Local business provides landscaping supplies for both home, business

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

A Copperas Cove area father-son duo have recently opened their own business to fill a need for residential and business owners looking for landscaping supplies. 
All Season Landscaping Supply opened its doors at 2222 West Highway 190—right after the Valero gas station near the intersection of Big Divide and 190. The store and its parking lot are “smack dab” on Copperas Cove’s western most city limits line.
Chris Farmer brings his 30 years of military service, which includes master’s degrees in logistics and human resources, to the table. Matt, his son, is a 2013 graduate of Copperas Cove High School and started his own landscaping business, All Season Lawn, in 2014 along with David Perez. The Farmers bring more than 20 years of DIY and professional landscaping experience to the business.
Presently, All Season offers five types of mulch along with a variety of topsoil and landscaping rocks to include Llano River, Pecos River blend, Sabine cobble, pea gravel, along with two of the shop’s best sellers, decomposed granite and chocolate screened loam. Each of the river rocks also come in several sizes. 
Chris said they chose landscaping supplies for their business because “nobody else does what we do around here. We’re here to fill a void. You can drive all the way to Belton, Nolanville, or temple, but why not keep it local?”
One of the things Chris has enjoyed through the business is becoming more a part of the community.
“We get folks who stop by here, find out what we have, and we get to hear their stories. We get to understand our customers too. I tell them it’s not about taking your money, it’s becoming a team. Anybody can take your money,” Chris added.
Branching into selling landscaping supplies was a natural spinoff for the Farmers, the two believe, with Matt’s ownership of All Season Landscaping, which he runs with friend David Perez. 
“We have people come in all the time, and we help them leave with what they need,” Matt said. “We get people who come in here and say, ‘I’m so glad you’re here because last time I had to go buy 100 bags somewhere else.”
He pointed to the decomposed granite as a good all-purpose material for pathways. 
“You can use this for roadways, walkways, patios and barbecue areas. What happens when you put it down, pack it and wet it, it compacts really well for a good walking surface,” Matt said. “Also, out in the light it kind of sparkles. A lot of people use it for desert-scaping. 
Where the popular chocolate screened loam is concerned, Matt said it’s a good, all-purpose topsoil, especially if someone is trying to build up their yard, to put down the loam before laying sod. 
All Season can deliver its bulk products. In addition to the rocks and mulch, the Farmers carry several types of soil, one of which is a generic filling soil, “something you don’t have to put a lot of money into,” Chris said. The others are landscape mix and professional mix.
Chris, who developed the company’s business plan and tracks customers’ purchasing trends, is also working on the store’s online ordering system, especially for palletized items like mulch, soil, and turkey compost. 
“You’ll be able to order, then come in with your invoice and it’ll be all packaged up and ready to go,” Chris said. “We’ll load it for you and you’re out of here. People are looking for convenience.”
One item the Farmers don’t believe they’ll sell in the future is any type of fertilizer. 
“We sell compost,” Matt said. “Also, people are on the lookout for organic, natural ways to care for their landscaping. There’s plenty of places that sell fertilizers.
“We travel around Texas to get our stuff. A lot of materials come from Austin, the soils that are rich in nutrients.”
As the business plan manager, Chris already has their sights set on expanding their offerings in the store, such as selling and delivering sod both for bulk delivery and by slices. Also, they plan to carry an assortment of rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, shovels and other landscaping tools.