🧄 Order fresh Organic Garlic, Onion Sets & Shallots while supplies last

Meet Matt! Ex-Dolphin Trainer Starts His Own Business Helping Communities Grow Food

Check out the interview below to learn more about Matt Hall of Midnight Harvest!  See how he got started with his own business and why he believes it is important for everyone to grow their own healthy food.

From all of us at SeedsNow we are proud to introduce you to Matt!


 

How would you quickly describe yourself to others?

I am a small business, essentially me, working towards getting more people to grow their own food. By means of installing gardens and being active on social media, I try to inspire more people to grow more food.


 

What were you doing before you started your own business?

I’ve been in the service industry for more than 15 years but my first passion/job was to train dolphins. I got this opportunity at Disney Orlando in 2004 as an advanced intern to actually work with dolphins and manatees. I can say that I actually did get to experience my dream but chose another.

 

Have you always been growing your own food? Did you know much about this lifestyle before getting started?

I have not actually. This is a recent passion/fixation! It was in the spring of 2012 that it all clicked for me and the light bulb went on - so to say. I had watched some key documentaries about food and food systems and then became very involved in doing research and just witnessing the miracle of food. So in 2012 I had this idea I wanted to one day at least raise my own food and rely on my own efforts.

Have you always been this way?

I definitely have not been always a foodie centric person. I’ve been around it but never appreciated the idea of home grown food so much and or fresh organic food. Now I am definitely a certain way about food and I am finding most people don’t know much about their food - which is sad because we kind of need it.

Did you have any obstacles at the beginning? Was anything holding you backbefore getting started? How did you overcome those obstacles?

Obstacles tend to happen every day owning a small business. I think the biggest hurdles still come in the form of ‘recognition’ and how to get my brand/business out there.

Most often times it would seem obvious to advertise of course but that is an expensive road and often not the way to go about things.I have found that if I can volunteer my time explaining my passion for showing how great home grown food can be it is the best way to get my word out there. Whether that be classes or farmers’ markets that I don’t earn money so much but put me in contact with the right people.

Once I had the ‘concept’ of Midnight Harvest in mind I jumped in really - but what I do and what it is becoming I am happy with! I would have never imagined myself getting into so many projects all centered around food as I am now.

What's your goal/vision for the future? In 10 years what would you like to see happen for the things you and your team are working on?

The main goal is to start an organic farm!

Within the next few months I’d love to find and buy property (5-10) acres and start our farm dream. The farm will consist of 4 parts.


Part 1. The ‘Sustainable Harvest’

Mushroom production. One of my real passions is mushrooms because they truly are more sustainable than most things and require very little but give us a lot! Plus pound for pound bring in more money than veggies. And to quote Ron Finley “the funny thing about sustainability is you have to sustain it.” basically saying we have to make money.

Part 2. The Educational Greenhouse.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan there is a greenhouse called the Frederick Meijer Gardens and it features a lot of plants, animals, and so on and most of which are not native and are not possible to grow without certain environments. But it is inspiring! So I want to construct a greenhouse that showcases food! Walking into a greenhouse filled with 20 different species of tomatoes or beans or any species and we show kids, teens, adults where and how their food comes to life! We can grow a lot of veggies in Michigan even in the dead of winter using organic practices and in the summer it’s all the better! I want a greenhouse dedicated to educating people about food year round!

Part 3. Outreach and Education and Install.

We’ll continue the goal of installing gardens but with our own farm and own place to hold events we will bring the public in and teach them how to grow their own food. Holding events like this help the community whether or not they actually end up growing their own they at least walk away with more knowledge than before! I am always surprised by how many people don’t know about determinate tomatoes!

Part 4. Social Media.

This is already happening but we want a presence on the web with instagram, youtube, Facebook because we want the younger generation to step up and find an interest in their food. So we’re doing some unconventional things and some very in depth things all in the name of inspiration. We have no idea if it’s working or not - we just keep at it.(I say “we” a lot and mind you - this is just me.)

In the near future I am currently putting a photography portfolio together all about food from pics I’ve already taken. But the goal is not to showcase food but to plant food. So if people buy a squash flower photo - they get squash seeds. If you buy a basil photo - basil seeds. Get the idea?

Our end goal is always planting more seeds and more gardens. And we’re about to bring more ways to grow from home by doing some more retail items locally and expanding if we can. All/any proceeds from Midnight Harvest or my Michigan Grow brand go towards the farm dream.


