When people come to work early or stay late at the Benjamin Steel Company in Springfield, Ohio (a first year America in Bloom participant in 2010), it's not because there's too much work to do, it's because they want to get busy in the garden, getting their hands dirty, pulling weeds, and harvesting great produce. Benjamin Steel is the recognized leader in supply chain solutions for steel. Their headquarters is located in a busy industrial park that has the benefit of being a neighbor of the Ohio Master Gardeners' trial gardens. Benjamin Steel's employees couldn't help but be impressed with all that was growing nearby. Maybe a little envious, too. Why couldn't they have their own garden?

Why, indeed? So they got busy. They brought garden tools from home and started turning the soil, planting seeds, watering, weeding. Before long, an impressive array of summer vegetables stood where basic industrial park turf had been the only "landscape". The garden has created renewed excitement - people come to work early, garden on their lunch hour, and stay late, just to enjoy the garden and help it thrive. They even bring their families on weekends to enjoy the garden.There's even talk of expanding the garden and maybe building a greenhouse that could be shared among other tenants in the industrial park.

Three added benefits from their horticultural efforts: employees get wellness incentive points for their gardening efforts and produce is donated to the local food bank. The third benefit? Other nearby companies have started gardens as well and are competing to see who can grow and donate the most.

This is such an easy, win-win idea. Let us know if you've done something similar where you work.