Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Matthew Stoneman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Matthew, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

Yes Absolutely!

Innovation is at the core of our DNA. The concept that has become innovative, even though it’s deeply embedded into our ancestor’s ways of life, is growing our own food, and connecting with nature around us. I’ve been doing my best to bring that back with Foodscaping. I can feel the resonance as I talk to people about the idea. Growing an herb garden. Fruit trees like figs and apples, and even growing tomatoes in this society feels like such a niche market. We’ve had to bring back the idea of eliminating a standard fescue lawn and putting back native pollinators and valuable plants that give a return to ourselves and our environment!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Matt Stoneman, I am 29 years old and have been servicing clients since I was 13 years old. I’ve always been ambitious and willing to work hard to earn a living and have always loved the outdoors and working with many different people in all walks of life has always been a blessing to me.

I started by pushing a lawnmower around my neighborhood as a kid and worked my way up to trucks and trailers doing all kinds of landscaping. I had a realization that we all lacked something when it comes to our yards, food!

Why aren’t we all growing food everywhere? I constantly asked myself.

We mow the grass every couple of weeks and never question it. People want a lawn to play on and let the dogs run around on but why don’t we have vegetable/Herb gardens, fruit orchards and native pollinators growing as abundant as possible?

We have been conditioned as a society to think this way and there’s a lot to gain from big industries growing lawns instead of food. My ideas changed when reflecting on this concept, and connecting with my own intrigue to grow my own food.

I set out to grow food on a borrowed piece of land in Whites Creek, TN to experiment growing a diverse amount of vegetation. I grew up in an urban setting and wasn’t exposed to much edible crop production, I put myself through my own college learning about soil remediation, weed prevention, planting combinations and irrigation techniques.

Along the way I started offering these services to homeowners in the Nashville and surrounding areas and found success attracting like-minded clients.

I love creating systems and doing the heavy lifting for folks so that they can enjoy and reap the benefits of growing their own food even with a busy life and schedule.

The techniques that professional market gardeners use must be utilized in the homeowner setting because most times folks are working with an even smaller scale, and want to see the fruits of their labor/investments.
This is where I come in handy. To maximize efficiency and resiliency in the garden.

I am most proud that I give people a connection to their food. Food is such an emotional aspect of life that brings satisfactions and brings people together.

Bringing fresh basil and oregano in straight from the garden, using your own tomatoes for a pasta dish with your very own eggplants and squash not only is satisfying and healthier than store bought, but also a feeling of connecting with our history of growing our own food.

These interconnections of bridging our food with our lawns and connecting what’s on our plate with quality is what sets me apart from other landscaping companies in my industry, however, I would not be upset if my peers in the industry completely adopted this concept!

This is not a patent or a trademark idea, I believe it is the future and the highlight of our past as humans. This is an elegant way of life!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Absolutely. The shift happened when being deeply confronted by the fact that life is not all about mowing lawns and earning money but that we also have a purpose and a passion that we have an opportunity to embrace and also utilize as a way to make a living. I had a very introspective moment when I was 20 years old that led me to where I’m at today. I knew I wanted to grow food and I knew that I wanted to be a part of the change I wanted to see in the world. I had to rewire my entire brain around this concept because I had only known one way of life before this moment.
I took the time to educate myself on the new embarking journey and I didn’t realize how it would look until I chased my passion and started growing food. Changing and pivoting a career can be extremely scary, but I prayed about it, I had faith and maintained resiliency by fostering my own education about stewardship and plants.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth is the best way, however, there’s been no better way for me attracting new customers than walking up to a door, knocking, and introducing myself in person. I do have a website and utilize Facebook and door hangers as well. I believe the best strategy is doing a bunch of marketing efforts, gauging what works and doubling down on what works! I like to keep business cards in my pocket and hand them out anywhere I go.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.IntegrityGrowthGardens.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/IntegrityGrowthGardens.com
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/IntegrityGrowthGardens
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/integrity-growth-gardens-nashville
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@integritygrowthgardens?_t=ZP-8vpSwOgOrnD&_r=1