Thornhill Farm

October 3, 2015 Greensboro, Vermont

Eight days after drilling in the winter rye, it has emerged in this field.
The greener areas are where the oats self seeded and came back with the winter rye.
This is the well drained soil that did not need drainage, and thus was able to receive the oats and peas green manure seeds early in the summer.
The crop of winter rye will be harvest next August.
As it will grow in the winter, it gains in character and flavor for making rye whiskey or being part of a farm program to feed our pigs.
Our pigs are here to feed and nourish the soil, and for this we are grateful.
Todd Hardie
Live from the Hive

Live From the Hive: July 2015

Honey bee on mint flower
A honey bee gathers nectar from a mint flower.

“The Mints” by Annie Watson, Thistle Hill Studio

Honey bees love the flowers of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Spearmint, catmint, lemon balm, catnip… the list goes on. Did you know that basil is in the mint family? So are lavender, oregano, and rosemary. In our area, the mints bloom in June and July.

Pollinators are threatened all over the world. You can help them out by planting bee-friendly plants in your garden. Plant plenty of herbs so that you can leave some to flower instead of harvesting them all.

For more information about what you can plant for bees and other pollinators, go to Honey Bee Suite.

Live from the Hive

Live from the Hive: June 2015

Honey bee on a sumac flower
A honey bee visits a Staghorn Sumac flower.

“Staghorn sumac bloom” by Annie Watson, Thistle Hill Studio

June brings the blooming of the staghorn sumac. Its beautiful flowers are a major food source for honey bees. I’ve seen them covered with bees on a warm June afternoon.

Largest of the North American sumacs at 15-25 feet tall, Staghorn sumac is named after the” velvet” on young branches similar to that covering the antlers of a male (stag) deer. In early summer, male and female flower cones on separate plants are covered with many tiny flowers. After pollination the flowers turn into clusters of “drupes” — small red hairy fruits that are eaten by deer and birds all winter. The foliage turns red and orange in the fall and a hedge of sumacs is really beautiful at that time of year.

By allowing sumac to grow in your hedgerows and property edges, you provide important food for honey bees, deer, and birds.

For more about this plant go to the Missouri Botanical Garden web site.