Unlike many youngsters her age, 31/2-year-old Sloane Smith loves vegetables.

Her dad, Jason, credits the Boulder-based Personal Family Farmers, Catherine Harley and Dale Zigelsky's backyard garden installation business. Thanks to them --and the backyard, raised-bed garden plots they put in -- the little girl spent all last summer eating beans and cherry tomatoes right from the vine.

"We thought it would be really neat to do a garden (as) a family thing," Smith said. "That visualization of the family out in the yard really came true."

Not that Jason Smith considers himself much of a gardener. Busy schedules prevented Smith and his wife from starting a garden from scratch. And while they considered investing in one of the community supported agriculture farms, the Smiths decided that other weekend activities took precedence.

That fledgling farmer is exactly the audience that Harley and Zigelsky are targeting . Launched in 2009, Personal Family Farmers has grown from serving 10 customers its first year to 40 its second. Forty-five people have already signed up for this summer.

"Our mission really is to trigger the green thumb in the household and then get the homegrown garden to become a natural thing again," Harley said. "They can start and then learn at their pace."

The service includes varying levels of installation, setup and maintenance of 4-by-4-foot plots that each hold 16 plants. Clients pick from a lengthy list of produce options, primarily vegetables with a few fruit and flower choices (more than 60 different offerings total), personally deciding what pops up in their garden.

"People can grow what they want," Harley said. "If they don't like beets, they don't have to get beets."

Price points per plot range from $289 for what Harley calls the "PIY," plant it yourself, to $599 for the full-service option. Harley admits the first year is an investment, but points out that her customers save considerably on their produce bills. Plus, the installation is a one-time cost, and seeding a plot costs roughly $25 in following years.

"Starting a garden in a way that is successful, you're guaranteeing your investment back," Harley said.

Continued here:
Boulder personal gardeners set up vegetable patches