Our Farm Oasis

The flora and fauna of Heirloom Springs

Bees

Bees were our first priority on the farm! We love honey around here, and we need bees to help us keep the gardens growing strong. Our girls are the hardest workers on the farm. Not to mention, bee society is so cool to watch. Clover, buckwheat, and an array of native flowers & trees help our bees succeed in creating delicious honey. In 2 years we have grown from our starter 2 hives, to 5 hives, and growing…

Fun Bee Facts:

The ancient Greeks and Romans viewed honey as a symbol of love, beauty, and fertility. The practice of beekeeping dates back at least 4,500 years. Approximately one third of the food we eat, is the result of honey bee pollination.

Fruits & Vegetables

Farm to table, every meal. We strive to create a sustainable system by using organic practices, biodiversity, and non-GMO, heirloom variety seeds. We are often asked what all we are growing. My answer is usually, “what aren’t we growing!” We grow 20+ varieties of heirloom tomatoes, squash, beets, kohlrabi, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, and greens… And did I mention our stone fruit orchard? Our advice to new gardeners - Keep trying. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Good seeds + soil + sun + water + love = endless possibilities. Gardening is good for the soul!

Herbs

If we were limited to just one thing we could grow on the farm, it would be herbs. Herbs offer health benefits, medicine and a huge flavor profile! If you have space on your patio, a sunny window, or a sprawling garden, grow fresh herbs. You will not regret it! Here on the farm we grow every herb we can get our hands on by seed or by plant for both culinary and medicinal uses. And no, herbs are not just a garnish. You have never smelled or tasted flat leaf Italian parsley, cilantro or dill until you have had them freshly cut! Plant medicine lore ~ eat a little something you grow everyday. It’s nourishing to the spirit. You’ve loved & cared for that plant, now the circle meets itself.

Ducks

Our waddlers are Khaki Cambells. They are known for their excellent foraging skills and climate hardiness. Also, like a lasagna, they are great layers! Everyone on the farm has a job to do, and our ducks’ number one job is foraging in the orchard. They will eat slugs, snails and any other bugs they can catch, turning pests into natural tree fertilizer. Duck eggs are delicious and nutritious! Did you know that duck eggs are higher in vitamin A, protein, and omega 3 fatty acids? Baking with fresh duck eggs has taken our quiches, pies and breads to another level!

Chickens

Eating fresh eggs daily, waking to a rooster’s crow, and listening to the ladies chatter, you know you are on the farm! Our mother cluckers are a variety of dual purpose breeds including Lavender Orpingtons, Austrolops, Plymoth Bardrocks, and Olive Eggers. We wanted chickens with a sweet demeanor (obviously), but we also wanted them to be excellent layers and climate hardy for our four Blue Ridge seasons. We couldn’t help but choose fun egg colors too, because colored eggs shouldn’t be reserved for just Easter! Our girls get non-GMO, organic feed as well as all the grass, bugs and vegetable scraps they’d like to eat.

Jake the Farm Dog

We often joke that Jake is our city dog in farm training. We adopted our Aussie in December of 2016 in Dallas, TX. While he will likely always want to eat the chickens and ducks(we hope not!), he is our ever loving, faithful, family companion. We’ve seen him bow down to horses, I guess it helps they out weigh him by about 1200 lbs… so maybe there is hope for when we get cows! Our sweet Jake keeps us on our toes, alerts us to any and all animal life on the farm; squirrels, rabbits, moles, deer, bears, the UPS man, lol. Most importantly Jake always keeps a keen eye on our sweet boy and reminds us to love daily.

  • Guinea Fowl

    Part of our mission is to be as biodiverse as possible within our farm. We decided adding guineas would help promote this idea. Guineas are known for their pest control abilities. Eating ticks and other insects, such as grasshoppers, flies, and crickets. That make them excellent pasture keepers. Guineas are also an excellent alarm system. They let us know if a predator is near or when the mail gets delivered, ha!

  • Goats

    Goats are extremely intelligent, curious and loving creatures! Our sweet brother and sister duo act more like puppies than goats. They love to be loved on and one day in the not too distant future, our girl Reese, will provide us with ample milk, we hope. Our goals are to have enough milk to make cheese, caramels, lotions, soaps, candles and about anything else we can dream up!

Ruby

Ruby came to Heirloom Springs as a gift we weren’t looking for but were deeply ready to receive. A draft cross with strength, power, and an impossibly kind presence, she is both grounding and full of spark. Ruby loves an adventure, is endlessly curious, and meets each day with enthusiasm and heart.

She is patient and generous as I continue to learn and refine my riding, and she has an uncanny ability to understand people. Ruby speaks human, speaks love, and very clearly speaks treat. She is never far from where the action is and will almost certainly be the first to greet you when you arrive for a retreat.

Strong, steady, and full of joy—Ruby is already woven into the life of this land.

Luke

Luke came to Heirloom Springs in October 2022, just before our very first Signature Retreat. A Dutch Warmblood with the heart of a puppy dog and the body of a giant (16.4 hands), he arrived thin, under-muscled, and quietly hopeful.

With lush pasture, good grain, an exceptional equine vet, and a whole lot of love, Luke bloomed. He put on strength, confidence, and at least 200 pounds—and he never lost his softness. If you visited the farm, Luke welcomed you like an old friend. He loved a good scratch, accepted affection freely, and had very strong opinions about treats. Peppermints were his favorite, followed closely by carrots and apples. Showing up empty-handed was never advised.

We lost our sweet boy Luke on February 16, 2025. His absence is still felt in the fields he once grazed and in the quiet moments around the barn. He was deeply loved, well cared for, and exactly who he was meant to be.

Forever in our hearts. Always part of this land. 🐴🤍