Many of our regular readers, and especially our gardening friends, will recognize Heather Rinaldi from her monthly column, Back to the Garden, here on Lake Highlands Today.

Heather is also the owner of Texas Worm Ranch, a local vermicompost business, specializing in Red Wiggler compost worms.

Her hard-working worms can convert up to 1/2 a pound of waste a day into organic product rich in nutrients and mibrobes, perfect for your flowerbeds and gardens.

In addition to her gardening and composting, Heather has recently teamed up with friend and fellow eco-preneur, Andrea Bithell, who owns Oak Cliff Organics.

Seems these two have decided to combine their expertise and begin offering organic vegetable garden installation services in the Dallas area.

This is good news for anyone looking to benefit from a backyard garden, but who might be intimated by the process.

"Many home owners want to be healthier and greener, but they just need a helping hand to get started," says Andrea.

"We can install a garden with the correct soil and amendments, plant the customer's preferred seasonal plantings, and help develop a plan for continued success."

According to Heather's research, the produce that Americans eat has often traveled over 1,500 miles to get to their local stores, and by then, it's laden with toxic chemicals.

Families that can learn to grow a portion of their own food will be improving their carbon footprint and significantly reducing the amount of chemical residue in their bodies.

"My children have learned that food grown from our garden has a better taste than conventional foods," says Heather.

"The garden has also helped them become healthy eaters, and provides a priceless resource for hands-on science lessons and family bonding. I want to help other families have a similar, positive garden experience."

So it's together that Oak Cliff Organics and Texas Worm Ranch are setting out to do just that.

Once your garden is installed, email and phone assistance can be yours all season long.

"We can arrange for service levels that span from fostering knowledge and independence in the garden to full-time garden care," adds Andrea.

"Anyone with a flat space that gets at least 8 hours of sun and has access to a water hose can grow a bounty of organic vegetables throughout the entire year in Texas."

"Beginning an organic garden is a great way to take care of your family and the environment."

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Click to learn more about Oak Cliff Organics and Texas Worm Ranch online, and get all your questions answered about their green services.

You can also tune in to the local CelebrityU Radio/TV Show at 2:00 p.m. this Thursday to hear Heather talk in more detail about composting, organic gardening and sustainability. Click here to listen.