy

 


*June 12--Time For Me Early Learning kids come for their first visit of the season and learn about baby plants, strawberries and Jack’s Magic Beans.  Too bad those bunnies are sabotaging our bean fort!

  

*June 11th- Spin kids from the Stillwater Area School District were our first group of the season!  The strawberries and radish were perfect for the picking, and waiting until the end of our session to eat them made them squirm!  It was worth the wait!