Have you ever made mistakes or failed doing something?

Mistakes are the best. If people who run business saw a mistake as a failure then they wouldn’t be in business long. Mistakes are every day but accepting failure happens once. Sorry - that was preachy. But in all honesty mistakes are some of the greatest teachers and business plan/model aside you have to make mistakes. Then come later on - you won’t.

I tend to take the Thomas Edison approach to failure: “I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways it won’t work.”

“One of our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

Have you ever dealt with a person who disregards your life style?

Not so much disregards but does not understand my passion for growing my own food. The close friends understand but I am finding a lot of my generation is starting to come around about food and where/who it comes from which is nice!

 


What are some things you would like to have other people understand about living a healthier and self-sufficient life style?

I wish more people would make the connection of whole foods and health. I slightly smirk in the fact that I rarely get sick and don’t take OTC meds at all. My remedy for small on coming sore throats is garlic and typically the best medicine is water. The funny thing about whole home grown food or even whole foods is that plant life is 90-90% water!! When we give credit to plants we often give credit to it’s amount of nutrients in the actual plant which is great for our immune system to build up vitamins but in all reality a majority of what we are consuming is water. How much water can be found in processed and dried foods? Almost none and no actual/natural nutrients are found so we are completely removing the nutrients and base upon which they reach us. And with no nutrients we are depriving our immune systems causing us to be unhealthy.


What tips and tricks could you share with other people?

Start small - grow big. Gardening or farming is an every day learning experience and mistakes and disappointments can ruin a season or make you wait for up to a year to - try again. Don’t over do it!

Grow things of plenty! Carrots are great but carrots need to be planted, thinned, and succession grown. You only get one carrot from one seed. Whereas things like determinate tomatoes (romas) grow to a set height, and fruit all at once, and 3 roma plants are plenty! Zucchini is amazing because it will grow and grow and grow but require very little training or pruning like fellow winter squash such as acorn.

Inter-plant and break the rules. Use all space both on the soil and above the soil. Vertical gardening can mean you have radishes below your beans and your beans below your tomatoes! Spacing was largely decided upon for big farms to have room for tractors to come through and perform necessary operations without disturbing soils and plants. You have your hands not a tractor - fill spaces in! Tomatoes tend to want lots of space but basil don’t mind bunching so fill in the gaps between plants.

Plant flowers or early flowering varietals to attract beneficial bugs. And learn to love spiders - they're your friends (well some are). And install a bat house - they work all night long on the bug barter system.


What are some of your greatest rewards with a lifestyle such as the one you live?

There is likely nothing better than raising a seed all the way to harvest. It’s about as cool as it gets for me knowing I took care of this correctly and now it is providing me with health.

There is nothing better than home grown anything - flavor is key and home grown food tastes the best done right.

I find myself tuning into natures’ patterns and I make my judgement largely based upon observation which I enjoy because then I am following it’s guidelines rather than trying to re-write the book.

 

Previous Next

👇 MORE ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS 👇 

SPRING & SUMMER GARDENING:

Spring Gardening Chore Checklist - View

Herbs & Veggies to Plant NOW for a Summer Garden - View

Heat Loving Veggies & Herbs You Can Grow RIGHT NOW in Summer! - View

12 Plants That You Can Grow This Summer To DETER Mosquitoes - View

Have a Better Summer Garden With These 7 Tips! - View

 

FALL & WINTER GARDENING:

5 Fall Vegetables Worth Growing In Containers This Year - View

Grow a Fall/Winter Harvest - Plant these seeds in July/August - View

Planting a Fall Garden. Step-by-Step - View

How to Store Vegetables for Winter - View

10 Vegetables You Can Over-Winterize - View

19 Frost Hardy Vegetables to Plant this Fall - View

Fall and Winter Gardening Made Easy - View

16 Crops To Plant NOW for Fall! - View

15 Vegetables You Should Be Planting NOW for a Fall Harvest - View

Tips for Starting Your First Fall Garden & 19 Crops That Can Withstand Freezing (or almost freezing) Temperatures! - View

Gardening Chores for January - View

Our TOP 10 Favorite Fall & Winter Gardening YouTube Videos! - View

19 Crops You Should Try Growing This Fall or Winter - View

TOP 9 QUICK GROWING CROPS FOR FALL & WINTER - View

It's Winter!  What to do in the garden now?! - View

Most Popular Seeds to Plant Now for Fall/Winter Gardening - View


SEED STARTING:

