Today we’d like to introduce you to Betsy & Seth Meehan.
Hi Betsy & Seth, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
We started growing our own vegetables and herbs in our garden in Coalville, Utah, as hobbyists. However, when the supply lines were failing to deliver, we knew we had to make moves to become more self-reliant. We converted a spare bedroom into a grow room and grew mircogreens indoors. When we started noticing the results of these tasty tiny veggies and sharing with friends, we knew we had something special. This led us to look at owning land and homesteading. In fall of 2021, we upped sticks and settled in Mansfield, Ohio!
Now in our 3rd year, we offer microgreens, microherbs and gourmet mushrooms year-round! During spring, summer and fall we offer gardening services; bed clean up, mulching, planting, transplanting, irrigation, vegetable & mushroom plots! We will also be selling various vegetable and flower starts this year!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Lots! We purchased our property site unseen and ran into some issues that we were able to overcome. We had to delay our mushroom production as our garage conversion was slow due to lack of materials. It was 8 months behind schedule and really forced us to adapt. Microgreens are relatively new to this area so it can take some work to get people to try a sample, however, that’s also one of the most fun parts of the job! Growing mushrooms indoors is really difficult as the slightest contamination can spread and ruin the entire crop! We had to purchase extra equipment to do clean, sterile work. This equipment was 3 months delayed also! It’s also really difficult to find appropriate packaging for fresh food, lots of trial and error there too.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
We grow microgreens, micro herbs, and gourmet mushrooms year-round on our property in Mansfield, Ohio. We try our best to use sustainable practices, buying supplies locally, composting, and feeding scraps to our chickens. As our business grows and develops, we feel that our specialty is growing indoors, year-round; however, we are able to apply lots of the same knowledge to our outdoor gardens. For example, from living out in Utah with droughts, we learned how to set up irrigation systems. Not many gardeners offer those services.
We are known for quality, fresh, flavorful, healthy produce that lasts a long time if stored correctly. We have delivered many presentations, demonstrations, and talks on what we grow and teach and encourage other people to grow their own. During warmer months, we attend the North End Farmers Market on Thursday afternoons and the Bellville Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. There is lots of fresh, locally grown, affordable produce available. We now offer Grow Your Own Mushroom kits and classes to teach people the mysteries of mycology! Customers can sign up for free delivery our produce within the Mansfield area, but we’d love to expand to other towns and cities if there is a demand for it.
We are most proud of manifesting a vision and working hard towards it. There is not a day goes by where we are not doing some work with plants, but we love it. We’ve loved moving back to be closer to family and could not be doing this without the support of Betsy’s mother, Barb. She has been so supportive and encouraging! This is a real family farm!
Growing mushrooms indoors has been one of the most humbling experiences of our lives! However, the failures make them taste even better!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Betsy is a really talented potter and will have some ceramic pots available in the future!
Pricing:
- Microgreens Small Container – $5
- Microgreens Regular Container – $10
- Microgreens Large Container – $15
- Mushroom price varies from $6 to $26
Contact Info:
- Website: www.highdesertgreens.com
- Instagram: Highdesertgreens
- Facebook: Highdesertgreens
Image Credits
Betsy
Seth
Brittoney Roane
