The Year That Tested Us: Looking Back at 2025 and Ahead to 2026

If you’ve been following along, you probably noticed we were quiet in 2025 not because nothing was happening, but because everything was.

It wasn’t a year of polished updates or perfectly staged photos. It was a year of growth, rebuilding, and learning in real time. From ducks to lisianthus to greenhouse experiments, we were constantly adjusting, failing, and trying again. Our homemade greenhouse worked beautifully in the spring we started seeds early, grew strong plants, and sold vibrant hanging baskets that felt like real progress. By fall, it was still standing and thriving… until one bad storm came through and destroyed it. That’s farming. You build, you grow, you lose, you rebuild and you don’t quit.

A solitary tree stands silhouetted against a foggy winter landscape on the farm in 2025, its bare branches etched sharply against a blanket of snow.

The Orchards

Our fruit orchard may have been one of our biggest teachers in 2025. We made the decision to transplant part of one orchard into another space giving trees better positioning and long-term opportunity. Moving fruit trees is not a small task. It’s careful digging, protecting fragile roots, studying soil, and hoping you’ve made the right call. Along the way, we’ve been learning more about organic orchard care pruning, soil health, natural pest management, and how much attention fruit trees truly require. They are not “plant and forget.” They demand patience and consistency.

Then summer brought drought. The kind of dry stretch that leaves you scanning the sky every day. A few of our trees showed signs of distress, and there was real uncertainty about whether they would pull through. We’re hopeful this spring will tell a better story that their roots ran deeper than we could see.

And then… the deer. The deer out here never cease to amaze me. They can run full force through a fence, completely destroy it, and then casually walk away like, “Oh. Did I do that?” Farming has a way of humbling you and making you laugh in the same breath. The orchard is still young. Still developing. Just like us. But fruit trees are long-term promises and we’re committed to tending them.

A beautiful bouquet of pastel and white lisianthus held gently against a warm wooden floor backdrop.

Expanding the Cut Flower Field

2025 was also the year we expanded our cut flower field and took on one of the most elusive blooms out there, lisianthus. What started with meeting a wonderful flower farmer, Alicia at Stone Oak Farm, turned into more than just purchasing plugs it became the beginning of a friendship rooted in shared soil and shared lessons. The “lissies,” as most flower farmers call them, have become one of my proudest accomplishments. They can be finicky in their care, demanding patience, attention, and just the right conditions. But once they begin to bloom, they completely take your breath away. No two are ever the same. The colors shift and blend, sometimes growing multiple shades on the same stem soft creams fading into orange, deep purples brushing into lavender. They reminded me that some of the most beautiful things take time, mentorship, and a willingness to try something hard.

The Bee Journey

If you know us, you know our bee journey hasn’t followed a neat, by-the-book path it’s been lesson after lesson. We truly believed 2025 would be the year we harvested honey, but as winter approached, we realized something more important, the bees needed it more than we did. So we left the honey in the hive to help ensure their survival through the cold months. Sometimes growth looks like restraint. After three years of learning, adjusting, and doing what’s best for the hive, 2026 will finally be the year we collect our first raw honey not rushed, not forced, but earned.

Ducks, Eggs & Hard Lessons

Our three ducks were a brand-new adventure messy, skittish, and surprisingly funny. We learned about the richness of their eggs and the personalities they carry in those small feathered bodies.

And then December reminded us of something city life never prepares you for.

Predators are always present. We’ve learned to handle the “normal” predators in our area. But this winter was different. A mink found its way in, and we lost one of our mama ducks. There are parts of farming that are beautiful. And there are parts that hurt. When predators arrive, uncertainty lingers. The farm has been locked down all winter while we redesign and reinforce animal areas to make sure everyone is safer moving forward. Spring will bring stronger systems. Stronger spaces. Hard-earned wisdom.

Handcrafted Hills Remedy salves elegantly displayed, offering natural healing with a touch of rustic charm.

Carrying Forward Hills Remedy

2025 also brought something deeply meaningful.

We took on Hills Remedy, a salve company my dear cousin built from scratch over 12 years ago out of a need to find natural remedies that truly worked. Bringing Hills Remedy into Hill Top Farmstead feels less like adding a product line and more like carrying forward a legacy. It fits here. It belongs here.

What's Coming 2026

This year will be one of rebuilding and expanding.

• Flock additions this spring

• Possibly a few new animals

• Barn restoration finally beginning

• Rebuilding and reinforcing animal areas

• Continuing orchard care and bee stewardship

• And reopening the farmstand in June 2026

When you grow up in the city, you think you understand farming. But you don’t truly understand it until you live it the unpredictability, the losses, the early mornings, the second chances.

2025 humbled us.

2026 will grow us.

And we’re grateful you’re here for it.