Monika Schuler and husband Dennis Lavoie are going out to pasture.

After 20 years of operating Spring Meadow Farm in Mattapoisett, the pair is calling it quits and hoping a young couple can pick up the plow.

“It will be hard to leave,” said Schuler. “It’s been a really fun experience.”

For Schuler, Spring Meadow was the home where she raised her children and where her marriage matured.

“It’s been really cool for our relationship,” she said. “We’ve resolved so many issues picking blackberries at five in the morning.”

When Schuler and Lavoie purchased the property on Route 6 in the early 1990’s, they had their work cut out for them.

“We took a piece of land that was pretty rough and slowly and meticulously made it our own,” said Schuler.  “We renovated just about every room in the house. We know every nook and cranny.”

Schuler, a cranberry biologist, was a novice gardener when they started growing organic produce, but she wanted to give something back to the community.

“The reality is, it’s never made a great deal of money,” she said. “Enough to pay taxes and a little extra spending money.”

Over the years, their farm stand became a “habit” for locals. The stand operated on the honor system.

“People like not being watched while they squeezed the tomatoes. It’s been a nice place to come and get what you need,” said Schuler.

While the 12.7-acre farm was certified organic for many years, Schuler eventually stopped seeking certification, but continued to offer pesticide-free produce.

Now, Schuler said the family’s commitments are too much to maintain the garden. Two kids are entering college this year, Schuler is seeking a PhD and working as a nurse while Lavoie has a thriving carpentry business.

But, finding a buyer for the farm hasn’t been easy. Most potential buyers are not prepared to take on the non-stop work of running a farm.

“There’s not much of a break in farming. It’s a great environment, but it’s also inhibiting,” said Schuler.”

Schuler’s best bet is Colin Bradley, chef at the Mattapoisett-based natural food store and café How on Earth, and his fiancée Erica Turturro.

“The farm has great potential if someone like Colin could come in and spend the time that it needs,” said Schuler.

But, at $507,000 Bradley has had a tough time getting a loan.

“We’ve gone through seven different mortgage companies. We’re so close to getting it. We’re right on the line,” said Bradley, who often purchased produce at the farm.

“We already have a business plan set in motion, but it’s finding investors,” he said.

“If we don’t sell it, we’ll take it off the market. If we’re here next year, we’re not going to farm it,” Schuler said.

Bradley hopes it won’t come to that. “We want to continue all the traditions she’s set forth and start new things,” he said.