Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment - Town of Guilford

Dairy
There are no longer any operational dairy farms in Town, but Ray Wimler pastures dairy cows on Crooked
Hill Road in Guilford.
Horses
Many households maintain horses afforded by large lot zoning.
Bees
The keeping of bees for honey and other products is termed apiculture. It is important to have a supply
of bees for the pollination of certain crops (i.e., pumpkins) and orchards. Approximately 100 hives are
moved into Guilford on a temporary basis to aid the pollination of apples, pears, and blueberries.
According to Vincent Kay, commercial beekeeper, Guilford has quite a beekeeping population with about
75-100 resident hives. Honey is sold to regional stores.
Nursery Stock / Flowers
Nursery stock means trees and shrubs are “grow-on”- brought in and grown bigger. Flowers are potted
annuals and perennials (grown in greenhouses):
• Fonicello’s, on Union Street
• North Guilford Nursery, on Rockland Road
• Sachem’s Garden Center, on Durham Road
• Wilbur & King Garden Center grows flowers and vegetable plants for retail in a greenhouse on
its premises on Goose Lane
• Pinchbeck’s, on Boston Post Road, grows roses and miscellaneous cut-flowers. It is the only grower
of roses in New England and has the largest single-span greenhouse in the country. Flowers are sold
retail on site and wholesale to the New York City market and throughout Connecticut.
Christmas Trees
There are several registered “Cut-Your-Own” Christmas Tree Farms in Guilford:
• Smith’s Tree Farm, Long Hill Road
• New England Forest, Great Hill Road
• Wetteman’s, West Street
• Pinchbeck’s Tree Farm, State Street
In addition, Christmas Hill Tree Farm, Elm Street sells “Cut Your Own”, and Pinchbeck’s sells trees grown
on the Boston Post Road premises wholesale, but not “Cut Your Own”
Endnotes
1 Data from Bishop’s website, www.bishopsorchards.com., as dated 10/03
2 Changes in the marsh conditions have hampered traditional salt-haying operations
3 SCCRWA maintains approximately 43 acres in agricultural use in Guilford, as per John Hudak, SCCRWA, 1-8-04
4 Formerly Rusconi; Rusconi retains right to hay property
5 There is the potential for small scale cattle breeding to supply local restaurants
6 Scotch Highlander cattle
Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment Town of Guilford, CT E-1c
Appendix Appendix