An important component of Draper’s ongoing wellness effort is healthy eating habits. Last spring, we offered land just south of the Draper Wellness Park to any interested employees who would like to start a community garden. Thirty employees responded and have been spending time after work for the past four months tending their garden plots.

We suffered extreme heat and drought during June and July, as did many parts of the country. The weather posed challenges, but hard work paid off in August and September. Even with the drought, employees were able to get some nice veggies from the garden.  It was a great opportunity for those who don’t have garden space at home or to give them extra space to try something new–for example, Roger Mogg of our R&D department had his pepper palace to try different types.

The motto for the garden, due to the drought, was “eat it small or not at all”. Some employees brought their children or grandchildren to help with the garden. There has been a buzz about the gardens, so we expect to have even more people wanting a spot next year.

Some employees would come after work to tend to the gardens and then would also step over into the wellness park to either walk or try out the equipment. Several people were trying to grow enough vegetables to either freeze or can, but the extreme weather prevented much of that. Creative recipes were made and shared with other employees, and some also shared their bounty-mostly zucchini.

As you can see from the photos, some of our gardeners also have a flair for decorating.