Able Gardener launches self-service plant stand

Published 9:00 am Tuesday, September 30, 2025

VALLEY — What started as a gardening hobby for 15-year-old Milner Letson and his father Jacob Letson during the COVID-19 pandemic has quickly become a growing plant business, known to the community as The Able Gardener Backyard Nursery.

For the past few years, the Letsons would host plant sales on their driveway on Saturdays, but this year they started a self-service plant stand, located at 2603 13th Ave., Valley, that is available to the community 24/7.

That stand has become popular on Facebook. Plants are sold at a variety of price points, with a cash drop box and Venmo QR scan available. Milner and his dad regularly water and monitor the plants and drop in new ones. They have many plants for sale, including gardenias, crape myrtles, fig trees, hydrangeas, hostas, butterfly bushes, blackberry bushes, arborvitae, purple hearts and loropetalums. When they’re in season, The Able Gardener also has blueberry, strawberry and tomato plants.

“It definitely changed our model to something that works better for us as me and my wife both work and Milner’s still in high school,” Jacob said about the plant stand’s convenience. “It enables us to spend an hour in the evening, water the plants, restock the stand and just take some pictures [to post on Facebook], and then people can shop at their convenience. They can come during the day, they can come in the evening, they can come whenever they want to. And it’s not constricted to just Saturday morning.”

According to Jacob, The Able Gardener is one of only two businesses in Chambers County to have a grower’s permit from the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. The Able Gardener regularly participates in local markets and even donated a couple of plants to the Valley Tree Board earlier this year for their annual tree giveaway, where Milner also became the youngest honorary member of the Valley Tree Board.

But for the Letsons it’s not just about business, though they do sell quite a few plants.

Milner has special needs, and The Able Gardener was started to give him purpose and focus on his abilities. The name “Able Gardener” refers to Bible verse Ephesians 3:20 about God’s ability to do more than people can perceive or imagine, which connects to how Milner’s abilities can outshine any of his perceived disabilities.

“The focus on Milner as he was growing up was disability, disability, disability, and this gave us an opportunity to say ‘No, Milner has the ability to do plenty, and we need to focus on his abilities and not worry about what we perceive his disabilities are. Let’s find what his abilities are and focus on those,’” Jacob said.

Milner helps with planting, weeding, loading, delivery and the upkeep of the plants on display. Jacob said Milner loves all of it and enjoys interacting with people out in the community.

“He has fun with it. He enjoys people for sure, so we love it when somebody does come up to the stand and we’re out in the yard because he’s just going to walk up to them and start talking to them. He enjoys interaction. He enjoys doing [the business]. He enjoys life,” Jacob said.

The business also provides quality bonding time for father and son. While mom Jade and sisters Alyssa and Hanna often help out with the business, the work is mainly done by Milner and his dad.

“I’m getting to do it with my son,” Jacob said. “It’s kind of something that me and him can do together, and I think that’s what I enjoy about it the most.”

For more information about the nursery and their available plants, visit “The Able Gardener Backyard Nursery” Facebook page.