Plant News
Fort Worth 'backyard' greenhouse sells grow-your-own plants and herbs
Greenhouse at Cowtown Backyard Growers
A Fort Worth mom-and-pop is helping to make the city a little more green: Cowtown Backyard Growers is a family-owned micro urban nursery, providing everything from potted peppers to starter flowers and herbs.
Founded by husband-and-wife Ed and Mandy Prince, Cowtown strives to provide great quality plants at a good value. Their goal is to assist new gardeners and share the knowledge they've gained in their 20+ years of growing food in North Texas.
They grow and sell small plants from their "Backyard Greenhouse" at their southeast Fort Worth home, open by appointment or during limited hours through the week.
Their goods include rosemary, thyme, African and French marigolds, sweet and hot peppers, and a recent addition, asparagus beans. Most of their items are between $2-$8.
The two Fort Worth residents and one-time chefs started growing food on the patio of their apartment 15 years ago.
"We are both foodies, we love to cook and eat great food," Mandy says. "When we were newlyweds, we looked for ways to get the best produce we could."
The couple met in culinary school at Aims Academy, and worked at some well-known restaurants such as Aquaknox, a now-closed seafood restaurant from chef Stephan Pyles.
But gardening was always a shared interest, and Mandy had it in the family: Her grandfather, William Lee Foster, owned a produce company in Missouri.
The concept for selling potted plants was an idea of their daughter's, Mandy says.
"Our daughter loves house plants and wanted to start a business," Mandy says. "I was also inspired by a podcast by the Savvy Dirt Farmer. He does landscape planting and has a nursery in his backyard — but we wanted to focus more on herbs."
They eventually got their nursery floral license, required for businesses growing flowers and plants for sale.
Cowtown Backyard Growers is a part-time venture. Ed works in the medical equipment industry, and Mandy homeschools their two daughters. In the hours in between and on weekends, they cultivate and pot their plants to ready them for clients.
"What we focus on is aiding people new to growing to help them incorporate it into their lives," Mandy says. "I can give them one-on-one attention for plant care and tips."
