At age 19, Kyle Anderson may be the youngest farmer in Carmichael.

Anderson, who graduated from Rio Americano High School last year, runs his commercial farm on just over 2 acres tucked in a residential neighborhood.

On a lot once covered with weeds and trash, he cultivates his future as carefully as the tomatoes destined for Sacramento chefs.

"There is no better fertilizer than a grower's footsteps," said Anderson, pausing to wipe his brow as he picked heirloom tomatoes. "Just being able to give the extra attention to your plants really makes a difference."

A sign declaring "Red Barn Farms" hangs above the property that Anderson saw one day on a drive and leased for his fields.

"Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a farmer or a Marine. I took the least violent way," said Anderson, who sells specialty tomatoes to more than a dozen upscale, white-linen restaurants in downtown Sacramento.

Ian MacBride, head chef of Lucca Restaurant on J Street, is one of Anderson's customers.

Anderson keeps MacBride's phone number and the numbers of other Sacramento chefs stored on his cell phone.

"We love getting produce from the local guys," MacBride said. "When we started with him, he literally was knocking on our back door.

"He's smart. He's got a good work ethic, and he has business savvy," the chef said.

"When I buy from him, I know I am going to get good quality," MacBride said of Anderson's tomatoes. "They are picked that day. They are still warm from the sun."

Anderson grows orange bell peppers and nine varieties of tomatoes.

"These are heirloom tomatoes," he said, pointing out samples. "They are different than the tomatoes you find in the store. Supermarket tomatoes have no taste. These have an amazing taste and flavor," he said.

"We got Hillbillies, red Brandywine, tangerine and green Zebras," he said of some of his varieties.

His tiny red Chadwick cherry tomatoes and the yellow pear salad tomatoes taste sweet.

"We are still doing tomatoes," he said of his fourth planting since March.

At first glance, Anderson is imposing. He stands 6-foot-8, but his baby face is disarming.

He speaks with the confidence of a man twice his age and greets strangers as though they are best friends.

"I always refer to the business in the 'we,' but when it comes down to it, it is just me," Anderson said.

"I think the next thing we are going to do is to plant beets," he said, kicking up the broken dirt of a freshly plowed row.

Anderson likes to give credit where it's due. His girlfriend, Katie Balestreri, designed the barn-and-silo logo on his sign and business cards. Her mother, Chris, drew up the invoices, he said.

"We are doing OK," Anderson said. "It is not a bumper crop, but we are doing well. We are paying the rent."

Anderson started cashing in on farming when he was 15. He grew 250 pumpkins on his parents' 3 1/2-acre lot in Carmichael and sold the crop to a local supermarket, he said. Last year, Anderson began growing tomatoes at his parents' home. After he offered samples to downtown chefs to taste, some encouraged him to grow more to sell, he said.

"It is a niche market," he said of his tomatoes.

When Anderson isn't tending the crops or delivering tomatoes, he has his head in the books. He attends American River College and hopes to transfer to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, to major in crop science and minor in winemaking.

"My goal is 2 acres today and 2,000 acres tomorrow," Anderson said.

Anderson can be reached at www.redbarnfarms@comcast.net.

Call The Bee's Ramon Coronado, (916) 321-1013.