Oct 22, 2017

Fall on the Lavender Farm

It's easy to see that lavender is a summer crop. Although we have limited experience in the harvesting of lavender, experts tell us that it varies from May through September. So, what does that mean for the Lavender farm the rest of the year? Well, that’s when all the “behind the scenes” work takes place. Being that this is our first go around, we are still learning what happens “behind the scenes”. So here is a little summary of what we have learned and what’s going on this fall.

Starting a business takes a great deal of planning. This includes getting a business license, insurance, finances, website, social media, where to plant, how to plant, what to plant, when to plant, learning and developing value added products, marketing, propagating and networking. This involves continuous research and improvements. If someone is interested in starting an agriculture business, fall or winter is the best time to start. This gives you all winter to get your ducks in a row for the upcoming planting season. Unfortunately, we started our process in May…So we have had many bouncing balls all going different directions. This requires lots of communication and good project management. We are fortunate to say that even with some hiccups along the way…so far so good. Fingers Crossed!!!
When should you plant lavender? Experts have told us that you can plant in the fall 30 days before the first frost or after the last frost in the spring. We really can’t say yet what seems to be best time for us…we have not had a spring season of planting yet. However, the plants that we planted in September are doing excellent. We actually have a couple plants that are budding today…October 22, 2017! Great weather this fall has been on our side.
Fall means trimming the plants back so they become hearty for the next season. We did do this for the plants we planted in June. Hopefully, they will be hearty and abundant next year.
Fall also means it’s time to plan for holiday gifts. We had several folks ask if we would be offering gift baskets. So…yes, we have been able to design three different baskets to meet different budgets for our customers. $24.99, $39.99 or $59.99. We also do customized gift baskets to meet our customer’s special requests.
We have scheduled to attend our first Christmas Spectacular on November 10-12. It will be held at Mylan Park in Morgantown. So, in preparation of this event and future events…we are now designing a display that represents our vision for Stone House Lavender Farm and Market. We have also registered to participate in a local holiday festival called the Feast of the Seven Fishes held in downtown Fairmont, WV on December 9.
We are continuing our first attempt at propagation. Currently, our process is primitive, but it’s also a learning process for us right now. We have started with 640 plants and pray for a 50% success rate on this first attempt. We continue to research and learn as we go…

Today’s pictures include; the newly released gift baskets, a view of the fall leaves from the lavender field, the buds still growing on our new plants and lots of fresh growth.

Relax. Enjoy.

--Stone House Lavender Crew