6 Tips That Every NEW Gardener Should Know  - View

Tips for Successfully Starting Your Seeds Indoors - View

Egg Carton Seed Trays - View

Use Muffin Tins To Start Your Seeds In! - View

How do I Know Which Seeds to Direct Sow and Which to Seeds to Start Indoors? - View

How to Get Better Germination From Your Seeds - View

9 Steps to Harden Off Seedlings - View

7 Tips For Using Rockwool To Start Your Seeds - View

Are you starting enough seeds? - View

What's the proper way to thin seedlings? 🌱 🌱 - View

Seed Planting & Spacing Cheat Sheet - View

WAIT!  Don't start these seeds indoors yet! - View

OK!  It's time to start these seeds indoors NOW! - View


RAISED BED GARDENING:

Tips on Building Perfect Raised Beds! - View

How to make a Hugelkultur Bed & What the heck is a Hugelkultur? - View

Great Materials For Making Raised Beds! - View

Build The Benefits of Raised Beds - View

How To Plant a Straw/Hay Bale Raised Bed - View


CONTAINER GARDENING:

5 Simple TIPS to Growing Herbs in Containers - View

6 Tips for Gardening in Containers - View

9 of The Best Vegetables to Grow in Small Gardens  - View

5 Fantastic Tips for Watering Your Container Garden - View

Small Space Gardening Ideas For Your Boat or RV - View

 

RANDOM POSTS:

Why You Should Join a Community Garden - View

Inspirational Gardening Quotes! - View

How To Make A Bean Teepee - View

How to Build a Vine Tee-Pee - View

How To Grow & Care For Your Strawberry Plants - View

How to Grow Perfect Parsnips - View

How Do You Cure Potatoes? - View

How To Tell When An Eggplant Is Ripe - View

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Squash Blossoms - View

4 Easy Steps to Dry & Cure the Small Ornamental Gourds You Grew! - View

8 Gardening Hacks You Need to Know - View

Tips for Growing More Food Indoors, All-Year-Long! - View

Everything you need to know about gardening through all the seasons - View

14 Green Fruits and Vegetables You Should Be Eating - View

How to Use a Mason Jar as a Cloche - View

Are You a First Time Gardener? Start Here! - View

5 Season Extension Techniques for Year-Round Gardening - View

32 Edible Perennials (or plants that can ACT like Perennials!) - View

How to Grow Your Own Salsa Garden - View

How To Make a Pizza Garden - View

How To Successfully Plant a Straw/Hay Bale Garden - View

The Secret to Building a Salad Keyhole Garden - View


SPROUTS & MICRO-GREENS:

How to Grow Sprouts at Home *Without Soil*  - View

How to Sprout Wheat Berries at Home in a Mason Jar - View

How to Grow Sprouts Easily at Home Using a Mason Jar-View

Micro-greens! The Benefits are anything but MICRO! - View


ANIMALS & PETS:

What to Plant for a Pet Friendly Garden - View

Which Plants Do Bunnies, Cats, Dogs, and Chickens Like to Eat? - View

How To Supplement Your Animal Feed by Growing Fodder at Home - View


WATERING:

Ways To Conserve Water in Your Vegetable Garden - View

8 Tips on How to Water More Efficiently - View


COMPOST, MULCH,  & SOIL AMENDMENTS:

Composting DO's and DON'Ts - View

18 Things You Should Never Compost - View

Your Vegetables Like Coffee, Just As Much As You Do! -   View

How to Use Coffee Grounds In Your Garden - View

How to Use Eggshells in Your Garden - View

How To Use Seaweed In Your Garden  - View


 


 

PESTS & PROBLEMS // GARDEN CONTROL:

