Backyard gardening

U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama has become a powerful trendsetter, spurring interest in everything from bare arms and brooches to organic gardening.

And, while the White House garden alone may not have been enough to spur your interest, a growing organic trend and interest in local food have made many of us at least entertain the thought of growing our own mealtime greens.

For me at least, the idea's more than a little bit daunting. Tiny yards and summer schedules packed with time away from the home seem like a surefire recipe for killing plants.

But Ryerson University Urban Planning student Laura Kalbun has come up with one solution for busy (or wary) would-be gardeners.

After having trouble finding a summer job, Kalbun decided to create her own, and, with help from the Summer Company grant from the Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services, she started Backyard Harvesting.

The recently launched urban organic vegetable gardening company offers planning, set-up, care and garden-sitting services for backyards and balconies. The company also offers garden boxes, shown, in a variety of sizes, starting at $175 for a 3.5'x1'x1' cedar box with soil, plants/seeds, delivery and setup.

Another recently launched service connects would-be gardeners lacking land with people who don't have the time, ability or inclination to cultivate their own backyard through"matchmaking" service SharingBackyards.com. In exchange for soil and water, the land owners get half the bounty. Read more about this service in Garden sharing program bears fruit.

And learn more about starting a vegetable garden here and get growing tips on a variety of fruits, herbs and veggies in our outdoor living section.