Corporate wellness
A workplace that values people and the environment
inspired meetings
happy employees
healthy culture
DOMAINE WINE STORAGE
We worked with the team at Domaine Wine Storage to imagine how the sparse back patio at their St. Louis office could be transformed to an edible paradise for meetings, company parties and entertaining clients who store their fine wine in Domaine’s facilities. We created a custom arbor with Hardy Kiwi shade coverage, constructed grape trellis rows with Norton, Concord and other varieties for sampling, and integrated colorful companion plants like Zinnias, Cosmos and Rainbow chard to create a beautiful setting for enjoying a glass of wine with colleagues and clients.
DELI STAR CORPORATION
Seeking to create a space that supported the health and wellbeing of its employees, Deli Star Corporation in Fayetteville, Illinois has become a model for living out its corporate values through foodscaping. The Employee Garden has helped foster a wellness culture at Deli Star, offering nourishing food for employees as well a space to move, connect with other staff members and get some sunshine.
Portfolio
Schools & Churches
Principia Permaculture orchard, Educational garden
Working closely with the high school science teachers, Custom Foodscaping helped turn this grassy hillside into an explosion of edible plants and native flowers. To manage water on this sloping landscape, contour berms and swales were use to slow water and sink it into the ground. A food forest was planted on the berms with a tremendous diversity of native flowers, herbs and fruit trees, all of which produce in the spring and fall while students are in school. Students K-12 can now utilize the permaculture orchard to make herbal tea, study native pollinators, hold class under the pergola, and harvest loads of fruit.
oasis urban farm, A Community Farm and Orchard
In collaboration with Jubilee Community Church, Good Life Growing and The Nature Conservancy, CF designed and installed linear food forests to support this community farm. To kickstart this site’s development, an MSD grant allowed Jubilee to install 150,000 gallon rainwater catchment tank. All the rainwater that falls on the church roof is stored underground and used to irrigate the farm. CF worked with Jubilee and community members to select dozens of fruit trees like pawpaws, jujubes, cherries, serviceberries, and figs. All trees are supported by a myriad of native nitrogen fixing perennials. These natives will aid in attracting pollinators and also employ their deep taproots to break up compaction and supply a perennial source of fertility to the soil.
Kirkwood Early Childhood Center
The KECC garden was designed to encourage movement, engage the senses and create fun foodscape moments for kids. An abundance of berry bushes allow students to take their pick of raspberries, goji berries, bush cherries and more. Hexagon raised beds provide room for kids to stand around the beds and observe as the KECC chef harvests produce for school meals. One of our favorite elements of this design is the “encouragemint” path which features five types of mint the kids can sample. The garden’s sensory-stimulating paths encourage children to walk barefoot on various stones, wood tree cookies, river rock and pine needles as a way to build strength, coordination and confidence.
COMMUNITY CHRISTIaN CHURCH
In this community led project, Community Christian Church worked with CF to design and install their church garden. CF guided the process of killing off invasive weeds organically, constructing a secure deer fence, and locating a water line. Once infrastructure was up, CF led community work days to amend the soils and create well defined garden beds.
Jacob Thorne, Senior Minister had this to say: “Matt was able to guide us in the development of our community garden from start to finish (although we know it’s never really complete). With a blank slate, and high hopes, we went from a patch of dirt to a bountiful garden—all for the purpose of growing and sharing with one another. We are grateful for Custom Foodscaping and look forward to a continued relationship.”
Campus & Community
On Olive
On Olive is a 3+ acre residential development in Grand Center that will include 27 homes and 16 condominiums - and a market-garden style edible landscape as a central community amenity. Custom Foodscaping was recruited by philanthropist Emily Rauh Pulitzer and Steve Trampe of Owen Development to create a food forest as the centerpiece of On Olive. Residents will be able to harvest an abundance of medicinal herbs and berries, organic vegetables, greens, and fruit right outside their doors!
Edible Landscapes
A BACKYARD BOUNTY
This urban food forest features meandering pathways, a rain garden and a myriad of perennial edibles. Fruit trees like pawpaws, figs, hybrid persimmons and Asian pears occupy the top layer of this yard, while multipurpose flowers, herbs, and groundcovers fill in to take advantage of all the sunlight this site has to offer. Each year this food forest will become more and productive while requiring less and less work to maintain.
A woodland foRaging experience
For this partly shady backyard, CF emphasized native shrubs and groundcovers that are commonly foraged in the wild areas of Missouri. The sunnier main corridor of the yard features raised garden beds for incorporating vegetables into this backyard landscape. A live edge bench and trellis invite the homeowners into the landscape while serving as a screen to the carport.
Rainwater Management
ecological rainscaping, rain gardens & water catchment
Water is life. It can also cause many problems if it’s not properly managed. Water belongs in the ground, not in our sewers or basements. Through ecological water management techniques, water can be captured for irrigation use during dry times, guided through rain gardens and swales, and generally be allowed to seep back into the Earth where it can do what it does best.
Greenhouses
Season Extension for your farm or Garden
A greenhouse or high tunnel has so many benefits! With some supplemental heat you can use these structures to raise seedlings and grow an abundance of greens and root crops throughout the winter. When the heat moves in, roll up the sides and watch heat-loving crops perform beautifully all summer long.
