Nestled two miles east and nine miles south of the historic 1880 Town near Midland, South Dakota (SD), Cedar Creek Gardens is operated by Bud Manke and Peggy Martin, whose mission is to grow high-quality, nutritious produce for local consumers and to support the health and well‑being of their community. Passionate about bringing the vibrant flavors of SD to local schools, Cedar Creek Gardens provides farm‑to‑school lunch programs, giving students access to fresh, local produce. They also supply wholesale fruits and vegetables to restaurants, chefs, caterers, food trucks, small grocers, and institutional buyers seeking SD‑grown products.

Support from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has assisted with advancements to the operation over the years, starting with the first Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)-funded high tunnel in the state of SD back in 2010 (still used in vegetable production today). Bud and Peggy now operate a network of high tunnels, low tunnels, and caterpillar tunnels that extend the growing season and protect crops from heat, frost, and extreme weather. Their 200‑foot caterpillar tunnels (double the length of a typical 100-foot tunnel) are 14-16 feet wide and ten feet tall, holding 600 pepper plants or 300 tomato plants in each tunnel. In total, 1,300 pounds of tomatoes were planted this growing season. 

Starting the planting process early is critical because planting too late in the season can put the entire crop at risk. Just three hours at 104 degrees or higher can lead to total crop failure. Peggy said, “tomatoes don’t like to set fruit above 85 degrees, people get their tomatoes in too late, and they will see beautiful tomato plants, but no fruit because it gets too hot.” At Cedar Creek Gardens, tomatoes are planted in late April, and without the low tunnels covered with frost cloth within cat tunnel system, the crop would not survive due to late frost. State Urban Conservationist, Rachel Lawton, echoed the sentiment saying, “ensure that tomatoes grown in high tunnels are well ventilated because if the high tunnel gets too hot, even for a short amount of time, you’ll likely not have a great harvest.” 

Water management is one of their greatest challenges. Rotating between three wells running almost nonstop from May through September, Bud often wakes a couple times throughout the night to adjust the water to keep crops hydrated. Also added into their mix is a Dosatron injector that provides nutrients through the irrigation system, along with pre‑season foliar inputs like molasses. The result: tomato plants producing 40–50 pounds of fruit each, which is double the average home garden.

Cedar Creek Gardens has no lack of ingenuity. Being far from a lumberyard, they have built much of their equipment from salvaged materials, including a custom root washer made with a 21‑to‑1 reduction motor—now eight years into service. They have also built mobile PVC wash stations and even a homemade lettuce washing “salad spinner” created from an old washing machine. 

Seeing potential for energy upgrades on their operation, they sought out an energy audit and applied financial assistance through NRCS’s Conservation Innovation Grant via an EQIP contract. After an energy audit, Cedar Creek did LED lighting upgrades in their greenhouses and sheds. Three automatic controllers were placed in the greenhouses to monitor air temperature and raise and lower the sides of the greenhouse curtains to reduce the usage of the fans and save energy usage due to the fans having to run less.

Cedar Creek Gardens demonstrates how conservation, creativity, and NRCS partnership help SD producers thrive, even in challenging conditions. Peggy attributes soil health to the foundation of their success. “I would highly, highly recommend everybody do a soil test,” she said. “You can waste a whole year and not have high production if you don’t.” 

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