Common Gardening Problems & How to Cure Them - View

How To Attract Beneficial Ladybugs Into Your Garden - View

Common Problems In the Garden and How To Fix Them! - View

3 Ways to Kill Weeds Naturally & Quickly - View

Learn How to Recognize and Prevent Mosaic Virus in Your Garden - View

4 Trap Plants You Should Be Growing To Help Deter Pests - View

8 Ways To Get Rid of Garden Pests (Without Any Chemicals!) - View

Natural Pest Control Methods - View

HELP!  My Plants are Tall, Thin, and Leggy.  What should I do? - View

How to Control Powdery Mildew, the Easy Way! - View

Plant THESE To Attract More BEES! - View

15 Plants That Repel Mosquitoes - View

Plants That Naturally Repel Mosquitoes - View

Use Beer To Kill Slugs - View

BEER = An Effective Method for Slug Control [Who Knew!?] - View

Why Won't My Root Veggies Grow? - View

How do You Use Epsom Salts to Fertilize Your Plants? - View


FLOWERS // HERBS // POLLINATORS:

Treat Your Ailments Naturally With Homegrown Herbs -  View

15 Herbs You Can Grow at Home To Make Your Own Tea - View

10 MUST GROW Plants for Herbal Tea Lovers - View

How to Grow an Indoor Herb Garden - View

Top 4 Air Purifying Herbs You Can Grow Indoors - View

11 Easy To Grow Medicinal Herbs - View

Healing Herbs That Anyone Can Grow at Home - View

Top 6 Culinary Herbs You Never Knew You Could Grow Indoors, During Winter! - View

27 Plants That Produce Edible Flowers - View

38 Edible Flowers To Plant In Your Garden - View

PRO Tips for Growing Wildflowers Successfully - View

How to Grow Beautiful and Healthy Sunflowers - View

Save the Bees! Plant a "Bee-Friendly" Garden Today! - View

 

LETTUCE,  SALAD, & LEAFY GREENS:

7 Tips and Tricks for {Fresh} Lettuce {Longer} - View

How to Grow a "Cut and Come Again" Salad Bar Garden - View

Make Ahead "Salad in a Jar”- View

The Secret to Building a Salad Keyhole Garden - View


PEPPERS:

How Hot Will My Peppers Be? Scoville Scale Heat-Ranking for Hot Peppers! - View

Tips on How To Successfully Germinate Hot Pepper Seeds -View

15 Super HOT Varieties Every Pepper Enthusiast Must Try! - View

Tips for Germinating HOT & SWEET Pepper Seeds - View

 

TOMATOES:

4 Ways to Ripen Green Tomatoes - View

Tips for Controlling Tomato Hornworms - View

How to Plant Tomatoes the Right Way - View

How to Make Pickled Tomatoes, In Just 5 Minutes - View

Spank Your Tomatoes! -Get More Fruit on Every Plant- - View

14 Companion Plants to Grow With Your Tomatoes! - View

 

GREENHOUSE:

Tips for Growing Better in a Greenhouse - View


HOOP HOUSE:

How to Build a "Hoop House" for your Fall and Winter Gardening! - View


HYDROPONICS & TOWER GARDEN:

15 Lettuce & Leafy Greens You Should Try Growing Hydroponically - View

80 Plants You Can Grow with Vertical Towers and Hydroponic Garden System! - View

How to Plant a Vertical Tower Garden - View

These are the most popular ways to grow food, Vertically! - View

Aquaponics: Why It Works! - View

Make A Vertical Planter with Terracotta Pots - View

 

SHADE:

How to Grow Vegetables and Herbs in Partial Shade - View

Which Vegetables & Herbs Grow Best in Light - Partial Shady Gardens?  - View


HEAT & DROUGHT:

Heat-Loving Varieties that Grow Great in the Southern States - View

33 Drought Tolerant Crops For Dry or Hot Climates - View

 

DIY PROJECTS:

How To Make Your Own Seed Tape - View

Make Ahead "Salad in a Jar”- View

Make a Tic Tac Toe Game For Your Garden - View

How to Make Watermelon Candy - View

[DIY] Honey-Lavender Luffa Gourd Soap - View

 

CANNING & PICKLING // RECIPES:

Everything You Need To Start Canning Your Homegrown Vegetables! - View

How Do I Can My Homegrown Vegetables? View

Best Crops to Grow For the Home Canner - View

How to Grow & Pickle Homegrown Peas - View

Create Easy Pickled Radishes in Less Than 5 Minutes - View

Which Vegetables are Best to Ferment? - View


OTHER RECIPES:

This is how you make the best hummus dip! DIY Recipe - View

How To Make Amazing Zucchini Chips - View

How to Make a Stuffed Zucchini Crocodile - View

7 Awesome Mint Drink Recipes - View

How to Roast Garlic in the Oven - View

 


 

••●••

Continue Shopping