Glenn Frey of Black Mountain Landscape Design: 5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Successful Vegetable Garden To Grow Your Own Food
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Keep pests under control whether it be insects, a microorganism or birds and rabbits. Examine the plant often and stay ahead of things. If pesticides are needed use organic options.
As we all know, inflation has really increased the price of food. Many people have turned to home gardening to grow their own food. Many have tried this and have been really successful. But others struggle to produce food in their own garden. What do you need to know to create a successful vegetable garden to grow your own food? In this interview series, called “5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Successful Vegetable Garden To Grow Your Own Food” we are talking to experts in vegetable gardening who can share stories and insights from their experiences.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Glenn Frey.
Glenn spent most of his life working in healthcare but decided to study landscape design as a second act in life. He went back to school, then started Black Mountain Landscape Design in 2009. It is a small family run business with his wife Margee and son Alex as business partners.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”?
I come from a family with a horticulture background but chose a profession in healthcare. Around the age of 50 I realized I needed a change so I returned to school, then founded Black Mountain Landscape Design and currently work with my wife and son in the business. Less stress, better hours and I love what I am doing!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
A few years back we were featured on a TV show on a local San Diego station. They highlighted one of our large projects and I enjoyed the entire process of getting ready for the interview, the actual shoot and the airing of the show.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
The keys to my success are (1) Good organizational skills which includes good communication with my business partners. (2) I am very service oriented with my clients which also includes good communication. (3) I listen to my clients. I don’t have a story for each key but after the installation of one of my designs, I want the clients to be ecstatic with their landscape. When the clients are extremely happy I know I have done my job. All 3 of the above-mentioned keys are important for customer satisfaction.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“If plan A doesn’t work the alphabet has 25 more letters”. You find a way to get something done or to solve a problem no matter how difficult. Finding an answer or a solution gets things done.
Are you working on any interesting or exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I am fortunate to live in San Diego, a very diverse city where we live outside all year long. My design projects run from small to large and from traditional to very artsy. Some of my best projects have been the tiniest of yards. You make every square foot count. I am currently working on an Asian themed garden and also working on a large project with a Tuscan vibe.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about creating a successful garden to grow your own food. Can you help articulate a few reasons why people should be interested in making their own vegetable garden? For example, how is it better for our health? For the environment? For our wallet?
There is a certain gratification one gets from growing their own. You can grow healthy organic food and nothing tastes better than right out of the garden. It was always an economical option for food but given our current inflation rate, you can definitely save money. You can save even more by starting things from seeds BUT do your homework first and expect to put a lot of effort into it. A vegetable garden is not on autopilot.
Where should someone start if they would like to start a garden? Which resources would you recommend? Which plants should they start with?
Start with the internet but make sure you have reliable sources. YouTube videos are fantastic. Learn as much as you can BEFORE planting and expect issues to come up that you will have to deal with. You might have a hassle free vegetable garden one year and the next year problems arise. Be proactive and be prepared for problems. A great source is the Master Gardeners Association. Most cities have one and they are fantastic for advice and trouble shooting. I utilize the San Diego Master Gardeners. Tomatoes are always a pretty easy plant for the novice along with peppers and cucumbers. Basil is an easy herb to grow and I love making my own pesto.
Can you please share your “5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Successful Vegetable Garden To Grow Your Own Food”? If you can, please share a story or example for each.
In no particular order I think these 5 things are important if you are growing your own vegetables:
1) Place your vegetable planter where it will get a lot of direct sunlight(at least 6 hours/day). This is important as you will not get good growth without adequate sunlight and plants will not look healthy.
2) Fertilizer is important because as vegetables grow they will extract nutrients from the soil. Use a good organic liquid fertilizer and composting is a great solution plus its free. If there are nutritional deficiencies you will see poor plant growth and yellowing leaves. If you suspect nutritional issues get a soil testing kit.
3) Water and irrigation are important. In San Diego we rarely get rain so I have installed irrigation with a controller so I don’t have to worry about missing a watering and the vegetables will get watered on a regular basis. Always feel the soil to get a good idea of water delivery. If leaves are turning brown you are probably underwatering.
4) Compost was mentioned in number 2 but really deserves to be its own key. It is easy to do, its free and it continually enriches the soil. Compost and amend your soil all year long, not just during the growing season.
5) Keep pests under control whether it be insects, a microorganism or birds and rabbits. Examine the plant often and stay ahead of things. If pesticides are needed use organic options.
What are the most common mistakes you have seen people make when they start a garden? What specifically can be done to avoid those errors?
People go into this blind and don’t know what to expect. Read up on vegetable gardening and be proactive about care and potential issues. Even if things are going well, be vigilant in observing the plants.
What are some of the best ways to keep the costs of gardening down?
Starting plants from seed is very economical but it does involve “babysitting” seeds and seedlings. There is something very gratifying about starting plants from seed. I do this with my granddaughter and we both love it.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If I could influence people to do more organic vegetable gardening that would be great. Besides eating what you grow you get to play in the dirt, and that has to be fun right? Be creative with your cooking when harvesting your vegetables and herbs.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would love to have lunch with Erin and Ben Napier, the co-hosts of Hometown on HGTV. They do to the inside of a house what I do to the landscape of a house. They design sustainably like we do and upcycle materials into their designs. They really have a sense of community and are making their community better. What could be better than that?
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can Google us — Black Mountain Landscape Design(don’t forget ”Design”) and besides our website we have many social media sites with our work in pictures and videos. If we inspire people to reimagine their landscape or to get into gardening, that would make me very happy.
Picture credits — San Diego Filmworks
Thank you so much for the time you spent on this interview. We wish you only continued success and good health.
Glenn Frey of Black Mountain Landscape Design: 5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Successful… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.