The brainchild of one chef, two gardens now provide some of the fresh ingredients in meals for nearly 7,000 Target workers each day. With a spatula in one hand and shovel in the other, Shaun Holtgreve anticipates the plots will add more of what his team is seeking: ingredients sourced locally.

Holtgreve is an executive chef for Bon Appétit Management Company, the onsite café and catering company that prepares Target’s breakfast and lunch. Like his counterparts at more than 400 locations in 29 states, Holtgreve is driven to create food that is flavorful, nutritious, and prepared from scratch using authentic – and whenever possible – local ingredients.

With little gardening experience, but a strong desire to learn how food is grown, Holtgreve took one look at a small section of Target’s campus lawn in Brooklyn Park, Minn., and envisioned it growing a “considerable amount of food.”

In spring 2009, Holtgreve started small, tilling a 100-foot by 60-foot plot. He purchased seeds and planted a variety of vegetables, ranging from Minnesota garden staples to tat soi and Thai peppers. He enriched the soil of the former potato field with composted coffee grinds (Target produces eight to 10 gallons of coffee grinds per day) and kitchen scraps, as well as commercial compost.

Excitement for the garden and local produce offered in other ways has grown among Target employees and executives. Target's sustainability committee has added the garden to its list of projects. The company purchased a tiller and added an irrigation system. In addition, Target offers an onsite CSA. Each week, a local farmer delivers shares of his vegetable gardens purchased by approximately 250 employees. To increase interest in and consumption of the vegetables, Holtgreve writes recipes for subscribers. Finally, Bon Appétit sources much of its produce for its menus from local farmers.

Holtgreve also expanded the garden to the second-floor balcony of Target’s downtown Minneapolis office, adding a “living wall” purchased from a farm supply store. Placed where employees pass by and gather, the vertical garden includes red leaf lettuce, basil, lemon basil, mint, onions, fennel, thyme, kale, beans, tomatoes, tarragon, sage, strawberries, oregano, jalapenos, Japanese eggplant, bok choy, lavender, dill, rosemary, arugula, and stevia.

What’s next? “The produce from our garden is a drop in the bucket compared to what we need everyday, but a little goes a long way in gardening,” Holtgreve observed. “If we buy a tractor, we could do all kinds of stuff. And even if we don’t, I’ll keep doing it.”