Love & Carrots
Love & Carrots is a Washington, DC-based edible landscaping and urban farming services firm founded in 2011. It designs, installs, and maintains vegetable gardens, sustainable landscapes, hardscapes, and stormwater management features for residential, restaurant, school, and non-profit clients across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Love & Carrots does
Love & Carrots is a Washington, DC-based edible landscaping and urban farming services company founded in 2011 by Meredith Shepherd. The firm designs, installs, and maintains sustainable vegetable gardens, native perennial landscapes, raised beds, hardscapes, and stormwater management features for residential, restaurant, commercial, school, and non-profit clients across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region. Service revenue is generated through three integrated lines: on-site consultations (priced at $250 within the beltway), one-time design-and-install project fees that convert site visits into customized plans executed by an in-house build team, and recurring bi-weekly maintenance and coaching subscriptions delivered by assigned Urban Farmers from March through November. Additionally, the company holds stormwater management certifications across DMV-area counties, allowing client projects to qualify for municipal grant and rebate programs, and maintains WOSB and LGBTBE certifications enabling access to set-aside federal contracting.
The business employs a vertically-integrated small-services model with direct field sales, in-house design, in-house installation crews (with internal welding, carpentry, and landscaping trades), and dedicated maintenance staff. Pricing tiers include a $250 entry-level consultation, separately priced design phases, project-based installation estimates, and multi-year recurring maintenance/coaching contracts. Notable reference customers include Michelin-rated restaurants Pineapple & Pearls and Rose's Luxury (rooftop production gardens), Red Hen, Big Bear Café, Timber Pizza Co., Eaton Hotel, residential projects at The Pearl and Ten at Clarendon, and community partners such as Martha's Table, DC Scholars PCS, and Children's National Health System. Distribution is entirely direct: on-site consultation-led sales followed by company-delivered installation and maintenance, with marketing driven by a project portfolio website, newsletter, and word-of-mouth from restaurant, school, and non-profit partnerships.
The company remains privately held, bootstrapped, and founder-led, with no disclosed external investors, M&A activity, or expansion beyond the DMV region. Recognition includes the DC Mayor's Sustainability Award, a Green America Award, and inclusion in Business Insider's Top 50 'Coolest' Businesses in America. Operational scale is reported as approximately 50+ projects annually across DC, Maryland, and Virginia, delivered by a multi-disciplinary team that includes the founder-president, a partner/general manager, horticulture director, landscape designers, urban farmers, and installation crew.
Love & Carrots firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Love & Carrots
- Legal name
- Love & Carrots
- Website
- https://loveandcarrots.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Love & Carrots is a Washington, DC-based edible landscaping and urban farming services firm founded in 2011. It designs, installs, and maintains vegetable gardens, sustainable landscapes, hardscapes, and stormwater management features for residential, restaurant, school, and non-profit clients across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Love & Carrots industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Farming & Edible Landscaping Services
- NAICS
- Landscaping Services (561730), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Vegetable & Herb Garden Installation and Maintenance (HSAIAFAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Garden Bed Installation & Planting (Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs) (HSAIAFAB), Garden Bed Design, Layout & Planting Plans (HSAIAFAA), Native, Pollinator & Drought-Tolerant Garden Installations (HSAIAFAL), Plant Replacement, Transplanting & Garden Refresh Services (HSAIAFAG), Pruning, Deadheading & Plant Health Maintenance (Non-tree) (HSAIAFAI)
Keywords
Where Love & Carrots is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Love & Carrots business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Garden Design Services: Custom landscape or garden design using customized plans that meet personal goals and complement site environmental characteristics. Includes collaboration with landscape architects for detailed projects.
- Garden Installation: One-time installation of gardens, landscapes, hardscapes, raised beds, patios, fencing, and pergolas. Expert build team transforms designs into reality.
- Garden Maintenance & Coaching: Recurring bi-weekly maintenance program (March to November) with Urban Farmers, plus optional coaching sessions for garden education. Ongoing relationship-based revenue.
- Consultations: On-site consultations within the beltway for $250, with advisory consultations available for existing gardens. Additional design phase priced separately for detailed projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | On-site Consultation |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Garden Maintenance Program |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Garden Coaching Program |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Love & Carrots product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Love & Carrots designs, installs, and maintains sustainable vegetable gardens and edible landscapes for residential homeowners, restaurants, schools, non-profits, and residential communities in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia metro area. Core services include custom garden design, professional installation (raised beds, hardscapes, rooftop gardens, stormwater management), and a recurring bi-weekly urban-farmer maintenance and coaching program.
Product overview
Love & Carrots is a garden design, installation, and maintenance service company offering a comprehensive suite of urban farming and landscaping services. The core offerings include Garden Design, Installation, and Maintenance & Coaching services. Product portfolio spans Vegetable Gardens, Sustainable Landscapes, Raised Beds, Structures and Hardscapes (patios, walkways, retaining walls, pergolas, fencing), Stormwater Management, Rooftop Gardens, Restaurant & Business Gardens, Community Gardens, and Schools & Non-Profit Gardens. Additional services include Advisory Consultations for existing garden assessment. The company operates throughout the DC Metro Area, Virginia, and Maryland, providing both residential and commercial edible landscape solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Garden Design
- Garden Installation Expert build service that transforms designs into reality, converting under-used spaces into productive gardens. Includes raised beds, hardscapes, patios, fencing, pergolas, rooftop gardens, and stormwater management installations. Delivered by the company's installation crews across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.
