Tenants in the Standard Life building picked up seedlings on Thursday to nurture in their offices until they're ready to be planted. (CBC)

People who work in a downtown Calgary business tower are digging in to help expand a community garden project that grows fresh food for the food bank.

The property manager at Standard Life was intrigued by the transformation of two planters on Barclay Parade last summer into a produce garden and wanted to adopt the project at his building.

"We were inspired to look at converting some of the planters that we have on our Plus 15 upstairs into vegetable gardens for the food bank," said Gabby Franco, asset manager for Standard Life, which is located at 639 Fifth Ave. S.W.

"Flowers are nice but I think food is more functional."

The produce and herbs, grown in about 10 large planters along the Plus 15 system that links Standard Life to other buildings, will be donated to the Calgary Food Bank.

Dozens of tenants in the Standard Life building have volunteered to nurture seedlings of peas, lettuce and other vegetables in their offices until they're ready for planting later this spring.

About 10 planters along the Plus 15 system in the Standard Life building are being transformed into community gardens. (CBC)

Standard Life and Downtown Calgary, which spearheaded the planters last year, handed out the seedlings on Thursday.

With volunteers to adopt planters to weed and harvest them, Franco said he hopes people respect the new community gardens.

"The planters upstairs that we have in this building are basically used for people to sit on them and smoke. So we hope they stop throwing their cigarette butts in the planters too," said Franco.

With a minimal cost — because there's already a contract to water the planters — Franco hopes that other landlords join the program.

With files from Tara Fedun