Producer
Hydes Hill Herbs
Address: 13125 Bottom Road Hydes, MD, 21082
Phone: 517-604-1726
Website: www.hydeshillherbs.com
About Us
Hydes Hill Herbs is a micro farm specializing in dried culinary herbs and herbal teas nestled on three acres in the Long Green Valley, Baltimore County, Maryland. We practice sustainable production methods and undergo annual audits as a GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certified producer, which is a voluntary food safety review offered by the Maryland Department of Agriculture. We are a licensed on-farm home processor through the Maryland Department of Health.
Shelley launched the farm in 2018 after years of being immersed in sustainable agriculture. She spent three years as an agroforestry extension agent in Senegal with the Peace Corps; worked on urban gardens and farms in both Lansing, MI and Baltimore, MD; and, when not busy leveraging her grant-writing skills for local nonprofits, works among the bees and butterflies at a local cut flower farm. Many of her first memories revolve around her experiences with mother’s extensive garden: sitting on a justifiably angry pollinator as a small child while “helping” her mother weed; spreading endless mounds of mushroom soil around the flowers; cutting fresh bouquets for the kitchen table; and drinking fresh chocolate mint tea on summer mornings while watching reruns of The Andy Griffith Show.
Shelley launched the farm in 2018 after years of being immersed in sustainable agriculture. She spent three years as an agroforestry extension agent in Senegal with the Peace Corps; worked on urban gardens and farms in both Lansing, MI and Baltimore, MD; and, when not busy leveraging her grant-writing skills for local nonprofits, works among the bees and butterflies at a local cut flower farm. Many of her first memories revolve around her experiences with mother’s extensive garden: sitting on a justifiably angry pollinator as a small child while “helping” her mother weed; spreading endless mounds of mushroom soil around the flowers; cutting fresh bouquets for the kitchen table; and drinking fresh chocolate mint tea on summer mornings while watching reruns of The Andy Griffith Show.
Practices
Hydes Hill Herbs is GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certified through the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Farming on small scale allows us to use no-till methods with relative ease...as long as we remain dedicated to keeping the most noxious weeds out of the herb beds! We use only natural mulching methods (no plastic) and source compost and woodchips (for pathways) from producers. We stick to OMRI-certified fertilizers and either hand-pick or use sticky traps for removing pests. Without tunnels or greenhouses, our season is confined to the sunniest months, which means we retreat indoors for most of the winter and keep our fingers crossed our rosemary plants make it through with just the light Agribon protection we afford them.