About

Hi. I'm Meemaw.

Capitalist hippie. Gardener. Army veteran. Grandma. Ohioan.

My name is Erin. I'm 53 years old, I live in Ohio, and my grandkids call me Meemaw — which I consider the highest honor I've received to date.

I came home one day and just wanted to put things in the ground. That turned into a deep rabbit hole: native plants, pollinators, butterfly gardens, invasive removal, edible landscaping, foraging, wild medicinals, soil health, composting — the whole works. And somewhere along the way I also got serious about money, because it turns out financial independence and a productive yard scratch the same itch.

The day job pays the bills. The yard feeds the soul. I've been growing things — native wildflowers, edible perennials, a pretty solid investment portfolio — for decades now, and somewhere along the way I started noticing how much plants and money have in common.

That's the whole philosophy here. You don't need to be a Wall Street genius or a master horticulturist. You need patience, decent soil, and someone to tell you the truth without making you feel stupid for asking.

What this site is for

Grow With Meemaw covers two things that actually matter long-term: your land and your money. On the land side, that means native plants and pollinators, butterfly and wildlife gardens, invasive species removal, edible landscaping, foraging, native medicinal plants, and soil health and composting. On the money side: compound interest, debt payoff, and building toward retirement — explained like a person, not a brochure.

Not get-rich-quick. Not spray-and-pray. Real stuff that works over years, not weekends.

I write for people who are a little behind where they thought they'd be, who want to start something that will outlast them, or who just need a plain-English explanation of a Roth IRA that doesn't require a finance degree. And also for people who want to know which native plants will survive an Ohio winter without babysitting — and whether those plants happen to be edible or have any medicinal uses while they're at it.

Same audience, same message: put the right things in the ground, stay out of their way, and check back in a few years.

Where else to find me

I've also got a YouTube channel where I talk through some of this stuff — garden walks, plant deep dives, whatever I feel like that week. Come find me over there at Grow With Meemaw.

A note on trust

I'm not a financial advisor, and I'm not a certified master gardener (yet — don't tempt me). Everything on this site is based on my own experience and research. Take what's useful, ignore what isn't, and please don't sue me.

If you want to reach out, the contact page is right there.