159. Matt Lebon on Perennial Planting and Foodscaping Your Property

What is foodscaping and is it something you can do with your farm? Today on the show we’re hosting Matt Lebon, Founder and CEO of Custom Foodscaping, a full-service edible landscaping company located in Saint Louis, Missouri. Custom Foodscaping provides consultation, design, and installation services to help you achieve your edible landscaping, farm and garden or permaculture goals. They specialize in raised bed vegetable gardens, food forests, orchards, herb gardens, culinary gardens, and profitable vegetable farms. They love to work with residential clients as well as institutions including schools, universities, hospitals, community centers, and restaurants. Matt is a proud St. Louis native with over ten years of farming and gardening experience. He got his start with farming as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay. He went on to study permaculture and work on several farms in Israel and Brooklyn, NY. Tune in to hear all about how Matt conceived and built this thriving business!   You’ll hear: About Matt’s experience in the Peace Corps and how it led him to foodscaping 2:37 How Custom Foodscaping cultivates sugar cane 4:42 When and how Matt got into permaculture 8:22 About Matt’s favorite Custom Foodscaping projects 13:49 What techniques they use for rainwater management 18:53 What kind of opportunities the typical farmer has for foodscaping 24:08 How Custom Foodscaping communicates sustainability 34:42 What excites Matt the most about The Foodscaper Summit 39:24   About the Guest:Matt Lebon is the owner and founder of Custom Foodscaping, a full service edible landscaping company in St. Louis, Missouri. Matt got his start with farming as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay. He went on to study permaculture and work on several farms in Israel and Brooklyn, NY. In 2017, Custom Foodscaping was born out of a dream of utilizing more of St. Louis’s urban and suburban spaces for gardens that produce an abundance of food. Matt is most passionate about creating magical food moments in the everyday places we work, learn, and play. In 2020, the team at Custom Foodscaping launched The Foodscaper, a new online publication for edible landscaping hobbyists and professionals. The Foodscaper will host its inaugural virtual educational summit - The Foodscaper Summit - on January 20-21, 2022 for anyone who wants to learn to grow ecological edible landscapes for clients. Learn more at: thefoodscapersummit.com   Resources:Website - https://www.thefoodscaper.com, https://www.customfoodscaping.com, https://www.thefoodscaper.com/summit Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/customfoodscaping Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/customfoodscaping/, https://www.instagram.com/thefoodscaperhq/