We have some exciting news on The Ridge! A few weeks ago we finally welcomed our honeybees from Sourwood Farm in Earlysville, VA.
Growing up with a mom who was an avid beekeeper, I never imagined having my own hives until we bought our own farm. Then it quickly became one of the first goals we set for The Ridge and after spending the past year prepping gardens and learning the basics – we finally took the plunge!
Part of our goal was finding a local beekeeper and apiary who put a lot of effort into genetics and raising resilient bees. That’s how we came across Ryan at Sourwood Farm, which was only just 25 minutes from us.
We had such a great experience picking up our nuc and seeing their apiary set up. Ryan was very helpful in showing us our new hive and answering all of our questions. My mom came along and even learned some new things too!
As a newbie gardener, part of our gardening goals has been to grow a sustainable garden not only for consumable food but also to feed our local pollinators. My favorite thing to do since our bees arrived is walking through the property and seeing all the plants we planted last year covered in our new friends.
The girls have been so busy working the garden – it won’t be long before I need to add a second box and give them more room to make honey and raise more brood.
Beekeeping has also been something fun for us to do together. Though I grew up working bees with my mom, this adventure is entirely new to Farmer J! But he has taken everything in stride, and has even started working the hive himself.
While we still have a lot to learn, we feel like we are set up for success with our new hive. It’s been a fun first few weeks as beekeepers, getting to work the hive, watch the girls out collecting pollen and seeing how much progress they’re making already.
We can’t wait to keep you all updated on our beekeeping journey! Be sure to follow along by subscribing below to get our blog sent right to your inbox.
Ravens Ridge Micro Farm 