Hickory Grove is the place we call home. Nestled in rural Frederick County, Virginia, it is a place of beauty and tranquility. With just over 11.5 acres of wood and meadow, it the perfect location for a hobby farm. Add a fishing pond and gazebo and it’s a little piece of heaven on earth!
Aviary
My husband, Neil, is an avid gardener and beekeeper, and Hickory Grove provides space for both. He and my brother (who is the owner of Hickory Grove), began 2022 with a single honeybee hive. Since then, three more hives have been added, including two wild hives that were captured from nearby swarms. The honeybees not only pollinate our garden, but also the local wildflowers and native plants. We enjoyed our first taste of raw honey last summer, and it was amazing! Our first harvest yielded over 8 lbs. of raw honey which we put up in pint jars for future use. We are also saving the honeycomb from each harvest so that we can begin experimenting with different beeswax products.
Victory Garden
Early on during Neil’s cancer battle, we knew that gardening was going to be an important part of his healing. As soon as the ground was soft enough to work, six raised garden beds were built in the field and Neil’s Victory Garden was born. Between chemotherapy treatments in New York and Baltimore, Neil and Kevin planted vegetable seedlings. Kevin tended the garden while we were away, and before long we were harvesting tomatoes, cucumbers and beans. Later in the season we harvested red and white potatoes, Swiss chard, and zucchini. Our sweet corn was almost entirely devoured by deer, rabbits or ground hogs — perhaps all three. We salvaged about a dozen plants and enjoyed a luscious early autumn crop, along with Delicata squash.
Many lessons were learned during our first year of gardening at Hickory Grove. But working the soil and reaping the harvest was therapeutic for Neil. His cancer is now in remission and we are all looking forward to the next planting season.
Chickens!
Next spring, there will be three new residents at Hickory Grove. Neil and Kevin spent the past several months rehabbing a chicken coop, and we plan to raise three laying hens. Farm fresh eggs . . . I can hardly wait!
Be sure to follow along to see what’s happening on the farm.