Bench's Greenhouse began operations in the winter of 1978, in a 32 x 144 poly greenhouse, as a means to supply our farm operation with a reliable source of tomato and pepper plants for commercial production in the canning industry. That first year, utilizing the overhead areas of the greenhouse, 500 flowering hanging baskets and 1000 potted plants were grown along with the purchase in the Spring of 1000 flats of annual flowers which were sold out the front door of the greenhouse to our neighbors and friends. Completely exhausting the inventory for the season the third week in May, we took the profits and invested in an identical greenhouse to expand the operation. Today, in over 3 acres of retail production and selling space, we offer 15,000 flowering hanging baskets, 100,000+ potted annual flowers, 25,000 potted perennial plants, nursery trees, roses, shrubs, bushes and plants to a diverse area of NW Ohio.

Don and Janice Bench, along with their son and daughter-in-law Don, Jr and Jill, operate the greenhouse and farm operation on a daily basis. Employee loyalty is an absolute plus for the Bench's - averaging 12 years per person for each full time employee on the payroll today. An additional 25 people are employed during the spring selling season from late April through June, as part time employees. The farm covers 650 acres, specializing in processing tomatoes and pickling cucumbers. Harvest time on the farm expands the employee roster to over 70 with the addition of our loyal migrant labor force which comes to us from Texas and Florida each summer. During the summertime, the Bench's operate a Roadside Market growing their own sweet corn, melons, peppers, cucumbers, green beans, squash, pumpkins, gourds and indian corn along with field corn and soybeans for crop rotation.

During the months of November and December, the garden center at the greenhouse is transformed into a Christmas Wonderland with over 100 fully decorated trees on display along with hundreds and hundreds of lovely ornaments and giftware items. Growing our own poinsettias and offering boughs, roping, wreaths, swags and bows round out our complete Christmas decorating and gift shoppe with extended hours daily during the season.

Bench's Greenhouse & Nursery is a division of Benchmore Farms, Inc., and is a member of the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association, Professional Plant Growers Association, Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio Florist's Association and National Federation of Independent Businesses.