Barbara Barker

Barbara Barker traces her love for gardening back to fifth grade when she started a business rejuvenating her mother's ailing plants and selling them back to her for a small profit.

Barker expanded her knowledge of plants by working in garden centers in high school and college. After obtaining a BA in English from the University of Florida, she started a small company selling gourmet varieties of vegetable and herb plants.

A certified master gardener, Barker operates The Gourmet Gardener, www.gourmetgardener.com, from Florida where she lives with her husband, Richard, and two children, Rhett & Brian.