HomeHarvest

HomeHarvest is an Arlington-based edible-landscape and garden construction company founded in 2008 by Ben Barkan, who started with a bicycle and shovel after working on organic farms. The company has a distinct niche within landscaping: as its owner told Delish in 2021, "we are a landscaping company, but we do not own a lawn mower... we're known for removing lawns" — the focus is edible gardens, raised beds, orchards and fruit tree plantings rather than traditional lawn care, and national food and gardening outlets including Salon and Civil Eats have featured Barkan's work over the years. The 23 reviews on file, spanning 2017 through 2025, describe a genuinely long-running relationship for many customers. One reviewer has worked with Ben and the team on and off for more than five years; another has had HomeHarvest maintain the same raised beds for years running, describing bigger harvests every season. A 2017 review described a 5,000-square-foot garden built with fruit trees, berries, vegetables, a greenhouse and a chicken coop, and more recent reviews describe new raised beds with trellises and ongoing consultation as issues come up. Reviewers consistently point to the same things: strong plant-science knowledge, thoughtful design that gets followed through to execution, and a team that's genuinely engaged with the outcome rather than just installing and leaving. The company has also built at least one public project — a 2022 school garden constructed with a named planning team at Belmont Day School. One thing worth confirming directly before hiring: Massachusetts's state registry currently lists the company's Home Improvement Contractor registration as expired, even though the business's own site describes Ben Barkan as a licensed Construction Supervisor and Home Improvement Contractor. Houzz separately lists a Construction Supervisor license under a different number that hasn't been independently verified. It's worth asking about current licensing status for any construction-heavy project like hardscaping or a pool installation. For the core edible-garden and landscape design work this business is known for, the written record is deep, consistent, and unusually specific about what people actually got out of it.