- Garden Maintenance & Coaching Subscription maintenance and coaching program delivered by assigned Urban Farmers on a bi-weekly cadence from March to November. Includes seed, thinning, pruning, trellising, planting plans, fertilizing, pest management, and harvesting. Coaching tier adds one-on-one garden lessons with a custom seasonal curriculum. Designed for residential homeowners, restaurants, schools, and community gardens.
- Advisory Consultations
- Stormwater Management Installation Certified design and installation of stormwater management projects including French drains, dry riverbeds, and conservation landscapes. Projects qualify for grant and rebate programs through Montgomery County RainScapes, Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP), Chesapeake Bay Trust, and RiverSmart Homes. Available to residential and commercial property owners in the DMV area.
Companies that use Love & Carrots
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Love & Carrots technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Love & Carrots partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Martha's TablecorePartnership with Martha's Table in Anacostia providing a bountiful and educational garden space serving the local community. Garden programming focuses on child development, community engagement, and food justice. Seven vegetable beds plus herbs and native landscaping.
- REAL School GardenscoreCollaboration with REAL School Gardens on school garden projects supporting educational objectives and hands-on learning.
- FRESHFARM FoodPrints PartnerscorePartnership through FRESHFARM FoodPrints program bringing garden-based nutrition education to schools. Associated team member Kylie Bill previously taught children about cooking and gardening through this program.
- Children's National Health SystemminorGarden installation at Children's National Health System Shaw location benefiting the U Street neighborhood.
- Montgomery County RainScapesminorCertified to design and install stormwater management projects qualifying for grant and rebate programs through Montgomery County RainScapes program.
- Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP)minorCertified contractor for Virginia SWCD VCAP program providing stormwater management for grant and rebate eligible projects.
- The Nicholson Project / Align DevelopmentminorCollaboration with Stefanie Reiser of Align Development to create community-driven garden space in Southeast, DC through The Nicholson Project.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Love & Carrots competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Farmscape: Largest urban farming venture in California, building and maintaining edible landscapes for residential and commercial clients including restaurants. Comparable service lines (design, install, maintenance) and urban agriculture positioning.
- Rooftop Reds: Brooklyn-based rooftop urban agriculture project combining production with consulting and design services. Comparable rooftop production garden expertise and DC peer operates similar rooftop offerings for restaurants like Pineapple & Pearls.
- The Organic Gardener: Chicago-based edible landscaping and urban farming company serving residential and commercial clients with a maintenance-heavy model. Love & Carrots team member Julia Wood previously served as Greenhouse Manager here, evidencing direct functional comparability.
- Brooklyn Grange: NYC rooftop farming operator producing vegetables for restaurants and CSA members with adjacent design and consulting services. Comparable urban agriculture focus and restaurant supply model; Love & Carrots operates at smaller scale and with a heavier installation/maintenance mix.
- Green City Growers: Boston-based urban farming company that designs, installs, and maintains organic vegetable gardens for residences, schools, restaurants, and corporate clients. Closest direct peer to Love & Carrots in scope, customer mix, and recurring maintenance model.
- Edible Gardens NYC: NYC edible landscaping service designing, installing, and maintaining vegetable and herb gardens for residential and commercial clients. Closely mirrors Love & Carrots' core value proposition of turnkey edible landscape solutions.
Others
- Urban Adamah: Bay Area nonprofit urban farm and educational garden that combines food production with youth education and community programming. Comparable thematic alignment with Love & Carrots' schools and non-profit segment but operates as a nonprofit rather than a service business.
Emerging players
- Soilutions Garden Co. Urban agriculture services firm offering edible garden installation and maintenance. Smaller emerging competitor with overlapping service categories and customer segments; less established brand than Love & Carrots.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Love & Carrots social profiles
Digital presenceLove & Carrots financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Love & Carrots leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Love & Carrots funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Love & Carrots M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Love & Carrots
What does Love & Carrots do?
Love & Carrots designs, installs, and maintains sustainable vegetable gardens and edible landscapes for residential homeowners, restaurants, schools, non-profits, and residential communities in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia metro area. Core services include custom garden design, professional installation (raised beds, hardscapes, rooftop gardens, stormwater management), and a recurring bi-weekly urban-farmer maintenance and coaching program.
Is Love & Carrots a public or private company?
Love & Carrots is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Love & Carrots founded?
Love & Carrots was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Love & Carrots based?
Love & Carrots is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Love & Carrots make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Garden Design Services are the primary driver. The others are garden Installation, garden Maintenance & Coaching and consultations.
Who are Love & Carrots's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Farmscape, Rooftop Reds, The Organic Gardener, Brooklyn Grange, Green City Growers and Edible Gardens NYC. Urban Adamah is listed as an others. Soilutions Garden Co. is listed as an emerging player.
Does Love & Carrots have an API?
No public API is recorded for Love & Carrots.
What industry is Love & Carrots in?
Love & Carrots's product category is Urban Farming & Edible Landscaping Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAIAFAM, Vegetable & Herb Garden Installation and Maintenance, with a secondary code of HSAIAFAB, Garden Bed Installation & Planting (Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs). Its NAICS code is 561730 and its SIC code is 700.