Welcome to our first Dragonfly Farm Newsletter! I am so glad you signed up in our farmstand notebook to let us know you are interested in the latest news from here. We have been working on a new website: https://dragonflyfarm.co/ where I will try to keep up with the latest information. We are also trying to get Instagram to give the farm an account. We will let you know when we finally have that accepted and up and running.
I have some sad news to share. We lost our hive. We had one hive going into the winter. We had fed the bees and tucked them in by wrapping a “donut” of insulation around the middle section of the hive. We checked on them right before the cold weather snap and they were alive and well. Then, they were all dead when we checked on them after the cold snap. It was a sad sight that brought tears to my eyes. We still aren’t certain of the cause of the loss. Our bee mentor/beekeeper guide said the formation they were in when they died looked like they were hungry, but the frames were heavy with honey. We are planning on getting two nucleus colonies, or “nucs” to start in the spring. We will keep you posted!
We have begun the seed-starting process. We started some spinach, carrots, and lettuce inside our hoop house. They should be ready in a month to a month and a half. We have ranunculus and tulips growing and poking through the soil in the hoop, as well. This week we will plant our first round of flowers in trays in our basement. They will be under grow lights and some on heating mats. I haven’t had more than one kind be successful at a time, so I am looking forward to a new attempt this year!
Our farm got some new members this fall and winter! We purchased 8 chicks in the fall. They were all supposed to be hens, but one of them turned out to be our fourth rooster. Almost all of the chickens here on Dragonfly Farm are named after herbs and spices. We have Chili, Sesame, Papriko (he was Paprika until we found out he was a rooster), Rosemary, and Poppy, to name a few. We have thirty chickens now. We are looking forward to receiving eggs from our well-loved hens, including the newest 7!
The other new residents are two mini horses. We went to a Christmas tree farm to cut our tree and they had mini horses. We interacted with them and gave them pets, and then my husband asked the owner if they had mini horses for sale. They did, indeed, and we went back on at a further date to gather more details. The girls, Lucy and Naomi, were brought to their new home, Dragonfly Farm, in December and have been part of our menagerie since. We are up to 42 animals now! The goats aren’t fond of the new friends, just yet, but we are hoping we get to a place of harmony amongst the animals soon!
Please keep in touch and we will keep you updated on the latest, as well as let you know when our social media account is up and running!
Thank you for your interest in and enjoyment of our farm!
Dragonfly Farm 