What started as a rescue mission to save tomato and pepper plants from being composted brought life to residents at properties owned and managed by Cardinal Capital. It was the start of a gardening culture.

Most of the gardens are planted in raised beds, making it an easy and accessible pastime for residents to come together,relax and enjoy. As they learned the process of gardening and enjoyed harvesting, there was an increase in interest and demand for gardens at other properties. To date, there are over 30 gardens at 28 properties.

The raised beds are installed at each property through the volunteer efforts of Cardinal Capital staff lead by Chris and Karla Geiger. The ability to install many of the beds and keep costs low is possible through the several donations received from Bank Mutual, Enterprise Engineered Systems, HAIG, Holton Brothers, Kone Elevators, Kottke Roofing, Professional Construction Inc., Reichl Construction, Inc. and Simmons Roofing. Home Depot has been a major contributor supplying hardware supplies at cost.

Thank you to all our volunteers and sponsors. Not only does gardening create community, but it is also a cost effective way to provide healthy food for our residents.