The peach trees are budding, the apple trees are in bloom and cabbage, broccoli, pak choi, tomatoes, onions, beets and flowers are growing in the nursery.

Rock Hill Orchard in Damascus is back in business. It will open for the season May 1 under the ownership of John and Mary Fendrick of Germantown.

The Fendricks bought the 135-acre farm and adjacent farmhouse from Dick and Nancy Biggs in December, buying not only the land but the farm equipment and name. They have also hired most of the Biggses' farm staff.

"That's enabled us to get off the ground running quickly," John Fendrick said.

Because the sale occurred so late in the year, strawberry plants were not prepared for the upcoming season so the farm will not offer pick-your-own berries this year, but many other fruits, vegetables, flowers and more will be available.

The Biggses had been trying to sell their farm for three years when they decided last fall to close it if no buyer appeared. For two years the Fendricks had been driving around the upcounty looking for a larger location where they could raise their small herd of Guernsey cows.

"We kept driving by this place and thinking it would be perfect," John Fendrick said.

The Fendricks have 30 Guernsey dairy cows on their 24-acre Germantown farm and keep another 25 cows in Middletown.

Cheeses and ice cream made from Guernsey milk will be sold in the farm store, John Fendrick said. It is being processed in Lancaster, but he plans to buy equipment to pasteurize the milk and make butter, cheese and ice cream on the farm.

Grass has been planted on a 55-acre former soybean field so the cows can be moved there to graze, Mary Fendrick said. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation gave the Fendricks an $11,000 grant to convert the field to a pasture.

The Biggs have made the transition to the farm easy, John Fendrick said. Dick Biggs, a former agricultural services agent, kept detailed records about what to plant, when to plant it and how much to plant, he said.

"A lot of this is understanding when you need to have something so it's on hand," John Fendrick said.

Seeds and bulbs are spread out on the floor of the farmhouse. Most crops on the farm are started from seed, said Mary Fendrick, who is the farm manager.

The Fendricks have grown their own vegetables and had fruit trees since they moved to Germantown about 15 years ago.

"We get a lot of satisfaction out of being able to do for ourselves," Mary Fendrick said.

The farm store will sell Mary Fendrick's pies, handmade soaps and honey produced by bees that live on the farm.

When the Fendricks buy meat, fruit and vegetables, they buy from local producers.

"We feel strongly, your local food is your best food," Mary Fendrick said.

Mary Fendrick, 46, grew up in Staten Island and John Fendrick, 46, grew up in Chevy Chase. They met at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and married 20 years ago. She worked as a computer programmer and program analyst and he did computer work for a consulting firm before starting his own consulting business, Woodbourne Solutions.

In recent years Mary Fendrick was a full-time mother and worked part time at the Montgomery County Agricultural Extension Office.

"We've made conscious decisions to move away from urban to more suburban and give our kids a more balanced idea of life," Mary Fendrick said.

The family bought their first animals, two sheep, at the Montgomery County Fair soon after they moved to Germantown.

Their children, Ray, 17, and Patrick, 14, are involved in farming. Since Ray was a youngster he has been interested in flowers and growing plants, Mary Fendrick said.

"He'll take care of the cut-your-own-flower garden," she said.

Patrick wants to work in the farm store.

Chuck Schuster, an educator at the Montgomery County Agricultural Extension Office, predicts the transition to agriculture will be easy for the Fendricks.

"John is a very business savvy individual and John knows how to make use of the resources available to him," Schuster said. "I'm looking forward to spending time out there and watching them grow and flourish."

Farmers help each other, so between their experienced farm hands, other farm owners and the agricultural extension service, the Fendricks should be able to get all the help they need, he said.

"These farmers work together," Schuster said. "When one has a problem, they call each other. They are all the best of friends. They work together as a team."

ssingerbart@gazette.net